Racing The Coppermine
Perhaps indicative of the special place the Coppermine Trail holds in the heart of Nelsonians, there is an annual race that is held each February for locals and out-of-towners called the "Coppermine Epic". Starting and finishing in the Maitai Valley with a 40km circuit over the Coppermine Saddle in between, the even attracts around 300 riders each year who battle it against the clock to see who is the fastest at both the long ascent and the technical descent. There are 2 variations of the race; the Epic and the Enduro, with the Epic taking a detour off the Dun Mountain Trail over Fringe Hill and along Black Diamond Spur. The photo on the left is of a makeshift bar that is setup on the day of the race to provide riders cresting the peak of Fringe Hill a cold refreshing beer courtesy of the local microbrewery, the Sprig&Fern. That climb is the steepest of the day, and for many riders the only thing getting them to the top of the hill is the thought of a lager to wet their lips. While I'm not usually the competitive type, the lure of riding in a mass-participation event and pinning my ride time against the local talent seemed to grab me, perhaps as I had started to develop a substantial appreciation for the trail itself.
At the top of the Coppermine Saddle is an
information board about the Mineral Belt and some of the local flora & fauna in the area. Just a little further on from the info board is a small clearing with a hardpack dirt trail leading away from a warning sign that states: "Some areas of track require extra caution", amongst other things. With the Dun Mountain Peak looming ahead, this is where your heart begins to beat a few thumps faster in anticipation of the amazing piece of singletrack that has been laid before you, filling up your veins with adrenaline and excitement that quickly sees you turn into a 12 year old kid again.
Dropping 700 vertical meters over the next 10km, the descent through Boulder Valley snakes its way along the mountainside through creek crossings, down ridgelines and around berm after berm. Checking your speed is super important to make sure you can roll around each switchback corner without overshooting or drifting off line, and over the course of the descent you find your exit speed improving with each corner. As soon as you ease off the brake levers, you feel your bike accelerate almost instantly as it gets sucked downhill by gravity, pulling you down into the loose and rocky trail surface.
Lining much of the trail on the way down are significant groups of rim-hunting baby-head sized rocks that occasionally collect around a creek crossing or a divot in the track. The first time I rode this surface was with some trepidation as I was conscious of smacking my wheels and/or frame onto a savage rock as I came hurtling down the trail a little faster than I would have liked. Having said that, I began to get used to my suspension and tyres absorbing the hits for me and finding I could more easily "float" over the irregularities in the trail if I stayed off the brakes. The reward is a high-paced chattery ride that sees you on the fine line between delirious fun and slightly out of control - it is very addictive!
On the same day I was riding with my Melbourne friend Andy, we both found out the consequence of riding at this slightly faster pace with slightly less ideal line selection when we both slammed our back wheels through one of the creek crossings lower down the valley. After barrelling through, I quickly pulled up to a stop to warn Andy of the crossing as another friend of mine had flatted on it only a week before. Before I could yell out "slow down Andy!", a 'hissing' noise exhausted itself from my rear tyre and I realised I had just made exactly the same mistake. Andy pulled up next to me and as we both laughed at my misfortune, his rear tyre began wheezing air from a snakebite puncture causing us to laugh even harder at our luck.
During the Coppermine race, I lost count of the number of riders who were sitting on the side of the trail with a pump in hand and various tubes and tools dangling off their arms as they furiously tried to get themselves back into the race. Tyre pressure is an important factor on the Coppermine, and (from experience!) I make a habit of bumping up 2psi from my usual tyre pressure to ensure my tubes have adequate protection from rocky edges on the trail. Luckily for me, I had no punctures or mechanicals on the day of the event, but there were many out there that weren't so lucky and saw many minutes lost to frantic tube swaps.
Overall, race day seemed to work out very well for me, with beautiful weather, great track conditions and a lack of any bike troubles or crashes. One rider walked away from the event with a broken collarbone, and many riders struggled through sole-destroying mechanicals or general exhaustion that saw some folks crossing the finish line about 5 hours after they had begun. of course, this all adds to the 'experience', but I was glad that I made an effort early on to get ahead of the main pack to avoid congestion on the first few sections of singletrack. Once the trail opened up to fireroad on the back of Tantragee Saddle I managed to get a steady rhythm on my way up the first section of the Dun Mountain railway. For a good 45 minutes I found myself climbing pretty much on my own, which is an odd experience when you're trying to ride at pace in a relatively quiet and serene environment. Getting out onto the Mineral Belt I found myself with a few riders in tow, and we rolled our way along the rocky trail up to the Saddle. Perhaps it was having some riders around me again, or it could have been the spectacular views that open up in the clearing, and it may have also been the fact that we were nearing Boulder Valley, but we all found ourselves 'whooping' and 'yee-haa-ing' as we neared the peak of the ride.
The Coppermine descent is the reason why every rider makes the 2 hour trek up to the saddle, as it is the ideal reward for all the hard work you've put in and is sure to motivate you on even the toughest days on the bike. Knowing that gravity was about to switch sides with me, motoring uphill doesn't seem to be as hard as it was earlier. While there wasn't a whole lot of traffic on the descent, I was quickly able to reign in a few leg-shaving roadies that were struggling with the loose surface, which was quite rewarding after they had overtaken me on the climb. With some of the trail stretching out into straight sections that allows you to build up some decent speeds, many riders cautiously feather their brakes to avoid breaking traction coming into the tight corners. The lower portion of the descent towards the Maitai Dam features a smoother riding surface that undulates along the valley that reminds me a lot of the Red Carpet trail at the Forrest MTB park in Victoria. Along this rollercoaster singletrack is where you can easily wind up to over 40km/h without pedalling and allow you to cover the last part of the descent with impressive speed. Just before you reach the sealed bitumen of the Maitai Road, the trail surface turns into loose shale rock that snakes its way around a mixture of large pine & native trees that surround you. With one last left hand switchback, you're spit out onto a clearing and onto the road, ready to head back.
While it's certainly not anyones favourite section of the loop, the stretch along the Maitai Valley is a good opportunity to stretch out the legs and rest your ankles and wrists that have been hanging on for dear life for the past 30 minutes. It actually happens to be a stunning piece of roadway as it follows the Maitai river along the valley and allows you take in the last remaining piece of wilderness before you get back into Nelson. Although I would normally cruise along this section, race day called for a higher pace, though my attempted 'drafting' behind a group of 5 didn't go so well, with me getting dropped like a tonne of bricks within about 50m. Shortly after, the course crossed back over the river and onto a dirt path for the remaining distance back to the finish line and finally through the singletrack section we had begun the race on earlier that morning. Legs burning, lungs hurting, I span my pedals madly through the open field towards the finish line, glad to have had a clean race with no particular upsets. And it was then that I was able to quantify my time around the venerable Coppermine loop; 2 hours and 18 minutes. Not really knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised to find I had finished 2nd in my category and 8th overall in the Coppermine Enduro event.
For many riders, simply finishing the 40km trail is a feat in itself and there were many relieved faces crossing the finish line. While it was great to know what you can do when you're racing against the clock, being part of such an awesome event with a huge group of like-minded and passionate riders is really what the Coppermine is all about.
Perhaps one of my favourite parts of completing this ride is the after-ride visit to the local tavern; the Sprig&Fern. A Nelson institution and also one that is very popular with mountain bikers, the S&F is a micro-brewery pub that features about 14 different beers, ciders and other drinks on tap that they brew onsite such as the Alcoholic Lemonade (yes, it is as amazing as it sounds!). With a fush 'n' chup store next door that delivers food into the pub, there is no better place to reminisce the best parts of the ride and discuss where you could have been faster or improved your technique, whilst refuelling your body with delicious beer and food.
It's also a great midweek meeting place to discuss the following weekends riding plans and to work out the next chance you'll have to take on the Coppermine trail...
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