At 7pm on Friday the 9th of October, 48 riders set off from Esk on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Users Association's annual BVRT E2Ex2 Challenge. Despite temperatures dipping to near freezing, the top riders set a ferocious pace for the course of more than 200 miles (323km). Well known Brisbane rider Joris van der Tang was the first to make it back to Esk, his time of 11hr43m54s taking 11m17s from his own record set just over 4 months ago. To date Joris is the only rider to have ridden the BVRT end to end and back in under 12 hours. Meanwhile Anna Beck, the 2018 XCM National Champion was setting an astonishing speed, crossing the line after just 13hr38m54s, a staggering 4hr32m6s ahead of the previous record set by Rebecca Stone in May 2018. President of the BVRTUA Paul Heymans congratulated both riders on their new records, saying of Anna's effort "I am just in awe. I think that record may stand for some time before anyone manages to beat it."
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On the morning of Friday August 28th, Innisfail local Ken Dyson set off from the Innisfail Post Office in only the second attempt on the Innisfail-Cairns record since 1953.
With excellent weather conditions including a good tailwind, Ken made extremely rapid progress with his speed frequently approaching 50kmh. Making his way through Cairns Ken was severely hampered by traffic lights and roadworks, but pressed on strongly to reach the Cairns Post Office more than 14 minutes ahead of the previous record. Lachlan Davis, who set the previous record in June 2018, congratulated Ken on his "astonishing achievement" of completing the 87km journey in 2hrs8m21s, an average speed of 40.7kmh. "Beating that time would take an incredible effort, and not likely from me!" he added. Ken, who previously made an unofficial record from Innisfail-Millaa Millaa-Innisfail, said aside from the roadworks he was very happy with how the ride had played out, and has his eyes set on other records in the region "in the near future"! 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! 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! Just before 2am on Saturday, Bundaberg mountain biker Mandy Cook set off from Kilkivan on an attempt to set the first Women's South Burnett-Brisbane Valley Rail Trail "double" record.
With Mike Zande (current holder of the Men's "double" record) alongside, 2 punctures and a broken chain in the first few kilometres saw them return to Kilkivan after repairs to make a fresh start. The morning saw temperatures as low as 0 degrees, and while the mercury rose during the day, so did a South-Easterly headwind. The two riders soldiered on through the day and into the evening, finally reaching the end of the BVRT at Wulkuraka station near Ipswich at 10:20pm. Mandy's time for the huge 306km ride was 19hr23m31s, after what Mike said was "a very determined ride", and supporter Stephen Chapman described Mandy's effort as "nothing short of amazing". On Saturday May 30th, not one but two riders took advantage of mild winter weather to smash records on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail.
Gold Coast rider Michael Driesenaar took a shuttle with local business Out There Cycling to the northern trailhead at Yarraman, and aimed his Specialized Diverge gravel bike for Wulkuraka, 161kms away. In spite of a tough headwind and some recently repaired sections of the trail still bedding in, Michael reached Wulkuraka in 6hr8m26s, slashing an incredible 1hr16m from the previous record, set by Hervey Bay rider Mike Zande in July 2019. Zande congratulated Driesenaar on his new record, and said he was surprised how long it had taken for it to be broken. More than an hour before Michael left Yarraman, Brisbane rider Joris van der Tang set off from Esk, heading first to Wulkuraka, then all the way north to Yarraman before returning to Esk to complete an "end to end by 2". Joris covered the 323kms in 11hr55m11s, the first sub 12 hour E2Ex2, and more than an hour and a half faster than the previous record, set by Brisbane rider Russell Worthington in October 2019. Driesenaar said he believes the one way record can be lowered significantly with more favourable wind and trail conditions, and van der Tang says the Yarraman-Wulkuraka record is "on my to do list". On March 8th, Bairnsdale rider Phil Lutz set off on his Kinesis 4S, aiming for the other end of the East Gippsland Rail Trail, nearly 100kms away in Orbost.
Phil said the trail was "a bit sticky and slow in a lot of sections because of all the rain" and the narrow tyres on his road-oriented bike made some parts "a little scary!" His task was made easier by mild weather conditions, and he reached Orbost in 3hr34m54s, more than an hour ahead of the previous record of 4hr40m44s set by Matt Bateson in January 2015. Phil now holds both one way records for the trail, having set the Orbost-Bairnsdale record at 5hr3m29s in September 2018. Phil said he was "just chuffed to have made it in a decent time, without crashing!" and hasn't ruled out making an attempt on the Bairnsdale-Orbost-Bairnsdale record currently held by Matt Bateson. 2019 has undoubtedly been the year of the rail trail, with 18 records established or broken on the Brisbane Valley and South Burnett trails.
On Friday morning Brisbane rider Joris van der Tang (shown winning the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Users Association E2EX2 challenge in October) set off from Wulkuraka, and arrived at Yarraman just 5hr36m10s later, shattering the previous solo record (set by Nick Ashby in July) by over an hour and 20 minutes! Joris' effort also broke the fastest race time by nearly an hour, and made him the first person to "beat the train" on the completed rail trail (the trains normally took around 6 hours to make the same journey). Congratulations! A mere 19 days after Mandy Cook set the very first womens end to end and back record on the South Burnett Rail Trail, it has been lowered by Brisbane rider Philadelphia Holmes.
Setting off from Kingaroy early on Friday morning on her Malvern Star Oppy S2 touring bike, Phila made quick progress in spite of mud and fallen trees from storms the night before. She broke the Kingaroy-Murgon record by 7m10s, the Murgon-Kilkivan record by 10m29s, and the Kingaroy-Kilkivan record by 18m1s. After the turnaround, a warm day did little to hamper her speed, with the Kilkivan-Murgon record falling by 9m53s, and 22m7s carved off the Kilkivan-Kingaroy record. When she returned to O'Neill Square in Kingaroy, the stopwatch read 9hr18m54s, exactly 41 minutes faster than the previous record. Phila jokingly said she would have "one schooner for every magpie that swooped me, I don't think I can drink that much though!" Only a week after Mandy Cook became the first woman to complete an end to end return on the South Burnett Rail Trail, Brisbane rider Russell Worthington set off from Esk at 6pm on Saturday October 5th aiming to break the 14hr36m Brisbane Valley Rail Trail end to end return record, set in November 2018 by Cameron Wickbold, Bruce Flesser, and Wayne Thompson.
After stopping 20km south of Esk to remove a trip-wire which had been strung across the trail (since reported to local police), Russell reached Wulkuraka near Ipswich at 8:30pm and turned north to ride the 100 miles to the other end of the trail at Yarraman. With mild temperatures and good trail conditions Yarraman was reached around 3:30am on Sunday, less than 10 minutes outside the one way record. The final stretch back to Esk was mostly uneventful except for a magpie attack just outside town which Russell described as "all part of the challenge!" Russell's total time for the 323km ride was 13hr31m26s, more than one hour and five minutes faster than the previous record. While happy with his effort he expects the record to be under threat at next weekend's annual BVRT E2Ex2 Challenge Ride, organised by the BVRT Users Association Inc. |