Racing the Port to Port MTB race
The Port to Port MTB race has quickly become one of the most popular mountain bike events in Australia. With wineries, beaches, trails and more - should we be surprised?
Words: Imogen Smith
Photos: Mike Blewitt, Mick Ross, Chris Southwood
Port to Port was dreamt up by the same crew who bring us Western Australia’s Cape to Cape every year. With the established Margaret River race attracting massive numbers of riders, all drawn by the trails, surf, and gastronomy of the region, organisers thought best to bring the full package over to the east coast, and in 2014 Port to Port was born.
East coast growth
Port to Port is just three years old, and the last couple of years have been anything but idle for race organisers and trail groups in the Newcastle-Hunter region, prompting huge growth in the event’s popularity (entries were up 40 per cent this year), and resulting in a few smart alterations to the classic route from Port Stephens to Newcastle – bringing in more variety, and more singletrack. Port to Port organisers have shown that they’re ready to partner, adapt, question, and push for better access to exciting trails, better views, better accommodation, and more social events as the race develops, and the results speak for themselves.
While course-setters have made every effort to keep riders happily occupied on the bike, the fact that most stages can be completed in half a day leaves time for competitors and their support crews and families to explore the regions that Port to Port passes through each day. From start to finish, the race offers huge variety in scenery and experiences and is a perfect way to balance a bike getaway with a family holiday or escape with a few mates.
Port Stephens – sand, rock, and dolphins
Port to Port starts at the stunning but relaxed marina at Nelsons Bay, and most years riders are accompanied to the start line by friendly pods of dolphins that live in the clear waters just beside race central. Riders track up the coast towards the sleepily spectacular sand dunes around Shoal Bay before heading off on a dirt, sand, and rock odyssey which, though low on singletrack, still presents plenty of technical and physical challenges (particularly the epic ‘Three Bears’ climbs) before looping back for a sprint back over the start line at the Marina. It’s a short stage of just 35 kilometres, designed to blow the cobwebs and the nerves out of the legs and give competitors a taste for the challenges to come over the next four days.
At Port Stephens, where the race takes off, there’s plenty to soak up just around the marina or strolling along the pristine waterfront at Shoal Bay. It’s difficult not to spot dolphins here, with 140 bottlenose regularly swimming in close to shore to fish. But the coastline of 26 beaches is also well-known for humpback whale watching anytime between May and November, and with Port to Port taking place each year right at the end of May, an arvo tour on the water could be the perfect opportunity to meet some of these gentle giants.
While out on the trail around Port Stephens, competitors are going to get pretty well acquainted with another of the region’s star attractions – sand. Port Stephens has the largest sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere and there’s more to do than drag a bike up their sides. Four-wheel driving, sand dune safaris, and even sand boarding are hugely popular with visitors year-round.
The Hunter – wine, hills, and countryside
The second stage moves to the Hunter Valley, to Lindeman’s Winery for the start of stage 2, where riders can take in green rolling country views as they head out towards the enormous, 10-kilometre climb that defines the stage and takes them deep into Pokolbin State Forest. After a brief stint along the ridgeline, riders duck into twisty, off-camber singletrack of steep chutes and ruts, before finally dropping down into ‘The Rabbit Hole’, an epic descent through a narrow, winding forest way that eventually ejects competitors out onto undulating country roads on dirt and bitumen. It’s a good time to take on some food and drink, because the stage culminates in yet another epic climb over dirt roads for about five kilometres, but even then there’s more to come – right before the finish line, riders are sent directly up and over the vertical Briar Hill, before dropping down into the idyllic Briar Ridge Vineyard grounds to recover.
Nobody needs reminding of the attractions of the Hunter Valley, where the course turns on day two. Synonymous with wine-making, wine-tasting, and wine-drinking for over a century, the start and finish locations for day two’s stage are the perfect bookends to a morning on the vinicultural trail for your supporters, or a great way to backtrack all afternoon. Cellar doors punctuate every road crossing and hillcrest in the Hunter, so an afternoon spent meandering through the valley’s green hills sampling the region’s finest could be the perfect way to unwind from a hard morning on the bike.
Day three – Awaba MTB park and the giant Lake Macquarie
Awaba Mountain Bike Park is one of the jewels in the crown for the Newcastle region, and was first integrated into the Port to Port route last year. A popular addition, the 12-kilometre stint through this stunning, forested, hand-built trail network is here to stay. After a frantic start to stage three’s 64-kilometre course down to the trailhead, riders traced their way through a maze of superb trail before emerging at a massive climb up the side of often-mispronounced Mount Faulk.
The dirt road climbs and climbs, high into the Watagans National Park, where the trees grow tall, the air blows cool, and when you catch a glimpse out of the forest it might be back east towards the coast and the ocean, glinting blue in the distance.
A huge stretch of ridgeline follows, before competitors once again drop into technical singletrack, this time on old motorbike trails and new-cut linkages across contours and between ridgelines. It’s a really different feel to the singletrack at Awaba, feeling more raw, and certainly a lot more rutted by motorbikes. It keeps riders on their toes, creating more challenges than mountain bike parks can typically offer.
At last, riders are spat out onto the road for a frantic drive back to the start point at Cooranbong Park. This stage was a clear favourite with competitors – with very little bitumen riding, epic climbs and descents, and plenty of techy, fast, flowing, natural trails, combining everything mountain bikers are looking for in an event stage.
On day three, while riders tackle the longest stage of the race, the course brings supporters and families close to Lake Macquarie’s shores. At two times the size of Sydney Harbour, Lake Macquarie offers all kinds of water activities from kayaking to fishing, and is flanked by four beaches and surrounded by quaint towns for shopping or a café or ice-cream stop.
Day four – Newcastle, Glenrock trails, Eats, Beats, and Bikes
A lot of stage race organisers like to give riders a break for the final day, taking pity on tired legs and sore asses. Not so at Port to Port, whose last stage is a 51-kilometre romp along the picturesque coastline between Cams Wharf and Newcastle’s Dixon Park. The route presents technical, physical and mental challenges to rival the trials of the preceding days. Starting out at breakneck pace over skatey gravel double track with technical corners and climbs, riders tackle epic descents and wild ruts before emerging on the bitumen and taking a brief breather during a neutral roll over the Swansea Bridge. Once the race is restarted, however, things soon heat up again, as the course connects sandy singletrack, the bitumen Fernleigh track and, with just 20 kilometres to go, enters the legendary singletrack of Glenrock.
Once across the line it’s party time. Just opposite the dramatic stretch of Newcastle’s finest beach, Dixon Park plays host to Eats, Beats, and Bikes, a festival of food, live music, and of course a celebration for everyone completing Port to Port. Stalls from local foodies and breweries, plus produce from the Hunter Valley and beyond line the edges of the park, while the beach beckons from below.
Full-service racing
If you’re heading to Port to Port for a break, there’s every chance you’ll appreciate the fact that Port to Port comes with ready-made, discounted hotel packages that throw you right into the centre of the action.
While a lot of the attractions around the Newcastle and Hunter regions might be great experienced with friends, for those flying solo, race organisers have made sure the logistics of moving between different start locations are sorted.
A couple of stages finish up some distance from their start points, so shuttle buses and bike transport between stage start and finish locations are provided, and there’s plenty to keep you busy while you wait, with a bike wash set up at the finish line. Riders can also drop a bag at the start of each race to pick up at the finish line.
One of the hardest parts of doing a stage race solo is managing to get enough fluid and food on board while remaining competitive. The race provides a neutral feed zone, with the opportunity to drop a bottle or fill up with water. For anyone having bike problems, local MTB specialist store Drift have partnered with the race since its inception to provide mechanical assistance before or after most stages.
Getting up close
For those of us lucky enough to have supporters and family in tow, race organisers have thoughtfully included a comprehensive list of spectator points and driving instructions so that riders don’t miss out on cheers as they make their way around a gruelling course.
One of the great things about mountain biking in Australia is that, as a grassroots sport, everyone races together, and you might find yourself on the start line next to a Paul Van Der Ploeg or an Andy Blair… until the gun goes off. Port to Port, like its sister event Cape to Cape, gives riders a change to become spectators with the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley Sundown Shootout. Gathering for craft beers and gourmet burgers on the lawn outside the event’s base on day two, top elite riders and specially-invited local guns duke it out for huge time bonuses and for handfuls of cash – all for the particular amusement of those of us getting a rest from pedalling.
In just three short years, Port to Port has established itself as NSW’s premier mountain bike stage race. From wineries, to lush forests, to spectacular coastline, the attractions of each race day go far beyond the joys of varied terrain, singletrack, and technical challenges of mountain bike racing. Port to Port offers a holiday and bike race in one, with plenty for spectators, families, mates, and riders to do both on and off the bike.
The race in 2016
The third Port to Port saw the rise of Tristan Ward, as he won solo from a lead bunch of 5 in day one at Port Stephens. Samara Sheppard showed she really is one of the best, with a clear lead over Imogen Smith in 2nd and Em Parkes in 3rd. While those two had some close battles through the coming days, Sheppard was never troubled at the front of the race.
Ward did come under attack, especially from the Trek Racing Australia team, with Reece Tucknott and Michael Potter often leading the charge. The unrelated Kyle Ward may have rued his bad first day, as he finished just 16 seconds behind Tristan Ward by the end of the race, after winning Stage 3 and the RedBull Shootout after Stage 2.
Open Men
- Tristan Ward
- Kyle Ward
- Reece Tucknott
Open Women
- Samara Sheppard
- Imogen Smith
- Em Parkes
