SKYBURY – PORT DOUGLAS
SAT 11.11.2023 | 95 km + 900 vm
Day seven. You have been racing for a week and you’ll be happy to see a day with less than 1000m of climbing. The thing is, once you’ve got out of Skybury (which will be pretty fast and dusty), when you cross the highway you still have the range to go through. But in a nice change from the previous days, you’re back in the rainforest! The trails can be wet but it’s not likelyat this time of year, and with a good rock base laid over problem areas, the only thing slowing you down will be fatigue. Be prepared for some punctures on large rocks used to reinforce some dirt tracks, they can be sharp. The singletrack before the descent is mostly motorbike built, with long swooping corners and some ruts in sections. This part of the forest is pretty open and a lot of fun! Its then along some gravel roads through the pine plantations and along beautiful rainforest roads.
After exiting this great section the iconic ‘Bump Track’ awaits. The Bump starts with easy water- bars and flow groomed by plenty of wheels on a trail that cuts through the dense rainforest. But when it finally tips down dropping 400m pretty quickly to the finish line. This is not the place after doing all the hard work to get caught out! Enjoy but take care.
Then with the stop clock finally pressed for the last time, its time to relax and casually ride under the neutral flag Port Douglas. After rolling through the quiet suburbs you will reform on the spectacular 4 mile beach and ride together to the finishing arch outside of the Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Club.
