You could be forgiven for thinking that because the South Coast Highway is heading east/south east at the same time as the coastline itself is heading east/north east that this would be a downhill stage. Aye, there are some downhill bits, but they’re matched by an equal amount of climbing: over eight hundred feet of it in fact.
The rollout from Jerdacuttup is gently uphill for a couple of miles before you launch into a three mile descent that crosses the Oldfield river at five miles. If you’ve been following the script, you’ll know what happens next: you start climbing! The climb is severe and the road rises almost two hundred feet in just over a mile. That’ll be a red on RGT for sure.
Then it’s kind of lumpy up and down, past Anuna at nine miles, to the start of the East Naermup Nature Reserve just after Hanna at eleven miles: that climb takes you up to the highest elevation of the stage, but fear not because it’s only four hundred feet above sea level. You’re converging with the coast, remember?
Once you leave the Nature Reserve, it’s time to get a move on. The next five miles dive three hundred feet downhill past Munji Downs to Munglinup at eighteen miles. Why does the road plunge downhill? A river crossing! This one’s the rather aptly named Munglinup river and you won’t be surprised to know that the road climbs steeply after the crossing: a hundred and fifty feet in just over a mile: another red zone on RGT most likely.
By now you’re almost done with the heavy stuff and the five miles that are left on the stage are lumpy and uphill, except for the last bit that offers some respite. A quick left/right combo at nineteen miles sets up a four mile straight that curves right just before the finish of the stage, passing by Newleigh and Stuart Downs as it does so.
Distance: 24 miles / 38 kilometres
Ascent: 820 feet / 250 metres
RGT Magic Road: YrEPHCchHBYA
Max elevation: 442 ft
Min elevation: 151 ft
Total climbing: 819 ft
Total descent: -821 ft
You must log in to post a comment.