AvantiPlus Hellfire Cup 2015

Newsletter Edition #1
Release the Hounds!

Entries now open until September 6th (or until sold out). 

Hi and welcome to our first newsletter for 2015!

The team have been busy with race village upgrades and new trails, some of which were used in The Mtn Traills Hillbilly 24 hour, and with the trail feedback we have had we think you will really like the improvements already on the ground.

We had a lot of great feedback from people about the feel and vibe of the village, access to amenities and friendly atmosphere when riding at the 2014 Hellfire Cup.

This newsletter has a bunch of good info, starting with our capped entry pool, pricing for 2015 and what's new for 2015.

The last year or so has been crazy in terms of trail development here in Tasmania and we also want to give you the low-down of what's happening in Tassie so you can plan your bike adventures accordingly.

Next issue will be in a fortnight with accommodation suggestions, non-riding attractions and some special tour packages on offer for WA crew.

Much Love,

Duncan & The Whole Hellfire Crew

P.S if you couldn't get there in 2014, check out this review by Anthony Shippard. 

P.P.S. Also don’t forget those contemplating the Forest 6 hour (2nd May 2015) the entries close soon and organisers are keen to shore up enough numbers for this event. I only ever hear good things about it, so check it out!

P.P.P.S. In May the National Marathon champs are in Derby, check it out here!

Capped Entry Pool!

Our entries are capped to preserve the vibe as the event grows, keeping the single track uncongested, ensuring services are effective and to make sure our team can look after our guests.

Entrant capacity for 2015:
250 pairs rider positions (125 pairs)
50 - 4 day solo positions (Lone Wolf) and
50 - 2 day solo positions (Half Satan).

That's 125 pairs, less pairs than the first race in 2013 and early interest indicates that the pairs format will sell out. Get your skates on and get your ticket sorted.

2015 Ticket Price

We have also decided to keep the Entry at $445 per rider and are happy to offer great trails, tasty lunches made from gourmet Tassie produce, entertainment and the best possible race village services and vibes as our part of the deal.

What do I get with my Entry?

We try to do more than the average bear for our riders, and that's part of the reason why we're aiming to limit rider numbers. We want the event to be the best experience our team can possibly provide you.

• Free camping
• Lunches included
• Entertainment
• On-site child care options (user pays)
• Food and coffee vendors
• After party concert
• Iron House bar
• Free wifi
• Appliance charge station
• Onsite mechanic
• Bike retail
• Professional traffic control for adventure racing stages
• Supporter's packages available
• Hot showers
• Bike wash
• Chill Zone
• Professional Timing System
• Hand crafted & professionally built trails to excite gravity hounds & XC whippets.

What's new in 2015?

After each event we sit down (or those on the team with no bum stand) and we evaluate what we liked about the event and what we want to improve.

Improvements for this year include:

• Timing system links so riders can access their live results on their phones.
•  Live results screen in the race village.
• New trail sections have already been constructed with more to come. We are massively ahead of our trail upgrade schedule thanks to the Mtn Trails team and our hard working event crew.
• Upgrades to race village services.
• Last stage pairs will now finish together. This is something a lot of people indicated they wanted and we can accommodate this into the last stage revamp.
• Additional photographic services

2015 Prize Pool

The event has one of the largest prize pools for an event of its type in Australia.

Minimum $20,000 cash for elite rider podiums, divided equally between genders.

Elite pairs Male/Female/Mixed:
1st $4,000 / 2nd $2,000 / 3rd $1,000

*This may increase with further cash sponsorship and sales exceeding expectations.

$1000 male (optional) Stage 8 WRJ night lap
$1000 female (optional) Stage 8 Insurance Solutions Tasmania night lap

An estimated $50,000 (and growing) in random spot prizes/competitor giveaways is on offer from the event and its major sponsors for competitors including bikes from major sponsor Avantiplus. 

Ride All the Things.

Travelling by big metal bird or floaty thing? Well don’t forget that the whole island is on its way to becoming a MTB park with projects that will be well underway or completed and collectively offer good reasons to ride in Tassie. So it might be worth extending your stay.

Here's Team Hellfire's recommendations:

Hobart and surrounds

North South, a beautiful riding experience offers stunning vistas on the highest quality purpose built single track on MT Wellington is a must for any velocipede visitor. Ridden from the mountain on down, this also has you dropping into the Tolosa MTB park in Glenorchy which is also must visit.

The Meehan Ranges offers technical climbing with sweet fun descents, and a great experience built with the assistance of passionate volunteers it is a very unique trail.

The Tangara trail offers interconnected coastal single track that passes through the coastal towns of Seven Mile, Lauderdale, and South Arm. Hitting up the Tangara trail is great day on an XC bike as the trail profile is relatively flat.

North

Outside of Kate Reed Reserve and Trevallyn laying down great single track offerings the new trails are a must with shuttle options available.

An hour and a bit's drive from Launnie to the east is Blue Derby MTB park, nestled in the country town of Derby. 20k of trails are open as stage 1, which have been great fun to ride with great trail head facilities. By the 24th of this month, the team behind the project will have another 10ks open and by Hellfire time in November substantially more will be on offer.

Penguin on the central coast in the states North has the epic Dial Ranges, with a local MTB park in the township itself.

East coast

No real MTB specific single track available until you get further north on the east coast, (watch this space) but some of the cleanest beaches on the planet lay at the end of some great adventure riding. In Particular, there is a 20k return loop at Freycinet taking you into South Friendlies beach that I always ride when I am up there.

West Coast

Lots of stunning scenery with a new project underway. If you like stunning adventure riding then the home of Wildside is worthy of a visit.

More Info?

Check out here Tassie Trails  and Ride Tassie for more details, or hit up a savvy local when you are here to find more options. 

So there you have the teams’ recommendations for trails if you can extend your stay. Come ride Tasmania, we're friendly and always looking to share the ride.