Please note that this event is NOT held on the Cape to Cape Walk Trail. It is run on a unique course designed across a variety of roads, tracks and trails that wind from Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste
2010 Course Improvements
The Cape to Cape MTB Ride Management team continues to learn a lot from each event we run and 2009 was no different. Despite glowing reviews from all riders, we have spent months carefully planning a number of improvements to make the course even better in 2010. The following changes to the course have now been approved by the respective authorities, so here is what you can look forward to this year!
Stage 1 (Cape Leeuwin to Hamelin Bay)
This stage is essentially the same for 2010, traversing the same areas although with a slightly different alignment. This year the distance will be approximately 40km, a slight increase from 2009. The changes are as follows:
Additional Tracks Through Augusta Forest
No, we have not taken out the awesome hill climb early into the first stage. Instead we have added a nice section of downhill single track after the ascent followed by another tight and technical climb before we join up with the old course. This change will add 3.2km to the overall distance of the stage.
Deepdene Beach Realignment
For those who have done the Cape to Cape in previous years, Deepdene Beach is without doubt the biggest test of the first stage. With the need to ride close to the tide mark to be on the hard packed sand, surging waves challenge all riders to stay on their bike and maintain any sort of rhythm.
Whilst the beach will remain as a feature of Stage one, we have decided to shorten the beach section almost in half. We have located a much sweeter track off Deepdene Beach that will now bring the course out near the top of Cosy Corner Road and avoid the tough 4WD track that previously brought riders from the beach to the road. The other good news is that the date for Stage 1 (14th October 2010) has an extremely low tide forecast of 0.40m at 2.30pm on that day.
Stage 2 (Hamelin Bay to Prevelly)
This stage is without doubt the most popular given the diversity of tracks and landscape covered, with some minor adjustments to make it even better in 2010!
New Tracks Added Through Boranup Forest
If you don’t ask you don’t know! We like that approach so it was back on the bikes and out to Boranup with a few of the locals to see if we could make the alignment through this spectacular forest even better in 2010. Thanks to Mike Brooks from Bootleg Brewery we have been shown some great trails that DEC have given us the green light to add into the new course.
We have plenty of work ahead of us over the next few months as we will be working with DEC to clean up these trails to make them easy to ride for the event. As they are established, marked trails we are confident it will not be too hard to get them cleared under the conditions set by DEC management.
So if all goes according to plan, the old sandy climb out of Boranup up Contos Rd will be replaced by extra trails in Boranup including Vincent, Blue Rock, Brockman Hwy, The Quarry, Georgette, Love Springs plus an old trail that the local boys call “Nasi Goreng” (some reference to a Telstra ad and rabbits)?
Revised Alignment through Leeuwin Estate
The Special Stage through the amazing Leeuwin Estate is locked in again for 2010 but this year we have plans to take you on a much better tour through the Estate as riders will head east up through the vines then north out of the property and into the adjoining Voyager Estate. This will keep riders through the vines for longer, rather than on the road, and bring them out further to the north.
New Finish Alignment into Prevelly
The new alignment out of Leeuwin Estate has been designed to avoid Blackboy Hollow Rd and the tough climb and sandy finish that riders experienced at the end of this stage in 2009. Instead, the finish for 2010 will now head further north around the ridgeline and come into Prevelly from the north around the famed Surfers Point break, offering up a truly spectacular (and much friendlier) finish!
Stage 3 (Margaret River Special Stage)
The new Margaret River Special Stage was a huge success last year. With some slight adjustments it is expected to be even better this year for all riders!
New Stage Finish at Colonial Brewery
The Margaret River Special Stage will again be held on the Saturday and will start at Prevelly with a group roll out. But instead of finishing back at Riverglen Estate as we did in 2009, race management is pleased to announce a new finish line for 2010, the terrific Colonial Brewery property on Osmington Road just out of Margaret River.
After the major crowd issues we faced at the end of Stage 3 last year, we are confident that this finish location will offer much better access for spectators and support crews to come out to early and watch the riders finish what will no doubt be the most popular stage. Plus best of all, the product of the sponsors will be even more readily available at the finish line after a hard morning of riding!
Ten Mile Dam Trails Alignment
The new finish location at Colonial Brewery will also mean that the Ten Mile tracks will only be an out alignment for 2010. As a result some single track sections can now be added east of the highway thanks to DEC who have allowed us to create some additional tracks through this section of the Plantation.
Revised Plantation Course Alignment
We have realigned the plantation area of trails to break up the single track sections. In 2010, the two plantation loops will be broken by a detour around Margaret River and a special section through Riverglen Estate before riders again return to the plantation for the second loop.
Carters Road
We have applied unsuccessfully to DEC to have a single trail alignment within the Carters Road area added to stage three in 2010. This area is the subject of continuing discussions between DEC, IMBA and the local mountain bike clubs to have the trails in the area legalised. Until this happens we can’t access them.
Stage 4 (Margaret River to Dunsborough)
This is without doubt the most challenging stage for the ride management team as we need to get from Prevelly to Dunsborough (49.9km as the crow flies) whilst still maintaining the ride enjoyment factor – and minimising the time on the road!
New Start at Riverglen Estate
Rather than repeat the rollout from Prevelly again, Stage 4 will begin from Riverglen Estate and head directly out and onto the Rails Trail easement taking riders straight up to Cowaramup on the most direct route. Rider and Support Crew access to Riverglen will be much easier with it being used as a start line with drop off access permitted prior to the race start.
Additional Forest Stage North of Cowaramup
To keep things interesting we have added some additional forest tracks into the middle of Stage 4, after the farm crossings, in an attempt to minimise the road riding. The fire trail riding through two major sections of forest north of Cowaramup will now break up Stage 4 before riders hit the back roads toward the new finish at Dunsborough. We are working with DEC to finalise this course.
Single Track Finish into Dunsborough
After two years of finishing the Cape to Cape within the picturesque grounds of Caves House at Yallingup, event management has decided to finish the 2010 event on the bay at Dunsborough. This decision has been made with purely the ride in mind as the Dunsborough location offers much better track options to finish the route from Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste. We can guarantee that this new finish will be a spectacular culmination to four days of solid riding. Entrants can now look forward to a downhill section of about 5km of flowing single trail as they descend across Cape Naturaliste and back into the beautiful bays of Dunsborough. We are continuing to work with the Shire of Busselton to finalise the finish alignment to this final stage.
Keep an eye out for a more detailed description of each Stage, including Stage alignments, elevations and a full course map to be released very soon.
Maps
Stage 3 Pine Plantation
Download a map of the Margaret River pine plantation (PDF 30kb) and ride it in your spare time.
Margaret River Cycle and Walking Trails
Download cycle/walk trail maps (PDF 854kb) of the Ten Mile Brook, Rails to Trail and Carter's Road.
