Wednesday 30 October 2013

2013 Tour of Bright - Time Trial Course (Now official!)

(Update Nov 13th 2pm) Word just in - This will be the new TT course at the Tour of Bright 2013.

Why the change? The old TT course on Wandiligong Rd would prove difficult to manage traffic and 500+ riders on a Friday afternoon. The decision was made by the local team who run the TOB. They know the roads, they have to keep the locals happy, and they have to ensure the riders are safe. Initially I was disappointed to hear the Wandi course was no longer going to be used, but the team who run the show are in the know. There is also a possibility we'll have a closed road for this TT too. Fingers crossed!

So where it it? Back Porepunkah Rd incorporating Roberts Creek Rd. An out and back T-ish shape course starting at the Bright town end.


13.5km in length, split up into a few sections, on pretty fast roads. We're not sure if the course will incorporate the roundabout itself or a U-turn just before it.

The U-turn at the top of the course is at 7.3km course which isn't marked on the road. There is a dirt road on the left, you can't miss it.

Is it flat? No. The hills are nowhere near as brutal as the Wandi course but they're still there. Expect at least a 4-5 minute drag that kicks up near the top. Below is an analysis of the current Strava KOM holder for the course, who we'll call "Fully Lyster" to protect his real identity:


"Fully" had a great ride at the Apline CC Monday night TT last week with spot-on pacing. This allows us to see the real demands of the course looking at the average speeds in each section. Note the drop to ~25km/h on the hill, ouch. Great ride, Fully! 

The only danger on the course will be the left hand turn at 10.2km back onto Old Porepunkah Rd. If conditions are good, riders will hit 70km/h+ just before having to jam on the brakes. Speaking from recent experience in TT cornering errors, I'd advise to use caution! :)

Looking south: The Roberts Creek Rd intersection.

Alpine CC hold regular Monday night TTs starting at 6pm on the new course. For more information see their Facebook page linked to below.


Strava Segment Link



Official Tour of Bright links/info: 

Web: 
http://www.vic.cycling.org.au/
http://tourofbright.com.au

Facebook:
Official ToB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ACCToB1
Alpine Cycling Club: https://www.facebook.com/AlpineCyclingClub

Twitter:
#TOB13

1 comment:

neil said...

If Fully's is representetive of good performance on that course, riders will reach 60+ before the corner, not 70+.

they look to have hit 63.1km/h coming off the turn around, and peaked at 58.6km/h shortly before the corner.

that said, throwing some fresh hitters at the course, it's possible you're right and 70 will be clocked. that'd take some big hams though.