Just 10 months after the first Women's end to end and back record was set on the South Burnett Rail Trail, it has been broken for a second time. Well known Brisbane mountain biker Rebecca Stone set off from Kingaroy on Saturday August 8, breaking the Kingaroy-Murgon record, and taking more than 7 minutes off the Kingaroy-Kilkivan time. Difficult conditions on the return from Kilkivan cost her valuable time, but she finished strongly to take the Murgon-Kilkivan record, and lower the E2Ex2 record by 8m44s with a new record of 9hr10m10s. Rebecca on a successful "Everesting" attempt in 2018.
The record in Rebecca's words- "The story really starts three and a half years ago when I hit an unfortunate wallaby on my mountain bike and unknowingly broke the top of my ulnar bone at the elbow. The floating pieces are starting to lock the joint and cause problems with the only solution being surgery (next week) and six weeks minimum off my mountain bike. I felt I wanted to complete one last challenge. A few weeks ago I completed the Brisbane Valley rail trail from Walkuraka to Yarraman return in just over 18 hours self supported. I have never been to Kingaroy so decided this would be a great weekend for the Kingaroy to Kilkivan return trip. The ride would also coincide with the mountain bike cross country race to be held at Wondai hosted by the South Burnett mountain bike club on the Sunday. I left my home in Brisbane at 3am Saturday morning and drove to Kingaroy, I guess I should have looked at the contours for the ride and realised the return section would be all up hill. I didn’t want to drive all the way to Kilkivan. The trip to Kilkivan was beautiful, fast, downhill and with a tail wind. There were a couple of sandy sections and a million gates but no mud. There was drizzle in the air which kept the temperatures warm. I didn’t see too many people on the trail when I started at 6.14am. I made it to Kilkivan in really good time - just under 4 hours. Time for a quick picture, a banana and to question if this was the end of the trail. I cycled past the station to the grass embankment. I then turned around and thought I would have a quick trip back. On the way back to Kingaroy I experienced some calamity. The gates took a lot of effort to not get caught in the self closing mechanism. There was a very strong headwind on the way back. It had sneakily rained again on the trail just north of Murgon. There i encountered the strangest mud I’ve ever seen. I cautiously rode on what I thought was sand and two seconds later all the mud had suctioned onto my bike and the wheels with a layer of fine grit on top. This then set to concrete within seconds. I couldn’t ride through it, I couldn’t turn my wheels around, i couldn’t scrape it off, I couldn’t find a stick to help me and I practically had to dismantle the bike to get it free. I then went another kilometre and before I knew it i accidentally rode into the same mud again with the same consequences. I should have learnt my lesson when it happened the third time. I shouted some expletives at the mud and growled at my bike. Finally i was free and off again. The three magpies swooped me countless times and told me to hurry up! Finally I arrived back at Kingaroy in 9hr 10 min 10 seconds. I will definitely be back for more I love the rail trails." Congratulations to Rebecca on her 4 new records!
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Chevonne Arrowsmith, perhaps best known for being the only woman to finish the brutal 2019 edition of the BVRT 24hr race, has shattered the one way record from Yarraman to Wulkuraka by nearly 3 hours!
The previous record of 9hr35m41s was set by Jess Harvey just under a year ago, Chevonne blew that time out of the water with a stunning 6hr47m22s. We'll let Chevonne describe the ride herself- "My hubby John kindly dropped me off at Yarraman then drove to Wulkaraka to pick me up. My goal was to complete the ride in under 7 hours. I set a schedule based on an av speed of 25km/hr which would give me half an hour up my sleeve for breaks and mishaps. I was on schedule thanks to the gradient and protection from the wind until Harlin. Then I started falling behind schedule in the windy conditions but I still had quite a time buffer so I just pressed on. I stopped at Toogoolawah to eat and refill my bottle and again at Lowood. I think it is possible to go quite a bit quicker in more favourable conditions or in a group or race scenario. I definitely think it is possible for a lady to ‘beat the train’ but I am not sure that lady could be me. Last year I was the sole female finisher of the BVRTE2Ex2x24 in pretty rough conditions. I will be contesting the event again and hoping to improve on my finishing time. Any day is a good day for an adventure. My advice to those contemplating and adventure on the rail trail. Don’t put off your adventure due to your perceived lack of fitness, experience or equipment. Your fitness and experience will increase each time you choose adventure and run what you brung- it only makes for a better story. Get out there!" Congratulations to Chevonne on her amazing achievement! |