One week to go to register for the JetBlack 12 Hour at James Estate!
For the first time, the legendary vibes of the JetBlack 12 Hour mountain bike race will spread through the vineyards and MTB trail network of the James Estate Winery. Come with us to this magical place – where mountain bikers can roam freely among rolling valley plains and the stunning vineyards and fly on an awesome 11k m race track that will take you into a pumping event centre, right in the heart of the winery. Head-line sponsor JetBlack Cycling and our race supporters promise a mountain bike action-packed racing weekend and a plethora of prizes! Here are some bits and pieces of information for all those who have already signed up and also some teasers to twist the arms of those tempted to – you know you want to!!!
>> Click here to register now
RACE INFORMATION
How to get to James Estate
Go to our website for details and a map – the new Hunter Express Way will take out a bit of travel time if you’re coming from Sydney or North of Newcastle. Turn off towards Muswellbrook/Singleton onto the new, more direct express way at the M1 at Newcastle.
Camping and accommodation
Camping on-site at James Estate is for free. Well, we’ve sort of “negotiated” it under the condition that we support the winery by buying wine. So, visit Graeme and Christine and their team at the James Estate stand and taste their delicious wines and grab a bottle or two or a dozen to enjoy when you get home.
We’ll have our crew assisting you with the set up, but as we expect close to 400 riders we ask, that you snuggle up and don’t waste too much space around your camp site. You will be able to camp next to your car and we’ll route the race track so that access to it will be easy. A specific solo transition area will be set up in the JetBlack event centre.
Coming and going during the race is not a problem – the race track won’t cross the road in/out.
James Estate JB12H race SPECIAL – insane!
James Estate will have their cellar door open with their full range of wine. And just for this weekend only, if you buy a dozen you get a bonus dozen absolutely free. Free offer available on a pre-selected range of wines.
Race track – mapping brought to you by Magellan
Check out the race track online – the squiggly bits in the bush will make your MTB heart skip a beat and the fast fire road straights will give you a chance to eat, breathe and push hard – don’t forget to look up and enjoy the magnificent views of the vineyards and Upper Hunter Valley!
Timing & free bottle of James Estate wine
Every rider will be issued with a race number plate and when you come to pick it up you’ll get a FREE bottle of James Estate wine from us!
Please make sure that you attach the race number FLAT onto your handle bars, so that the photographers and especially our timing crew can see the number properly.
Event schedule
The race will finish quite late, so we’ll hold a flower ceremony at night for all category winners. As a lot of riders and visitors will be camping on-site or stay in close-by towns, we’ll have a big brunch together on the Sunday with the official prize ceremony at 9 am and then everyone will still have plenty of time to explore the winery and the surrounding Upper Hunter Valley.
Results
Results will be published online asap after the race. During the event, due to limited phone reception, we will have a few laptops in the event centre, where you can check your lap times as well as a rolling screen with category results. Have a chat to our friendly crew if you want any specific details.
Entertainment
DJ Nigel will pump out the signature Rocky Trail chooooonz for us – the fun starts on Friday! We’ll have a sub-warm-up session from 6-9 pm on Friday night. If you want to set up camp away from the music for the weekend, please chat to the event crew when you arrive, we’ll point out the spots for you. Most speakers will be directed towards the track – racers will be able to hear the music and announcements throughout a lot of sections of the race track. The morning wake-up and evening lullaby songs will be picked by Martin, look forward to an Austrian-Aussie surprise.
Food – by the Daily Espresso crew
Mona, Anthony and their crew will look after us – Friday evening with hearty winter dinner options and all the way through race day and Sunday’s bacon & egg breakfast. They have yummy pasta and snacks and hot and cold drinks and will also bring back the popular PIZZA OVEN! Let’s wrap up the race day under the stars!
Water
Available on-site.
Power
We kindly ask you to bring pre-charged lights for the night laps and to take lights with you out onto the race track from 4pm. We will have a re-charging set up in the event centre from mid afternoon.
Phone reception
Limited at event centre. Works well at the Cellar Door (about 1 km away).
Weather forecast
Looks great at the moment – we do expect a chilly night, so bring plenty of warm clothes. We will provide drums for fires and a bonfire in the middle of the event centre and you can also set up your own fires at your camp, if you wish to do so. Please bring your own fire wood for that. The best thing is that we’re expecting a full-moon night, so fingers crossed for a clear sky overnight! It will be a magical moment, when the full moon rises over the ridge of James Estate…. sigh!
Tech support by Blackman Bicycles
If you have any bike related dramas see the guys from Blackman’s and they will do their best to get you back onto your bike.
First Aid by Pink First Aid
The Pink First Aid crew will be on-site looking after you.
Kids Club
Kate will be our Kids Club entertainer for the event – fingers crossed, maybe she will even bring her little dog Sparkles along. There will be games and colouring-in activities and of course the legendary Pedal4Pierce kids race (parents read: free kids race, time-trial style, about 50-100m around a parcour in the event centre.)
Pedal4Pierce Charity raffle
Chris and his Pedal4Pierce racing team will be joining us – they’re “Riding for Kids who Can’t” to raise money for research projects to cure Congenital Muscular Dystrophy. Buy some raffle tickets off Chris to go in the draw for prizes including a JetBlack 24 Hour team entry, 3x SHIMANO MTB GP Solo entries as well as JetBlack helmets and grips, Rubena tyres and plenty more!
Race photographers OuterImage.com.au
The crew with Gil and Richard from OuterImage.com.au will capture the race action for you – they’ve been travelling with the Rocky Trail crew for more than two years now to our events and we love their photos. They show not only our riders but really capture them in the beautiful surrounds that they’re in. Very unique photos, worth checking out afterwards – you’ll get a direct link through our event service package. Give them a like on Facebook, they regularly post directly from out on track too!
Thanks to our fantastic sponsors –
you bring this event to life with us
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