STAGE 1: COURSE DESCRIPTION

Distance: 45km
Elevation: 871m

Start/Finish Venue: Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, Leeuwin Rd, Augusta WA 6290

Start Time: 9am

The race begins with the traditional start Grand Depart at the iconic Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse in the background. Riders will be escorted down the first 500m of Leeuwin Road, before turning left onto Skippy Rock Road, a gravel road overlooking the Southern and Indian Oceans.

It’s here at the top of one of the most iconic ascents and descents of the race that the riders drop into single track trails leading towards the Karri Forests of Augusta. Where the flats of the forest floor amongst the towering trees really set the tone for the 2024 race.

Inside the first 10 kilometres, riders will reach Heartbreak Hill at around the seven-kilometre point. It has been the biggest single climb since inception, and it is a challenging 160 vertical metres over 1.9km averaging 10.4% with only a small number of competitors tackling it without having to dismount for a breath.

Arriving at the top of the Telstra Tower, riders are now faced with three kilometres of fast flowing fire roads, that takes them into the single track around the Augusta Golf Club before the descent through the aid station at approximately the 20km mark.

After hydrating and refuelling, riders head for beautiful single track and fast limestone descents before the famous Diana Road gravel climb, and then the leg burning Sallys Hill taking you back up into the forest (196m of climbing over 3.5km of course to the Telstra Tower before being rewarded with a huge single-track descent and onto the new section for this year’s course the flat single track trails.

It’s here you will have a dual use limestone fire road for 300 meters so please keep left as the signs will tell you. This new section of course will have some sand, mud and water taking you around the Augusta Airport back into the new singletrack for this year in the Karri Forest for the undulating climb of Skippy rock before the epic descent and views over the lighthouse and back to the finish at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.

Subject to change up until race morning briefing.