7/11 Trail 2016

7/11 Trail 2016, MTB Race,

Timberland Heights, San Mateo, Rizal

February 21, 2016

My first off-road/mountain bike race. Held in Timberland Heights, the course features 35km with 920 meters of climbing of mostly single track and technical trails (http://www.trail711.com/#/race-info)

As a newbie biker, I don't have much confidence in this race so I chose a lower wave, with a more generous cutoff time. The race has 12 waves perhaps to accommodate the number of bikers, with the faster bikers on earlier waves and the slower ones in the last waves. I chose wave J with a cutoff time of 4:15

Here's a description of the course (copied from http://www.trail711.com/#/race-info)

km 0-1.5: Wall 2 is a wide concrete road that narrows into fire road at the end. With a 10% grade, it serves to separate riders before the singletrack.

km 1.5-5: Blue Zone Undulating singletrack rewards a brief climb with killer views of the city, before dropping down through a rhythmic series of switchbacks and berms into a stream. We added a new 800m technical section that will reward practice.

km 5-9: Blue Zone Harder Dense foliage helps with the singletrack climb up the mountainside, but the 100m 15% grade section is still hard to clear. After this, be rewarded by the new section added for the race - almost 2km of what feels like a natural pump track.

km 9-13: Ka Vergel is accessed via the Araneta nursery gate (closed until race day), the rutted climb out of this motocross hangout will be smoothed before race day, but many will likely still push the 300m that steepens to 14% grade in some places. You can rest a bit on the rolling, mostly downhill 3km fire road towards Sapinit Road.

km 13-18: Pintong Bocaue/Araneta Gentle fire road climb towards Pestano, then into the Pintong Bocaue gate of the Araneta property for a singletrack descent towards their Pineda gate.

km 18-21: Coliseum - connects Pineda gate to Wawa-bound singletrack by going way down, then up, into the valley in between. Technical track with off camber sections and a rocky stream crossing that can be ridden with practice.

km 21-25: Sapinit Climb/Roller Coaster - Rutted fire road with natural berms and rollers. Exit closed until race day, exit via Ka Vergel during practice.

km 25-27: Roxas Boulevard - Cliffside former cement road with views of the Sierra Madre, then up a singletrack connector to basic.

km 27-28: Chapel - Natural singletrack descent, then up through the gravelly, rutted fire road out of nursery.

km 28-30: New Green Zone - Canopied singletrack just behind basic that drops gently down through a series of bermed turns, then climbs, less gently, back up.

km 30-31: Old Roxas Through a construction site, then a short climb up overgrown fireroad.

km 31-33: Trail 1000 Black Diamond A rocky, loose, and rutted fall line descent 1 km long that many walked in the last race, but rideable with practice. Then a tough but relatively short climb to the clubhouse, and a short downhill and sprint to the finish.

The COURSE MAP

my rewards for finishing the difficult course of 711 trail race!