Rock around the Croc 4 Hour Challenge
Sunday 10 November 2024, 12-4 pm
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Introduction
A new relay event for the Canterbury race calendar, for solo or teams of 2-3 riders. This is a unique race format with three small course changes during the duration of the race so that across the four hours riders use almost every track in the park (most expert tracks have easy options). This is a demanding course (Grades 3-4) for competent riders… this is a challenge!
Check Facebook for updates especially if there is uncertainty around the weather.
Location
The majority of the course utilises the fantastic Crocodile XC MTB Park trail network
The start/finish area will be held in Halswell Quarry near the entrance to the MTB park
Schedule
| 11:00 am | Registration opens |
| 11:45 am | Race briefing for all riders |
| 12 noon | Race start |
| around 3:40 pm | Course closes (no riders can start new laps) |
| 4:00 pm* | Race finishes |
| After 4:15 pm | Prize giving will be held ASAP after the race |
Sponsors
Format
Riders can race solo or in a team of 2 or 3
Only one person from a team can be on the course at any time
The team with the most laps wins. Every completed lap counts
Teams must change within the designated transition zone
Team changes will be done by incoming riders tagging their outgoing rider
There will be transition zone communal tents and tables available for all riders to use
Riders in a team can do multiple laps in a row (you don’t need to tag another rider every lap)
Matchy matchy – if you are in a team we encourage you to wear matching outfits.
Course
Each lap is approx 5.5 km (varies through the race)
Each lap has approx 200-220 m of climbing
The course is mostly the same for the duration of the race but has the following changes:
– after 1 hr 20 min Off the Cuff/Spurious/Coopers Creek changes to Rickrolled/Off the Cuff
– after 2 hrs Murphs changes to Upper Uppercrust and full Mish Mash
– After 2 hrs 40 min Rickrolled/Off the Cuff changes to Crocodile and Down & Out
Depending on the course in play, the fastest riders are expected to be doing 18-20 min laps
This course is demanding and only suitable for mountainbikes (not gravel bikes). E-bikes not permitted
Full course map high res pdf here…
Categories
Solo open men
Solo open women
Team open men
Team open women
Team open mixed
Team junior* men
Team junior* women
Team junior* mixed
* all riders must under 19 years on race day
Entry
Entries will be limited to 60 riders on the course
| Fee* | Club member | Non-club member |
| Solo | $40 | $50 |
| Teams | $60 | $70** |
* 3 % surcharge applies if paying by credit card – see below
** if any one in the team is not a club member
Before you enter think about what you want your team to be called (individuals can choose a “race name” too if they like) – you can change this later if you want.
Not a member and want to be? Join here – https://join.hivepass.app/csc/individual
ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED. If you are not entered, but would like to race, then email us and we can let you know if we have any cancellations before race day… rebekah@singletrack.org.nz
After you have filled in the entry form, if you wish to pay by credit card, the links are here:
- individual, club member, $41.20
- individual, non club member $51.50
- team, club members $61.80
- team, non-club members $72.10
We will provide a full refund if you have entered and then have a good reason to withdraw
Read the Terms and Conditions here
Cancellation or postponement
What happens if it is raining? Firstly, we will be disappointed, especially if we have already put time in to setting up. If the rain is such that we would close the tracks, we will postpone the event. If the rain is light but likely to cause safety issues we will either modify the course or postpone the event. Most important, check the club Facebook page for updates because the weather at the Crocodile Park may be quite different to how it is in other parts of the city. Often we make decisions at the last moment because we really want to avoid cancelling if we don’t have to. If possible, we will look to postpone rather than cancel the event.
Answers to questions you may have
Do I need to be super good or super fast? Nope. Just up for it (and not so slow on the descending that you’ll frustrate the fast crew!)
Who does this course suit? Someone that likes climbing and descending in equal measure, and a tough challenge!
Are their prizes? Not for places but we do have a list of generous sponsors for some spot prizes. They include: Ground Effect, Camelbak, Frictive, Biomaxa, Moon Under Water, Julbo, Chateau on the Park and Pure.
How does this compare to a World Cup XCO course? It’s longer, with more climbing, more descending, and fewer opportunities to get in any rhythm. Fun eh?
Is there any rest on the course? Umm … er … no. Unless you’re in a team. It’s a big challenge physically and mentally. A solo rider will need a few positive voices in their head to keep the concentration up.
Is it a dress up event? Well … we’d never say no but you will need to take this course seriously! We will have a ‘matchy matchy’ prize for the most coordinated team.
How do the course changes work? At designated times of the race we will change some descending options to give the trails a little variety throughout the race. This means you can’t compare every lap time however we think it’ll be quite nice coming to a different bit of track part way through the race.
Do we need a lot of stuff to set up our transition area? No. It’s a combined transition area that you move into when you see your rider coming. We’ll provide some shelters for anyone to share and an area for solo riders to put their things. There is no vehicle access up to the start finish area although we may provide a trailer trip or two to take some gear up for riders.
Will it sell out? We think so! We are limiting entries so that their is not too many people on course at any one time.
Will there be congestion at the start? Yep. There always is at the start of an XC type race going into singletrack so seed yourself sensibly, relax and settle in for 4 hours rather than a sprint!
Will there be food available to buy at the event? No. We are not bringing in food vendors this time. There is the permanent coffee caravan down in the Quarry Car park.
Is it easy to enter and very good value? Yes. We run it pretty tight with basic infrastructure so we can enjoy running the event and so that it doesn’t break your bank to enter.
If you have any questions not covered in the above information email rebekah @ singletrack.org.nz
Singletrack Club
