Goodnessgravel rolled into Mogo for its second event of the year, following on from the backroad adventure in Glen Innes back in April.
About four hours south of Sydney, Mogo will soon be home to one of the biggest MTB developments in mainland Australia. Still, as the man behind goodnessgravel, Will Levy, says, it’s also a mecca for gravel riding.
With a chilly morning turning into a beautiful winter day on the NSW South Coast, there was a field of 230 riders, and Levy tells us they only had a handful of folks pull out and a couple of mechanicals, but still managed about a 99% finisher rate.
“It couldn’t have gone any more perfect. You put your heart and soul into these things, and people finish the event, and they are beaming — they are just like that was the best, and that’s kind of why you do it,” says Levy.
One such rider was the first to finish on the 75km course and managed to stay with the lead moto for the whole ride.
“He was like, I had a motorbike guide for the whole time, that’s never happened to me before. He guided me around everywhere, and I didn’t have to look at my Garmin. I felt like a pro,” he says. “It’s those little stories that make it all worth it.”
Small field and morning magic
Goodnessgravel is not one of your mega-huge events where you’re just a number plate in a sea of people. Levy, who ran these massive events with thousands of riders in a previous life, keeps goodnessgravel small and intimate.
“Because of the size of the event, you don’t have to get set off in waves or anything like that, you just go with the guys and gals doing your same distance, and then everyone settles into their own groups,” says Chris Visvis who rode the 130km course.
The Mogo event is the hardest of the series, and three course distances are available — 40km, 70km and 130km.
“Mogo is pretty hilly, so you get sorted out pretty quickly. There is a big hill in the first 10km. If you don’t have what it takes to keep up with the lead group, you find your people pretty fast,” says Visvis.
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In that first 10km, the hectic climb also came with a pretty gnarly descent that was rutted and bumpy. It was not a surprise, and the event team warned the riders about it, however it was still one that folks had to make their way through.
“If you took your fingers off the brakes, you’d be going 70kph, and it’s got huge ruts. It’s probably the worst part of the course, and it’s in the first 11km,” laughs Levy. “We didn’t have any crashes, but a few people lost water bottles. The tail-end guy in the car picked them up and took them to the first rest stop,” Levy says.
Once the descent scaries had worn off, the area’s beauty began to shine through — literally. From water crossing to gravel switchbacks that showed off the grandeur of the place, Mogo turned on the scenery.
In the morning, there is light coming through the trees, and it’s cold, and there is a bit of dew and dust coming off the road. The morning gravel sections, even if they were a climb, whatever — it was absolute magic,” says Visvis
The aid stations
Goodnessgravel does a lot of things well, but one of the things they do extraordinarily well is aid stations.
With the figure-eight format of the course, the aid station is placed in the middle at a small town called Nelligen, where you cross twice, at about 40km the first time and 100km the second time on the long course. There is live music, good vibes and all of the food.
“The doughnuts were so welcomed,” laughs Visvis. “No other event I’ve been to has had fresh, really nice cinnamon doughnuts ready to go. They had all the race nutrition and stuff like that, but also tonnes of good food that everyone was into as well.”
The second stint
There are two distinct groups of riders at goodnessgravel, the folks who are there to compete — even though there is no podium or even a running clock — and the folks who are there to just enjoy themselves and everything in between.
“For the next 60km, I rode with my mates. It (the pace) was prompt, but it wasn’t ridiculously quick. We just had some banter, and regrouped at the top of every hill and just had a good time riding the course,” says Visvis.
This section goes up for a loop through Boyne State Forest and South Brooman State Forest before tracing the Clyde River back to Nelligen and the aid station. Visvis tells us the view of the river was one of his favourite parts.
“You never get a clear shot of the river, and you can only see it through the trees, but it’s so picturesque and so beautiful,” he says.
Once you get through that first rough and tumble descent, the gravel roads included in the course are pretty smooth and fast flowing. After the second trip to the rest stop, it’s all undulating gravel until the final boss, the last climb at about 120km. Lovingly called the Will We Walk Climb (WWW for short), this 4km ascent is the final challenge of the day. Once you hit the top, it’s smooth sailing to the finish.
“It’s undulating gravel until you hit that last major climb. With 100km in your legs or four or five hours, that last climb is really tough. Me and a buddy went for it on that last climb and sent it, trying to beat each other for the last 30km. Even though it wasn’t a race, you can still have some fun and be competitive if you want,” Visvis says.
And then it’s onto the finish, where they ring the bell as you cross the line, and hand you a non-alcoholic beer from one of their sponsors Heaps Normal and a chocolate — regardless of whether you finish first or are the last one across.
“The atmosphere is so good at the finish. This being a smaller event, it’s organised as well as any of the big ones, but it feels more personal. Will, the event organiser, is just coming and talking to people — that’s a really nice feeling.
With two stops of the 2023 goodnessgravel series in the books, that means only Gundy remains. Taking in the best gravel roads in the Upper Hunter region, the event runs on October 15. Get more info or signup over on the goodnessgravel website — we’ll see you there.
Photos: Outer Image Collective / @outerimage.au