Course Info
Course Overview
Port to Port is 4 days full of good fun riding. Challenging climbs, thrilling descents and all the best single track we could find in the area, combined with some spectacular scenery.
2019 saw new improvements and we are pumped you loved them. Each year we bring new trails and tweaks to the course to make your ride even better than the year before.
This time we've had a bit more time between rides, so we're excited to come back with everything you love and more in 2023. Our awesome course team has been back out on the trails putting together new alignments to entice you back for more of what you love to ride. We've been waiting almost 3 whole years to get back to these trails, and we can't wait for you to see what we've got!
The riding is suitable for all rider levels as long as you have a decent level of fitness. There’s an awesome social atmosphere at the end of each stage and at the end of each day you get to kick back and enjoy the excellent food, local beers (or wine) and everything the regions have to offer.
Check out the course overview below to see what will be in store, and scroll further for stage maps and details!
As always, courses and venues are subject to change.
2022 Map Overview
Subject to change.
Port to Port courses can only be ridden in their full format at event time. Local heroes open up their gates and allow access to their private land for the P2P riders as the event benefits the community in so many ways. Please respect private property and make sure we are able to continue accessing these tracks by not pre-riding the course.
Individual stage information and detailed course maps from 2022 are below.
2023 information will be available in the coming months.
Please remember that courses take in private land and are not to be ridden outside of the event.
Stage 1 - Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
Distance: 58km
Total Climbing: 1500m
Start/Finish: Roche Estate
Start Time: 12.00pm
Stage one is famous for the climbs, and 2022 will be no different. Spy that 1500m of vert on the stats sheet, but don't let that distract you from the fact that what goes up, must come down, and everything in between is straight-up fun...
We're headed to the first of many new venues for 2022 - Roche Estate - and she's a stunner! Set amongst the vines, we'll be rolling out along the roads of Pokolbin, wineries whizzing past and nervous tension in the air as we head for the Pokolbin State Forest.
Here we'll begin the journey up, a decent climb to kick things off, stretch the legs and spread out the group. Don't forget to take in the views on your way up if you can look up from chewing your stem - they're well worth while!
From here we dive into a section of trail the course team have whipped up for us, but in reverse to what we've done before, because we like to keep you on your toes like a kid at a wiggles concert.
Then we're headed back down where we've come - and the yeews will be ringing out through the forest as we head back towards Poklbin. A dash around some wineries awaits, before rolling in to some well deserved post-stage "refreshments"...
Start & Finish
A brand new venue for 2022 - Roche Estate is a stunning spot to kick off our week of riding in the Hunter Valley.
Food, drink, bike wash, bike mechanic, entertainment and more - what else could you ask for from your MTB race village? The stunning scenery definitely helps...
Stage 2 - Killingworth, Holmesville
Distance: 42km
Total Climbing: 600m
Start / Finish: Kevin Evans Oval
Start Time: Wave starts from 9am
Stage two is single trail heaven, as we head over to rip the old school trails of Killingworth and Holmesville!
We're starting out in a new venue this year, with waves rolling out from Kevin Evans Oval for a short section of road before diving head first into almost endless single trail heaven... You'll be twisting and turning more than your nan at a dance in the 50s, flowing from berm to berm as you wrangle your bike between trees and trails.
Host to many an XC race back in the day, for some riders it's like a flashback to their youth as they get sendy on the old school single trail network of Killingworth. You'll be thankful that MTB technology has come a long way since your rigid fork, 26 inch wheels day with plenty of time in the saddle still to come.
Diving back over the motorway and into Holmesville will keep you guessing, a final twist and shout before you put your head down and make your way under the arch back at Kevin Evans Oval. Two down, two to go! That calls for a celebratory beer...
Stage 2 comes in at 42km, with a much tamer 600m of climbing to give the legs a break after the previous days hills. We expect the leaders to roll in around 2 hours, with those out there enjoying the trails at the back taking closer to 4. Don't worry, we'll save you a beer!
Start & Finish
We're headed to a new venue for Stage Two this year, Kevin Evans Oval.
With everything you need to get clean, get fixed, get fuelled and get ready for the next stage - the P2P race villages are like no other. Rogue Scholar will be on hand serving tasty libations; you can get your bike cleaned and tuned up for the final two days of riding; and of course you can sit back, relax, take in the accomplishment of the day's riding and sling some bants ahead of the final two days!
Stage 3 - Martinsville, Awaba MTB Park
Distance: 52km
Total Climbing: 1200m
Start / Finish: Cooranbong Equestrian Park
Start Time: Wave starts from 8am
It would be rude not to return to the famous trails of Awaba in 2022, so that's just what we're doing. In saying that, you'll be experiencing Awaba in a whole new way, in that it comes at the end of the stage rather than the beginning!
Kicking things off from yet another brand new venue for 2022, Stage 3 will roll on the roads for a few KM before tackling the climb up Slippery Rock Road. Hint is in the name: it can be slippery, so take care!
From here you'll continue on your way up to the tops of the Watagan National Park, taking in fire trails and dirt roads to some of the highest points you'll reach all week. Don't worry, we don't make you tackle it all in one go, with a few step ups broken up by sections of flat for that all too needed respite.
Once you get to the top, well that's where the fun begins... what goes up must come down, and you'll be sending it all the way into the famed trails of Awaba, which you'll be tackling in reverse! Hitting the Awaba Bike Park at the end of the stage means the field will have split up plenty by now, giving you room to stretch your legs and get sendy on the single track.
From here it's a short blat across farm fields and forest sections to get back to the finish line, where a beverage of choice awaits, as does just one more day of riding!
Stage 3 clocks in at 52km with 1200m of climbing, making this bad boy the Queen stage of your race week. Plenty fitting for a queen, we say! The leaders will knock it out in about 2.5 hours, those enjoying the Awaba trails will come in closer to 5. As always - the beers will be waiting!
Start & Finish
We're rolling out from a new venue for 2022 - Cooranbong Equestrian Park.
Your start/finish chute is positioned amidst a stunning tree-lined entranceway, and you'll be able to kick back post-stage with all the amenities you'd expect. And yes, that includes cold beers and yum food from our mates at Rogue Scholar.
Stage 4 - Newcastle, Glenrock
Distance: 40km
Total Climbing: 700m
Start: Barton Field
Finish: Dixon Park, Newcastle
Start Time: Wave starts from 8am
There's no better way to finish up four days of sweet riding than with a coastal procession on some of the best trails around. We're talking views for days, watching barrels roll in and wildlife abound while you make your way towards that hard-earned medal and cold beverage on the finish line.
A new start line a little closer at Barton Field will see things kick off for Port to Port's only point-to-point stage - and we start making our way north to the finish line in Newcastle. Before we get there though, we've got some epic trails to get through!
First up are the Redhead Whitebridge trails, which have been lovingly crafted to be all fun and flow better than a cold beer down you after a 4-day MTB stage race...
From here we're off to Glenrock, trails that are known and loved and iconic to P2P Stage 4 - your final chance for some single trail action before the finish line!
Then it's just a bunny hop, chain skip and sweet jump over to Dixon Park, rolling in next to waves and sand as you fly up the finish chute!
Medal around neck and beer in hand - Port to Port complete!
Stage 4 is a cruisy 40km final procession of Port to Port, with 700m of ups to keep those legs honest. Our winners will cross the line in just under 2 hours, while our final finishers will roll in to complete Port to Port 2022 in around 5. After that, it's just the after-party to attend to!
Start
Your Start Line is different to previous years, at Barton Park. You can catch a shuttle here from the finish line (either pre or post stage).
Finish
An iconic finish to an iconic race - we're back to Dixon Park to wrap up our 4 days of riding at Port to Port. The beats and beers will be on, so grab yourself one and hang around for the post-race celebrations!