It’s The Inaugural Scrabblethon Tournament!

Four dates – join one or all – February 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & March 9th. And possibly the 16th!

UPDATE – March 10th: We had fun on the 9th, see results below, but due to low attendance am not currently planning to hold a 3rd event on the 16th, however if you’re super-keen and will show up rain or shine, sign up and mention that in the note, and if there are enough people, I’ll make it happen! Otherwise, we’ll be back down the road, make sure you’re signed up for our emails, and/or following our socials!

Scrabble, bikes, how can you top that? ATR ran the first ever Scrabblethon back on December 15th, and it was a blast! Read the event report here. Now, we’re doing a small tournament with four dates. Join for all, or whichever ones you can!

I’ve come up with three different courses to run the series over. Each are short, non-technical loops. Collect a Scrabble tile each lap, for one hour, and whoever has the best word at the end wins that event round! Of course we’ll track the scores over all four events, and we’ll see who’s Victoria’s Scrabbleton Tournament Champion!!

The (General) Details

Depending on the date, there’s a different location/loop, and we’ll meet/start after 11am after a quick check-in.

Any off-road bike should do – MTB, gravel, cyclocross, all-road (ideally with some knobs, if it’s wet, traction may be limited in a few spots).

Laps are likely to be 5-10 minutes depending on ability. We’ll start with a neutralized lap as a group, then the hour starts and everyone is off! Ride your own pace, keep it social with a friend, or give it a go!

Each time around, collect a Scrabble piece, and contemplate your word each lap.

After 1 hour, no more laps. At that point each rider figures out their best words, most points wins!

Bring a friend or two, this is a fun event!

Full details will be emailed to those signed up around 6pm Saturday night before each event, including a meeting time and spot for those who would like to ride out in a group.

Safety is a huge priority of course, and all efforts are made to select quiet roads/trails that are low traffic, but please be respectful of other trail users, this is just for fun!

The Scrabblethon – Rules & Sign-Up

A few rules to try to keep things fun for all:

• Meet/start around 11am, the designated location for this will be emailed Sat night before
• One Scrabble tile per lap, handed out in the Neutralized start/stop area
• Please neutralize/ease up for the Neutralized zone, eg avoid passing
• Ride as many laps as you can in one hour!
• Once we hit one hour, no more laps
• No trading tiles
• No phones to check spelling! (It’s fine to consult with other riders.)
• One word per rider
• Just one big category since this is mostly on chance!
• You’ll need somewhere to stash your tiles, eg: jersey, jacket, or shorts with a pocket! Bar bags work too!
• Sign up is required! Cut-off is 6pm on Saturday before. (Only need to sign-up once.)

And yes, it’s totally free!

Feb 23rd Route Details

For the Feb 23rd event, we’ve got a loop through Francis King park! It’s a mix of fireroad, double-track, thick gravel and a short singletrack climb. The loop is mostly non-technical, with one corner on the singletrack climb that’s a bit more tricky and may see people off their bikes for a few steps. This loop has the least elevation, but that gravel by the power station will make up for it! 😂

Meeting point will be the northernmost point on the map, essentially just off Munn Rd on the unpaved Highland Rd, where there’s a yellow gate.

• Francis King Route (Strava): https://www.strava.com/routes/3309375804766635976
• Francis King Segment – Clockwise (Strava): https://www.strava.com/segments/38645418
• Francis King Segment – Counter-clockwise (Strava): https://www.strava.com/segments/38725562

Just another friendly reminder that these trails are open during our event, so please be considerate of all hikers and other cyclists!

Mar 9th Route Details

For the Mar 9th event, I’m planning the loop through upper Thetis, if it’s not too soggy. Otherwise will opt for an alternative. (Make sure you’ve signed up for the event to get the email Saturday evening!)

For the Upper Thetis loop, we start at the very end of Baker/Westoby, following the main trail to the right off the road, then back up Bellamy and Scafe back to the parking lot. The loop is non-technical, though there may be a few muddy spots. For those who did the 2024 Scrabblethon, not nearly as much climbing on this loop! 😉

• Upper Thetis Route (Strava): https://www.strava.com/routes/3309372043545399240
• Upper Thetis Segment (Strava): https://www.strava.com/segments/38514257

Just another friendly reminder that these trails are open during our event, so please be considerate of all hikers!