The Willo joins Rocky Trail Community

Rocky Trail has moved into its second decade in business and we never stop exploring and have still so many ideas and opportunities that we know we can turn into amazing experiences for Australian cyclists! That’s why we have been looking for a strong management team to support our ventures and growth.

We are so pleased that our core team has expanded to include Jo Parker and Bob Morris as Event Managers this year. Rocky Trail now can deliver more events for cyclists of all ages and riding and racing desires and help shape the development of Australian cycling destinations.

One of the new Rocky Trail events that we can announce is one with a long history: The Willo. The 10th Anniversary of “The Willo” will be held on 1 March 2020 and we will be the new custodians of the event. We are so proud and honoured that its founder Meg Patey entrusts us and our crew with continuing her work and the legacy of The Willo from 2020 and will do so under her official patronage.

The Willo 2020 will be launched on 18 May 2019 at our Shimano MTB Grand Prix event at Wingello State Forest. It would be lovely if you could join Meg and us for a 4 or 7 hour race! The race track will take you onto some of the Willo trails too.

The legacy of The Willo

The Willo has been held in memory of James Williamson since 2010. ‘Willo’ who was a very talented young mountain biker. That year he died at the age of 26 and his auntie Meg Patey and his friends founded the Willo event in his memory.

We love this video of Meg Patey – it says everything about her and The Willo:

The Directors of Rocky Trail Entertainment Juliane and Martin Wisata both love riding and racing. They say:

“We have so many fond personal memories of racing The Willo ourselves and even though we only got the chance to work with James ‘Willo’ Williamson for a short period of time, he was a very influential and supportive person in our early days of running Rocky Trail as an incredibly talented endurance racer and magazine editor. That is why we are so proud that we may carry on this event into its next decade in his name.”

Juliane Wisata

Our patron: Auntie Meg

We are so honoured that Meg entrusts us and our crew with continuing her work and the legacy of The Willo from 2020 and will do so under her official patronage.

“We just wanted to do something to continue his energy and spirit, so we started this event. It’s been quite a lot of work, but I really enjoyed it – I would like to step back from the organising activities and I really look forward to continue being a part of the race as a patron and rider. With Juliane and Martin and their team I found good people who will take this event into its next decade and keep James’ legacy going.”

Meg Patey

The Willo Camp

It was very important to us that key event sponsors, supporters and volunteers will stay involved and we are committed to continue one of the key components of The Willo, which is offering junior development opportunities for regional kids. As Meg so rightly puts it,

“It’s about teaching them about how to find out who they are and how to approach life, because that’s what James was and that’s what he would have wanted”.

Meg Patey

Willo Launch in Wingello: 18 May 2019

The Willo 2020 Anniversary will be launched on 18 May 2019 at our Shimano MTB Grand Prix event at Wingello State Forest. It would be lovely if you could join Meg and us for a 4 or 7 hour race! The race track will take you onto some of the Willo trails – all details are below!

We will keep you posted with event updates and news over the next few months and would love it if you stayed subscribed to enjoy the company and community of Rocky Trail and Willo racers. – We are looking forward to joining Meg with friends and supporters of the Willo in celebrating the memory of a great man and the bright future of this inspiring event.

See you out on those rocky trails,

Juliane, Martin and the Rocky Trail Team