THE 2023 HANGING ROCK HANDICAP
On a foggy late-summer morning we travelled out to Hanging Rock for Australia's largest women's only bike race.
SECTIONS
I: AN INSIGHT
II: PRODUCT PLACEMENT
III: POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE
IV: BAKERY REVIEW
Thank you to Doncaster Mini Garage who helped us out with travel to Hanging Rock, zip around course and cruise back into town. Much appreciated.
Three editions deep the Hanging Rock Handicap has built a strong legacy in a short, COVID-punctuated history. Held just outside of Melbourne it offers itself up as the perfect opportunity for first-time and experienced racers alike to roll the legs over in anger towards the end of summer without having to commit to an entire weekend out of town.
We’ve wanted to cover the race for some time now – the stars finally aligning in 2023, with Soup representation on and off course. Adrian would spend the morning pointing his camera places, Erin would offer a comprehensive education on the ins and outs of handicap racing, the significance of the race, and potential race strategies, and Sofia would be clipping in and rolling out in pursuit of glory. Our on-loan Mini Cooper, packed to the brim with equipment and snacks pulled up in the carpark of the Hanging Rock Racecourse, situated at the foot of the namesake rock – not that we could see it, fog would take a good half hour to dissipate. Eventually it would reveal itself proudly in the sun, the trophy staring right back.
ROUTE: THE HANGING ROCK HANDICAP
Distance: 66km / Elevation Gain: +599m
As for the course, it is almost your archetypal amateur racing loop. Think a few country intersections, fringes of towns slash villages slash localities, a token bakery crossing, long stretches of straight road, longer sweeping bends and the occasional climb that are made all the more difficult by the weight of the road more than the grade of the hill. Looking at the map may make it seem simple on paper, however there are a number of tricky moments to consider as you navigate the anticlockwise loop. There’s the occasional dusty corner, typical of the area. A rude pinch immediately following a left hand turn. A few corners that become difficult when you’re managing your position in a bunch. Fortunately you have two laps to warm yourself into things.
I: AN INSIGHT by ERIN
The Hanging Rock Handicap is the brainchild of the ambitious minds at Hawthorn Cycling Club – particularly Alison Skene. The plan is delightfully simple – create the most inclusive women’s bike race possible. The execution year after year is flawless, and every year we see women from across Victoria flock to a little paddock at the base of Australia’s second most famous rock for 60km of collegiate racing.
Behind the scenes, the handicapping team at HCC work tirelessly, stalking Strava, Zwift and race results to sort around 100 women into groups of similar abilities, and then try and judge the gaps between the groups for that elusive handicap finish where everyone comes together in the final kilometres of the race. This year was closer than the last, next year will be closer again. The range of ability is what makes this race something special – women who are racing NRS race essentially alongside women who have signed up for their first bike race.
I’ve had the privilege of racing Hanging Rock a couple times, and now that I’ve hung up my (very) amateur rice licence, I found it exhilarating to see the race unfold as a spectator. Participating in the event makes you very proud to be a small cog in the handicap machine, but it does require a bit more focus, and there’s a little less room to get swept up in the event until afterwards. As a spectator, I got to share in everyone’s excitement and watch the race unfold without the racing blinkers and jitters. It meant cruising around the course courtesy of Doncaster Mini, handing out some water to some thirsty volunteers, and being part of the race from a completely different perspective.
A big congratulations to all participants and an enormous thank you to the volunteers who made it happen. I cannot wait to see how the 2024 edition of the Hanging Rock Handicap unfolds.
II: PRODUCT PLACEMENT
We were very lucky to link up with Doncaster Mini Garage who were able to provide us with a real Mr Bean x Inanimate Carbon Rod inspired whip. Creature comforts and sporty performance to match, it was the perfect vehicle for zipping around town in the morning picking up pre-road trip coffee, then snacks and ice.
In a colour that is possible to ignore and almost impossible to photograph in direct sunlight, we couldn’t have asked for a more well-suited car to hand out drinks to race marshals as we drove a lap of the race, and bump a playlist made of strong women figures. With an additional layer of curation we’ve extended the mix to match the winning time of 2 hours 2 minutes from Kirsty Fergie of SKCC.
III: POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE
The start of a handicap race is interesting in the sense that the race can already start for others, but you’re left sitting on your hands dealing with your nerves for anywhere up to half an hour before the race starts for you. We did what we could to help Sofia pass the time with forced pieces to camera, discussing gels, dogs, the law and any other range of topics we had scrawled on the backs of our hands, but soon it was time for her to leave us behind and roll out with her bunch.
Sixty-six kilometres later, in the aftermath of her first Hanging Rock Handicap showing, Sofia offered us her post-race thoughts and reflections.
“What a race, what an absolute vibe. What started off as a misty frosty morning quickly unfolded into some of the best riding conditions you can hope for- clear sky, moderate temperature and low wind.
“I was towards the back of the starters, last of the B group if memory serves with about a 12 minute gap created for the A grade hitters to hunt us all morning. A couple of St Kilda and Hawthorn CC women in our bunch quickly set up the roll which didn’t let up until the final kms as the group waxed and waned as we passed some groups and absorbed others. The atmosphere was warm and supportive in the grupettos and it was obvious just how much effort had gone into making sure the course was appropriately marked and marshalled by the race organisers.
“My race didn’t exactly go to plan, I was on track to finish just behind my grupetto members who stormed their way onto the 10 woman podium and it all fell apart on the last corner (doesn’t it always?) I waved to our Soup.Athletica support crew on the approach, got in the drops to rail the corner and a crash of carbon and humans later, one other rider and I spent a bit of time watching the last groups finish from the medical van. That’s just how it goes sometimes, you bet I’ll be back next year!"
– @SOFIAKRANJEC
IV: BAKERY REVIEW
A.K.A “AWARD-WINNING VANILLA SLICE”.
How many times have you heard that before? Or how many times have you seen it scrawled across the wall or front windows of a country town bakery. Official rules dictate that every country town bakery is award winning simply by being independently, a lot of the time family-owned businesses, and pillars of the local community – but there are still levels to the LEVEL of award winning.
Experiencing the award-winning claim was a surefire thing as we walked through the carpark to the front door of the bakery, but things were thrown into serious jeopardy when meringue caterpillars began singing an angelic chorus from the glass cabinet beside the cash register. In the end the vanilla slice would prevail – to be paired impeccably with a sausage roll. Points deducted for two sauces being paid for, one sauce being bagged, but that was soon forgotten once the first bite landed on the vanilla slice. Flaky, strong but not tough, it allowed the integrity of the slice to remain while being soft enough to consume (questionably) without an accompanying drink.
As for an official rating, it’s hard to decide – maybe we’ll have to visit a number of other country bakeries to compare, then get busy on excel.
