Competitor Briefing

The text on this page was updated on 31/1/2012 and are the final details for the 2012 Kona Odyssey.

The 2012 Kona Odyssey event program containing all the details on this website plus additional diagrams, maps and sponsor offers can be downloaded from here.

Click here to download a list of entrants and their race numbers for the 2012 event. Please note: We will not change your race number unless there is a mistake and you are entered into the wrong event – in which case we ask you to please contact info@rapidascent.com.au and explain the situation. Thanks. 1 Feb 2012.

Schedule

Friday February 17th, 2012

Saturday 18th February, 2012

EVENT LOCATIONS

Apollo Bay - 100km start

The 100km Kona Odyssey starts at Apollo Bay, on the large grassy foreshore area beside the Great Ocean Road opposite the main shopping strip.

Apollo Bay is approximately 2.5hrs drive from Melbourne with the quickest route being via Geelong, Winchelsea and then Forrest (the inland way) rather than along the Great Ocean Road through Lorne. Forrest is a 40minute drive from Apollo Bay.

Forrest Football Ground – 50km start and finish line for all

The Forrest Football Ground is located on Yaugher Road, 1.5km north of the township of Forrest and hosts the following features of the event:

• Race registration on Friday afternoon and evening
• Start line for the 50km Kona Shorty and 15km Kona Pioneer
• Finish line for all events - the 100km, 50km and 15km
• Forrest Festival and Bike Industry Expo providing food, drinks, kids entertainment, live music and much more, for riders’ families and the general public
• Intermediary 67km, 87km points for 100km riders and 25km point for 50km riders being the only location where riders may receive external assistance from support crews
• Race presentations at 3.30pm

Forrest is located approximately 2hrs from Melbourne with the quickest route being via Geelong and Winchelsea. Forrest is a 40minute drive from Apollo Bay.
 

COMPETITOR REGISTRATION REGO AND SPONSORS EXPO ON FRIDAY

Competitor Registration

All riders for each of the 3 events must collect their number plate before the start of their event.
NOTE: you can arrange for a friend to collect your number plate for you .

All 100km and 50km riders must register on Friday between 1:00pm and 9:00pm at the Forrest Football Ground. Late registration for 50km and 100km riders on Saturday morning is ONLY AVAILABLE by prior arrangement directly with the Rapid Ascent office. Kona Pioneer 15km riders can also register on Friday afternoon or on Saturday between 12:30pm and 2:00pm at the Race Administration marquee.

At registration we will give you:

• Number plate. Please note the following about your number plate:
  • It will have your unique timing chip stuck to the back of it (these chips are disposable – we don’t want them back after your ride)
  • It will also have a unique bar code on the front of it to help with photo recognition (see explanation below)
  • Attach your number plate to the front of your handlebars in front of all brake / gear cables so that it has an unobstructed view from the front. Number plates cannot be trimmed or altered in any way.
• Event t-shirt. All entrants will receive a free event t-shirt.

Note: You do not need to have a MTBA licence or day licence to compete. We strongly encourage all riders to have ambulance membership and your own personal accident insurance available through Cyclecover. Please contact our office on 03 5261 5511 to obtain a policy (if not already secured at time of entry).

COMPETITOR BRIEFING

There will be a competitors’ briefing conducted immediately before the start of each race, when all riders are gathered on the start line. There will also be a notice board for race information with course maps, profiles and additional race information in the vicinity of the registration marquee and expo for any last minute information.

SPONSORS EXPO AND FOOD STALLS

There will be quite a bit going on at the Forrest Football Ground throughout Friday afternoon and evening during registration and we encourage you to support the following providers:

• A number of sponsors will be set up and open for business so make sure you check out their stands on Friday before you are too knackered after the race on Saturday
• The Forrest Football Club will be conducting a Pasta Night on Friday evening to give you plenty of pre race carbs
• Torquay Cycling Factory will be set up and doing any last minute bike repairs and maintenance if you are stuck

Check the vouchers section of this event program for offers from the following sponsors who will be selling products:

• Kona
• Evoc
• Mavic
• Schwable
• Shotz Sports Nutrition – make sure you redeem your voucher for a free sample
• Adidas Eyewear

THE START

All races will start with a ‘mass start’ involving all riders in that event on the one start line at the one time. All races will start on time so if you are late to the start then your time will have already commenced.

100km start:

Starting sequence for Elite Womens Category of the 100km Kona Odyssey:
6:30am – 6:40am    Riders congregate on grassy foreshore reserve at Apollo Bay
6:40am – 6:43am    Riders move onto Great Ocean Road start line
6:45am                       Elite Womens Category of the 100km Kona Odyssey starts.
NOTE: For 100km riders warming up on the Great Ocean Road before your race, please keep out of the way of the Elite Women when the start 30 minutes before you.

Starting sequence for all other riders in the 100km Kona Odyssey:
7:00am – 7:10am   Riders congregate on grassy foreshore reserve at Apollo Bay
7:10am.                     Please stay off the road until you are advised on the PA to leave the grassy foreshore.
7:10am – 7:13am   Riders move onto Great Ocean Road start line
7:15am 100km        Kona Odyssey Mountain Bike Marathon starts.

50km start:

Starting sequence for all riders in the 50km Kona Shorty – at the Forrest Football Ground:
In order to cater for the large field of 50km riders and minimize congestion on the trails, we will be starting the 50km Kona Shorty with two wave starts. Faster riders who expect to finish the 50km race in less than 3hr30mins are to start first at 7:05am. Mid field and slower paced riders who expect to finish the 50km race in more than 3hr30mins are to start at 7:15am (The 3hr30min benchmark time is to divide the field in half with 50% starting at 7:05am and the next 50% at 7:15am).

6:55am                Fast (sub 3hr30) riders gather on Yaugher Road ready to start.
6:55am                Mid field (longer than 3hr30) riders gather on the Forrest Football Ground (Please DO NOT wait on Yaugher Rd as you will block the way for the faster riders).
7:05am                Fast (sub 3hr30) riders start.
7:05am                Mid field (longer than 3hr30) riders move from the Forrest Football Ground onto Yaugher Road. (Please wait until after the faster riders have started before moving onto Yaugher Rd).
7:15am                Mid field (longer than 3hr30) riders start.

Please note the following for the 50km start:

• It is very important that the midfield riders do not stand and wait for their start along the sides of the Yaugher Rd as there is not enough space
• We ask you to be honest about your ability and naturally divide yourself into the start group that suits your speed
• Your start time will be recorded when you roll across the start line so it does not matter which group you start in as your time will be corrected anyway
   

Elite Women’s Category of the 100km Kona Odyssey

In an attempt to stamp out pacing by male riders and create a fair race between all elite women, we will be starting the Elite Women in the 100km Kona Odyssey 30 minutes ahead of the main field. This start is ONLY FOR WOMEN WANTING TO BE IN CONTENTION FOR OVERALL PRIZE MONEY in the open women category. Riders hoping to win either the Queen of the Mountain Climb and/or the Timed Descent must also start in this elite women’s start.

If you are a female rider in the 100km event who is not of an elite level and is not in the hunt for prize money or hoping to win the Queen of the Mountain Climb and/or the Timed Descent, then you must start with the main field - otherwise you will block the way and cause congestion for the elite males on the single track when they catch you.

If a female rider starts in the main field and finishes in a time that gives them a place and thus prize money, this prize money will not be awarded as prize money and recognition will only be awarded to those that started in the women’s Elite only start. Competitors wishing to race in this category must notify Rapid Ascent at registration.
 

Self Seeding
The 100km start and both of the 50km starts will be self seeding with all riders encouraged to be sensible about your skills and speed and position yourself on the starting grid accordingly. The starting grid will be split into ‘speed zones’ with advisory signage set up to indicate the approximate positions for riders of all abilities – these signs will be:

• OLYMPIANS (top seeded 20 riders only, starting 10m ahead of the rest of the field). This zone is for seeded male riders with numbers between 1 and 20 only.
• BIG RING RIDERS (FAST) 100km: expected time 5 - 7 hrs .
  50km: 2hr - 2hr45 hrs for the first 50km start and 3hr30 - 4hr for the second 50km start
  -  This zone is for serious riders who do a number of races of different levels and want to have a good crack at the event.
• MIDDLE RING RIDERS (MODERATE) 100km: expected time 7hr – 8hr30
  50km: 2hr45 - 3hr15 for the first 50km start and 4hr-5hr for the second 50km start
  -  This zone is for more social riders who do a fair bit of riding but aren’t the fastest on the track.
• GRANNY RING RIDERS (SLOW AND STEADY) 100km: expected 8+hrs
  50km: 3hr15 – 3hr30 for the first 50km start and 5hr-6hr for the second 50km start
  -  This zone is for those who generally enjoy the scenery and their time out on the bike no matter how long it takes!

This zone is for those who generally enjoy the scenery and their time out on the bike no matter how long it takes!

COMPETITOR SERVICES

To help you have a hassle-free time at the Kona Odyssey we will be providing the following services to competitors.

Shuttle bus – from Forrest to Apollo Bay for the Start (on the morning of the race)

We have organised 4 buses with a total capacity of 80 riders and their bikes. This service will leave from the Forrest General Store at 5.15am sharp. You should be at the general store by 5.15am at the latest to allow for loading time. This service MUST be pre-booked on the event website and there is a cost of $10.

You must pay for the bus at registration in Forrest on Friday afternoon or evening and you will receive a bus ticket which will allow you on the bus on Saturday morning. If you book the bus but then change your plans, please advise Race Administration so we can allocate your place to someone else.
 

Shuttle bus from Forrest to Apollo Bay (in the afternoon)

We greatly encourage all riders to arrange their own transport back to Apollo Bay after their ride but we will be running a free shuttle bus from the Forrest Football Ground back to Apollo Bay for those that cannot arrange transport themselves.

All buses will have bike trailers and will be able to take 20-25 bikes each and will leave approximately every 30 minutes between 2:30pm and 6:00pm. The buses will pick people up from just inside the gate to the Football Ground and will fill up on a first come first served basis. You cannot ‘book’ a seat. If you are precious about your bike, remember to bring some cardboard with you to protect your crank(s) on the bike trailer.

Clothing transport from Apollo Bay to Forrest
For 100km riders only: If you do not have a support crew or others to assist you on the day, we are happy to take one bag of clothing per competitor from Apollo Bay to Forrest for collection after you finish your ride. All clothing must be in a single bag, with name, race number and telephone number clearly marked and must be dropped off in the trailer located next to the Apollo Bay Surf Life Saving Club on the Apollo Bay foreshore between 5:30am – 6:30am on Saturday morning. Clothing will be available for collection from the Rapid Ascent Race Administration marquee at the Forrest Festival during Saturday from 10:00am – 7:00pm.

Hydration and nutrition transport – Apollo Bay to Forrest and the course
100KM RIDERS

We will to transport your pre-prepared race food and drinks from Apollo Bay to two different locations along the 100km course for you to pick up as you race through. These two locations will be:

• At the 50km point at the West Barwon Resevoir dam wall water point (This is NEW SERVICE for 2012)
• At the Forrest Football ground at the 67km and 87km points

In order for your food / drinks bottles to be transported to these locations you must follow these instructions:

• For the 50km water station: bottles must be given to race officials at the registration tent at Forrest on Friday between 1300 and 2100hrs. We will NOT ACCEPT bottles for this water point on Saturday morning at Apollo Bay
• For the 67km and 87km water station: bottles must be given to race officials at the registration tent at Forrest on Friday between 1300 and 2100hrs OR at registration at Apollo Bay on Saturday morning between 0600 and 0700hrs
• Drinks and food for transport must have your race number clearly written on the top for easy identification, and must then be in a single bag (that is separate from clothing bag)
• Drinks / food will be laid out in consecutive race number order next to the race track at both water stations with the lowest numbers first leading through to highest numbers last
• It is your responsibility to find your drinks / food when you arrive, we will not give it to you

50KM RIDERS
As you are starting and finishing at Forrest you can put your bottles out yourself, and can place them in between the race chutes at the 25km point on the football ground in the area as signed on the day.

On site bike shop and mobile bike mechanic
The Kona Odyssey’s designated bike shop – Torquay Cycling Factory - will be set up at the Forrest Football Ground to provide any repairs and emergency maintenance during the event. All work will be charged at a reasonable rate. They will also have a mobile bike mechanic and spares that will be moving around the 100km course. The mobile service will first go to the start at Apollo Bay, then to the top of Wild Dog Road, then to the 40km point on Kaangalang road and then generally around the Yaugher Forest. We cannot guarantee that they will be there if you need them (100km is a lot of track to cover) but they will try their best.

Showers at the Forrest Festival
To make it more comfortable for you to hang out at the Forrest Festival after the race, we will be providing shower facilities at the finish line. Showers will be free, but we ask you to be Water Wise as the water is transported to Forrest and we want it to last for everyone.

Bike Wash - Small change for a great cause!
If you'd like to wash away the pain, mud, sweat and tears from your bike at this year's Kona Odyssey, and donate some change to a good cause, please visit the bike wash situated next to the mobile shower truck. Your small change will support a local Venturer Unit raising funds to go to Fiji.

Massage
Sports massages will be available on the day to help your weary body recover more quickly if you pull up stiff and sore!