Twists and Shouts from Xanadu

Catriona Sutherland / 19.10.2017

Cat Sutherland reports from the first day of the Cape to Cape MTB in the wine district of Western Australia.

After a soaking from springtime showers this week in Margaret River, the sun joined us on the start line for the 10th anniversary of the Cape to Cape MTB.

As riders gathered at Xanadu Wine Estate, the start of the 2017 race was officially announced and riders itched to start turning pedals on the new network of forest trails. As is the danger of long-haul, annoyingly, I’d be delivered a dose of the cold in time for my Aussie stage race debut. Raiding my stash of flu tablets, I dosed up and hoped I would sweat it out on route. Bummer as they say over here.

I reflected that some downtime was due and took the chance to pedal the trails at a steady pace, enjoying the sun-soaked scenery rather than have my head tucked and heart leaping out of my chest. The lure of wine and gorgeous gourmet food at the finish line was enough to shift me sweetly along.

Kicking off the day I’d ended up in the 8 am wave alongside the postion-hungry elites. I was hastily reminded that my legs weren't up to full force within minutes. We shot out of the start arch and on to a rapid section of flat track, passing out by the rows of neatly lined grapevines.

A rough section of mud within the first kilometre had some riders battling with the fence line, steadying themselves to stay upright. Before too long though the front pack had vanished off into the distance; disappearing along a long stretch of tarmac which spread the field. Nearly 2000 riders would cross the start by the time the last wave left at 11 am. 

We passed farmland and rode through forest trails for the first 15 kilometres and at this point I was alone, bridging the gap between waves. With meticulous preparation, I later learned the organisers has been out on course with leaf blowers in the days prior, ridding the neat trail of post-storm detritus.

Being chased by the second wave in my snot-induced bubble, it wasn’t too much time before the hustle of the front riders met my tail. As we rode through dry, dusty, loose and red soil roads, we descending to the waterside and a glimpse of the Ten Mile Brook Dam - before whipping quickly through forest tracks and on to the very fun stuff! 

Known as The Chimney Trail, this had been revamped from previous years. For me of course, it was the first time riding it’s weaving, groomed lines and for the next hour, I was lost to full-blown singletrack fulfilment!  Winding through tight trees, the route wasn't terrifyingly technical or ferocious - aside from for a stretch of trail interspersed with fallen tree logs, which required either blind faith or vast speed; or face possible ejection out the saddle. 

Thankfully I stayed vertical, stopping to fix a pesky cleat bolt threatening to free itself from my shoe and catch to a friendly local who was concerned I’d come a-cropper.

Chatting to the locals and hearing the common phrase “How’s it going?”, we entered into the main treat of the day at Compartment 10 - a series of swooping rollers and berms that had been freshly marked out for the event. Snotting and smiling, the guy behind me shouted “ I want to do that again!”  Agreeing, I was pretty sure we’d be seeing something similar in the days to come.

Watching the clock, I was confident we had 10km left to go, only to see a ‘20km to go’ sign appear. It would seem the track was ever so slightly off it’s 55km target, but rather than grump and moan, I was happy as long as the singletrack was still in sight. Unlike some of the other races I’ve taken on this year, Cape to Cape is about grin generation rather than gruelling torture. Type 1 fun all round!

Ending the day, a loose and bumpy track had myself and another female rider exchanging remarks about tired legs and cramp as the heat of the Australian sunshine started to strain our efforts. To finish, we rode part of the popular Margaret River trail; a natural walking track that was tight in places and loose with freshly cut soil. Concluded with a grinding, short burst, we hit the tarmac road that led us into the back of the estate and within sight, the finish!

Happy I’d contained my bugs enough to get on the saddle, the day topped out at 65 kilometres and 400m of ascent. Sweat and smiling, I finished the race day with a tasty pulled pork taco courtesy of Xanadu’s fine kitchen and with time to play, took off in search of whales, wine and chocolate for the rest of the afternoon!

You can see a daily update and all the photos from the day's ride here.

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