A tight finish in the inaugural 8hrs @Jacks mountain bike multi-lap rely event saw top honours in the open individual section go to Andrew Ballantyne from Invercargill who completed 15 laps just 1min 30 seconds ahead of leading Queenstown multisporter Jim Hawkridge.
The pair were tied after eight hours racing on the challenging and diverse Jack’s Point Straggler’s Loop Trail which was used for the first time to launch the new multisport relay event.
The new event designed by Southern Traverse was aimed at individuals and teams of two, three and four and was inspired by demand from both elite and recreational bikers for a fresh event in the Queenstown area.
The 6.9km trail started at a paddock at Jack’s Point above the golf course’s number fourteen tee and followed a lakeview track on a high terrace, before cutting across paddocks following old sheep tracks. Once at the high point of the track the downhill was fast and exciting and included rutted tracks, potholes, grass descents and matagouri lanes. Competitors had to negotiate two stiles en route before making the final haul up a gravel road to the base paddock.
Race Director Geoff Hunt was pleased with the response to the event. “It was a stunning day and there was a great atmosphere at the base. This sort of event creates a lot of camaraderie and friendly rivalry and everyone who competed finished safely.”
The fastest lap of the day was recorded by the Rouge Mantis Team who were consistently lapping the course in the 23min range.
“The lap times I predicted were pretty much on target and there were some very fast laps across the board,” says Hunt.
Ballantyne praised Hunt for the “great new event” and he predicted interest would grow significantly next year. Hawkridge, who was the only competitor on a single speed bike endorsed his comments noting there were definitely some “gnarly bits” which kept riders alert.
Sponsor Hamish Cochran of Patagonia Clothing, who competed in a team which included his wife Jenny, was excited about the location for 8hrs@Jacks. “It’s a beautiful area for a course like this and some of the views over Lake Wakatipu from the high points are incredible.”
The race began with a Le Mans start and the hotly contested Open Men’s section was won by the two man team of Ryan Cull and Scott Hodges racing as Rouge Mantis. The pair completed 18 laps to win the title from second placed Vital Signs in 17 laps and CBR finished third after completing 16 laps.
The Open Mixed title went to the Funksters who recorded 15 laps while Funky Frogs headed off Adventure Skope to take second place. Both teams clocked 13 laps with Funky Frogs fastest overall.
The Veteran Mixed Team DieHard clocked 16 laps, the Veteran Men’s section was won by Terrace Junction on 14 laps and The Veteran women’s team section was won by The Rural Rockets after completing 10 laps.
The fastest veteran individual was prominent Southern Traverse competitor Ken Scott ( where from?) who finished after eight hours with a total of 13 laps.
The Open Female team winner was Girls Just Wanna Have Fun after 11 laps.
Hunt says the Straggler’s Loop will be upgraded before next year’s 8 hrs@Jacks.
“We are working with Jack’s Point and there will be some changes to fine tune the course a bit more. For example the stiles will be replaced by cattle stops which will make a difference and there will be other modifications. I expect we could attract up to 500 people next year.”
Jack’s Point spokesperson Sara Roy was delighted with the new event which put the spotlight on the resort.
“It is fantastic to have another community event at Jack’s. It was great to have the mountain biking fraternity out here to let them see first hand the range of amenities and facilities we have. We are excited that we have created a trail like the Straggler’s Loop for the 8hrs@ Jacks which will undoubtedly become an established event on the mountain biking calendar.”
