Following a successful outing in 2016, Team Percival Property - Port Macquarie was again keen to test their skills in Australia’s premier Adventure Race. Chris and Dan made the difficult decision to drop 7-time Solo 24hr MTB World Champ, Jason English, and the experienced Gavin Cole, to bring in the two strongest athletes they know..... Their wives!!!

Pre-Race

Getting organised for Geoquest always feels like a fairly monumental task, arriving at the start line; fit, rested, gear organised, with a keen support crew and someone to look after the children..... It’s no small feat, especially when you’re a team of two couples! Dan, who is currently a ‘stay at home trophy husband’, put in many hours coordinating logistics and his final ‘Race Trailer’ set up was fantastic. Thanks to Gowie from Big Red Cleaning and Pest for the trailer!

On Friday night, we sought refuge from the wind and rain in the garage of our Sawtell accommodation. The forecast rain and pending flood warnings resulted in some significant changes to the course, three things were obvious; the pace would be fast, we had purchased too much food (predicted 3am finish) and done way too much paddle training! Dan and Chris got stuck into the maps, the girls organised gear and food into boxes and bags. In hindsight, it’s amazing that the race even went ahead, given the amount of rain and the regions tendency to flood. Interestingly, Hugh from Thunderbolt AR had instructed his team to ‘get out in front and stay there’ as the race could be cancelled any time.

Leg 1 - Paddle, Jetty Beach (3 Laps - sort of)

With torrential rain, strong winds and a rising swell forecast, the planned ocean paddle from Sawtell to Coffs was always unlikely. However, the (somewhat) protected waters of Jetty Beach, provided Craig with an opportunity to include some paddling and as he mentioned post race, teams had travelled a long way with boats, so why not use them? Standing on the beach with the other competitors, watching a tricky dumping shore break and bracing ourselves against a severe squall, conditions looked challenging to say the least, but given our team’s ocean experience, we were feeling confident and hopeful that a paddle would give us a small advantage into Leg 2.

Things didn’t exactly go to plan - Chris and Michelle were one of the first boats off the beach, just cresting the largest wave of a set and clearing the shore break. Dan and Ali, just a few meters back, weren’t so lucky. Video footage shows a solid wave crashing on Dan’s head, resulting in what can only be described as a ‘washing machine of whitewater, fibreglass and people!’ (See photo below).

Eventually Dan and Ali were back on board and motoring through the field on lap one, although at one point Ali mentioned the bailer on the Stellar didn’t seem to be working. Turns out the bailer works just fine but the large hole in the hull, from a collision at the start with Peak Adventure, was taking in water faster than the Titanic! They were forced to jump overboard and began swimming the boat 400m back to shore. To avoid penalty, Dan and Ali declined assistance from the Sawtell Surf Club members and made steady progress towards the beach. Once on the beach, Craig advised that due to the approaching lightning storm, all competitors were being called from the water, so we were free to head onto Leg 2 without penalty. Controversial.... we know!

Leg 2 - Run, Coffs to Moonee Beach (13km)

Full of adrenaline after a frantic paddle and freezing cold from an extended swim, we had a quick transition and were keen to get moving and warm up. We could see several teams on the beach ahead of us and did our best to reel them in over the next few kilometres. Dan and Ali have previously raced in this area and the nav was straightforward, so we moved fairly quickly. We came into transition with Peak Adventure and noticed that Thunderbolt was yet to leave TA, other teams soon followed, close racing!

Leg 3 - Ride, Moonee Beach to Bucca (19km)

We had a couple of small issues in TA, a slow leaking MTB tyre and a broken tow rope that must have happened in transit. Our support crew got us going as quick as possible, onto the first solid bike climb. With Chris and Mish out front and Dan and Ali suffering a little just to stay on the wheel, we were still able to appreciate the fantastic views offered by the Coffs hinterland. The race certainly offered many spectacular vistas, often obscured by the rain! Again no difficulties on the Nav, a few passing dirt bikes out for a muddy trail ride, we decided to climb up to Store Rd (rather than right into Cemetery Rd) which proved a good choice, as we hammered down the main trail into TA. We definitely didn’t hit top gear on this leg, with Team #22 (Tiger Adventure) hammering past us, showing the pace needed to stay at the front of the field.

Leg 4 - Rogaine, Lower Bucca Forest (8km)

Again navigation seemed quite predictable with little route choice and very few off trail CPs. With the top teams all moving quickly, any mistakes would be costly. We chose an anticlockwise loop, as did most teams, dropping CPC and CPD. We picked up CPH behind the Gravestone and headed south straight onto Cemetery Road. CPG perfect. In an effort to make something happen for us we chose to go directly from CPG to CPF along the creek and then after CPE cut over to Plonk Road from just past the creek on Store Road the shortest routes possible. In the end these choices resulted in no discernible time lost or gained. We moved well, jogging forestry trails, our only holdup was a seriously thick section of lantana on Hoosens Rd on route to CPA. Kudos to Tiger who had one of the quickest times through this leg in bike shoes!

Leg 5 - Ride, Bucca to Boambee (40km)

Back onto the bikes, we rolled out of TA with the BMX Bandits in equal 3rd place, Thunderbolt and Tiger just up the road, Peak, Rogue and CBRAR close behind. We made a mistake on McNamara Rd, heading past the turn into Schooner Rd, meaning we would have to climb back up to CP8. Likewise Bandits overshot the turn, allowing Peak to leap frog both of us into 3rd spot. The Bandits got away from us briefly as the clay based mud on Apseys Road locked up Michelle’s front wheel, perhaps a common problem as this video on FB shows. We rejoined Bandits and worked together, swapping turns, pulling Peak back. Our three teams rode together through Fridays Creek and
up the tough Tower pinch. Chris and Mish both came unstuck on the muddy descent down to Wedds Road, thankfully the rain meant soft landings! Our support crew provided some delicious pizza in TA and we changed into warm, dry gear in preparation for the night ahead, which meant we stayed longer than needed in TA. Bandits and Peak were well up the road as we left.

Leg 6 - Night Rogaine, Boambee to Crossmaglen (19km)

A 19km night rogaine, so close to the finish, meant this leg was always going to be pivotal. Joggin along Wedds road, turning right up the long muddy hill, we struggled to stay on our feet on the super muddy climb. With trails often at odds with the maps, we lost a little time on this stage. Team Rogue caught us on the Saddle Trail and we travelled together, on and off, for the next few hours. The descent down the southern side of Peak Trail was crazy, super wet and muddy, with gradients nudging -30%. We moved clear of Rogue as we rejoined the tar at the western end of Crossmaglen road. The team was absolutely powering at this point, except for Chris, who was happy for a more leisurely pace. We lined up for archery at the TA, spraying arrows all over the place.... (except the target!) Despite the ‘novelty’ factor of these types of challenges, it’s does add a different dimension to the race and it’s nice to see event organisers mixing things up a little.

Leg 7 - Ride, Crossmaglen to Mylestom (22km)

Pretty determined to maintain our 5th position, we got onto the bikes and rode hard, in what can only be described as the wettest riding conditions anyone could possibly experience. The rain was torrential and visibility poor, but in a weird sort of ‘it cannot possible get any worse’ way, it was actually pretty fun. No issues with nav, bikes running smoothly thanks to a mid race service from Norm.... That is, until we hit the sandy Rutile Trail behind Mylestom beach. At which point every pedal stroke was met with the sound of grinding sand in the chain. Bikes soon to be listed on eBay!

Leg 8 - Beach Run, Mylestom to Sawtell (14km)

There were several good things about this final run; first - it was the final run, second - the tide was low and the sand firm, and third - with a small lead over Team Rogue, we didn’t have to fight to maintain our position (the battle between Tiger and Bandits sounded painful). That said, the girls in particular were still super motivated to get through the leg in a reasonable time, have a hot shower and climb into bed. We moved quickly up the beach, passing a few half teams, in what was a fairly uneventful stage until the Bonville Creek crossing. As we approached the Bonville Headland, we could see a dozen or more head lights in the distance, all paused at the crossing. We overheard one competitor talking to Craig on his mobile, suggesting the crossing was too dangerous to safely pass (apparently someone had attempted to cross and got swept off their feet). We hesitated for a few minutes and then chose what we considered to be the safest route, convinced our wives that ‘nothing could possibly go wrong’, linked arms and went for it. In the end it wasn’t too bad, Chris later commented that it ‘was barely waist deep’ - and if you check out our team photo you’ll see he was probably right! His wife however was well and truly swimming!

While it was disappointing to have 3 legs cut from the race (including two of the paddles and an interesting bike rogaine - possibly our team strengths), it’s completely understandable given that ‘participant safety’ will always be a race directors number one consideration. The 2017 Geoquest still provided some close, exciting, fast paced racing, with the top teams challenging one another for final positions. Added to this, travelling alongside some of the half course teams in the later part of the race (which rarely happens), made for a more social and enjoyable atmosphere.

Final Thanks

As usual, many people helped make our participation in Geo possible. First and foremost, our support crew were amazing, suffering through horrendous conditions and still smiling each time we saw them. Hauling boats, cleaning and repairing bikes, serving food and juggling gear! Thank you so much, Norm, Bob and Keiran. Plus of course, the grandparents for babysitting!

Thanks to Craig, GeoCentric and their team of volunteers (including Nuts and his merry scouts) who also braved the elements.

A final thanks to Michael, from Percival Property in Port Macquarie for his generous, ongoing support. Michael is an experienced endurance athlete, having participated in Geo previously, and his business supports many local events and athletes. Check them out at www.percival.com.au

Until next time.