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ANDY BLAIR MAKES IT A HATRIC & ROWENA FRY DOMINATES AT THE INGKERREKE COMMERCIAL MTB ENDURO
Posted: 2013-05-17 21:12:27
Andy Blair left his rivals in the dust, winning the final Stage of the Ingkerreke Commercial Mountain Bike Enduro in Alice Springs today, cementing his yellow leader’s jersey for the third year in a row; whilst Rowena Fry continued her classy in-form week also taking the win at Stage 7 and sealing her general classification yellow jersey victory.
Stage 7 proved to be one of the best and most enjoyed stages of the five day, seven stage event, showcasing why Alice Springs is the hidden gem for mountain bikers around Australia. The final Stage saw riders take to a 36km fast course with varying terrain of single and 4WD tracks, beginning at the Chifley Alice Springs Resort and finishing at the scenic Telegraph Station reserve.
Blair dominated the week, winning all but two stages to wear the famed yellow jersey for a third year in a row, throughout all Stages. His winning time today of 1:34.45 gives him another time-bonus, to finish the week on top of the general classifications with a cumulative time of 9:44.30; ahead of Swell-Specialized teammate Shaun Lewis in second with 9:46.39, and fast finishing Michael Crosbie in third place just over four minutes behind.
“I came here with a job to do and it’s really great to get a hat-trick!” Blair said.
“When you come to Alice Springs, there’s a lot of things that can go wrong throughout a week of racing, so I was lucky enough to only have 1 flat tyre (Tuesday’s stage) and was able to make up for that and stay in the lead all week.” Added Blair.
The humble winner was wrapped to go one-two with Lewis.
“Shaun has looked after me all week, and it’s been awesome going 1 and 2 together. I was in a good position through the stages, but you can never count your chickens until you cross the line on Friday.” Blair said.
Lewis finished second to Blair on general classification overall, and was also the winner of last nights’ spectacular night race; crossing just 0.04 seconds ahead of Blair.
“I’m stoked by my riding this week. We came here as a team, so to go one-two with Blair who is the stronger rider, I’m really happy to finish second behind him. Hopefully I’ll be back next year too!” Lewis said.
Third place overall, and winner of Stage 3 Michael Crosbie (who rides for Rush Racing), hit the trails of Alice Springs for the first time on Monday and along with being a top contender all week, he was blown away by the diversity of the terrain.
“Firstly, I could not believe how much single track there is up here; and the diversity! You go from rock to sand; there’s little pinch climbs everywhere, awesome little descents; and lots of double track and fire roads that are super clean.” Crosbie said.
“I’m very happy with third overall – I’ll definitely be back again.” Added Crosbie.
In the women’s field, Rowena Fry was all class, and despite being pushed non-stop through the week by Jenny Fay, she managed to win 5 Stages and stay in the yellow on top of the general classification. Fry’s total cumulative time was 10:46.33; Fay took second place overall with 11:12.04, and Alice Springs born Terri Rhodes took third with 11:27.32.
Fry finished her stellar week simulating ‘plank-man’ over the finish line today winning the final stage in 1:49.50, with Rhodes second in 1:57.25 & Kelly Bartlett taking third place with a time of 1:57.26.
“I’m stocked with the win today and to take out the yellow jersey here in Alice Springs!” Fry exclaimed.
“The trails are absolutely pristine! A fantastic way to finish a ‘top top’ event; and I think all the riders had a blast!” Continued Fry.
“Yesterday was a tough day losing time on the individual time trial, but last nights’ Stage race was crucial for me, and I had a ball mixing it up amongst the guys and riding through mud puddles.” Fry said.
Fry took her hat off to the determined Fay, who despite building some fantastic form through the week, suffered from a mechanical in last nights’ stage, and a flat tyre today.
“Hats off to Jenny Fay; she was absolutely smashing me on the fire roads, and I was hanging on by a thread. I couldn’t wait to get to the single track (my forte) and I was wrapped to really just enjoy the day. It’s been great racing all week with Jenny and I’ve had a blast; I’ll definitely be back again next year.” Fry said.
Stage 7 second place Terri Rhodes grew up in Adelaide, but was born in Alice Springs and was very exciting about her racing all week.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the first stage, the night race and then today’s stage. It’s the single track I really enjoy. I pretty much rode along with a smile on my face – it was a really nice day.” Rhodes said.
“This is my third time in the Enduro; but the first time I felt like I was in good form, so it’s really nice to come back to my home time and go well.” Added Rhodes.
The feeling amongst all riders in the 2013 Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro was that of elation and sense of achievement in an iconic Australian location – the spectacular red centre.
One rider to add some flair to the exciting week of racing was John Groves of Victoria who crossed nearly every finish line doing the ‘plank’ on his bike, and was therefore known amongst riders as the infamous ‘plank man’ (with which Fry simulated today).
“It’s my first time to Alice Springs and this stage race is something I’ve wanted to do for a number of years.” Groves said.
“Now that time permits, I’ve made it up here and it couldn’t be much better! I love the loose trails, it makes it more exciting and my favourite stage was today for sure; I was taking in the views and really enjoyed riding along the fun single track and down all the rock faces.” Groves said.
Whilst the pointy end of the field had some fast finishing Stage races, each category also showcased some fierce competition. Michael Brill won the veterans (40-49) age group today, and took out the general classification to finish off a great week of mountain biking.
“The riding through Alice Springs is just amazing; the tracks are just awesome and I’ve had such a great time. I’m absolutely spent, but I’ve loved it.” Brill said.
STAGE SEVEN MEN
1. Andy Blair 01:34.45
2. Shaun Lewis 01:34.45
3. Michael Crosbie 01:35.19
STAGE SEVEN WOMEN
1. Rowena Fry 01:49.50
2. Terri Rhodes 01:57.25
3. Kelly Bartlett 01:57.26
OVERALL STANDINGS MEN (Total Cumulative Time –All Stages)
1. Andy Blair 9:44.30
2. Shaun Lewis 9:46.39
3. Michael Crosbie 9:51.03
OVERALL STANDINGS WOMEN (Total Cumulative Time –All Stages)
1. Rowena Fry 10:46.33
2. Jenny Fay 11:12.04
3. Terri Rhodes 11:27.32
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Chocolate Foot puts Taree trails firmly on the map with sensational Series opener
Posted: 2013-05-02 21:20:12
After receiving nothing less than glowing praise after last Sunday's opening round of the SRAM Singletrack Mind series, the incredible flowing trails of Kiwarrak State Forest at Taree are likely to see mountain bikers descending en masse to experience them first hand. Race promoter Chocolate Foot has helped put Taree firmly on the MTB map making it part of the prestigious SRAM Singletrack Mind series.
Now in its fourth year the SRAM Singletrack Mind series is well established as the premier east coast endurance mountain bike series and attracts a host of highly-credentialed riders and teams such as OnTheGo and Target Trek. The star entrant for round one was none other than Port Macquarie's 4-time World solo 24 hour and 2-time MTB Marathon National Champion, Jason English. Fresh off his second Marathon Championships win the previous weekend his main rival, Canberra's Ed McDonald, would be hoping that the tough course at Atherton might have drained English's legs.
After a tough uphill start, English showed no signs that he might be carrying any fatigue in his system, going straight to the front of the Solo Male category and coming through in 7th position overall at the end of the first lap. He never relinquished the lead but with Ed McDonald slowly closing the gap. English upped the pace, culminating in English recording his fastest lap, and the third fastest lap of the race, on his final lap of the day. An extraordinary performance after 7 hours racing, with2012 Series Champion Ed McDonald just 10 minutes behind and Andrew Lloyd in third.
The opening round also featured a number of new names to the series including Newcastle's Stu Adams who took a hold on the Solo Male Masters category, engaging with series veteran Jason McAvoy in a battle to the end. McAvoy closed in fast through the dying stages, but missing the top step of the podium by just one minute after more than 7 hours in the saddle. After making her series debut at the final Singletrack Mind Series round in 2012, Eliza Kwan got bitten hard by the solo bug and has now established herself as a force to be reckoned with, taking the female solo win beating none other than solo 24 hour National Champion Liz Smith.
The Male Pairs was an epic tussle with positions changing constantly throughout the day. Altitude Training Systems had the early lead after a flying opening lap from Oliver Dharma-Ratne. Manly Blue's Miha Remec and Lucas Gamble settled into a consistent pace and eventually clawed back the lead, going clear of their rivals at half race time. The Cam Peterson and Rob Booker also showed that consistency pays, moving up to 3rd.
After their domination of the Mixed Pairs category last year, Bike Culture ACT's Brent Miller and Brooke Rowlands would face an entirely new set of opponents for 2013. Team PCS Torq features Nick Both and Lindsay Gorrell, both talented riders in the Olympic format discipline but the question was, would that transfer to endurance racing? After a strong triple lap to set up the lead the PCS Torq pair set about defending their position from Bike Culture and the experienced pair of Gary Harwood and Martine Robin. Bike Culture broke through to first place momentarily but Both upped the pace to regain the lead.
2012 Masters Female Solo series champion Wendy Stevenson was back and in-form taking the opening round convincingly. The Masters Pairs saw a breakthrough win for long time series competitors Justin Millington and Steven Powis while Masters Threes saw a sprint finish for 2nd and 3rd, the "Elderly Illegitimates" taking 2nd by a lunge while "Hunters Rule 5" were a lap ahead to take the win. The Alltrack Juniors are set for another successful year in the series with a win to open their account over the Sprocket Rockets and the local St Claire's High School team.
While the "Rad Shreddas" had the lead of the Male Threes well under control, their next goal was to win the race overall, the only hitch ... one man, Jason English, was on schedule to beat the entire field by himself! English's awesome efficiency and consistency is now a thing of legend – in the end he came within two and a half minutes of beating the entire field on his own, an amazing feat to have witnessed and riders saying it was a pleasure and an honour to share the track with him.
Winners and podium getters shared in over $13,000 in cash and prizes made only possible by the kind support of generous series sponsors SRAM, Rockshox, Avid, Truvative, Hammer Nutrition, OnTheGo, Finish Line, Serfas, Deuter, Mountain Biking Australian Magazine, Bellwether, James Estate, Cycology, Giant, Frameskin, Aussie Butt Cream and Flow Mountain Bike.
Having put so much time and effort into building the trails at Taree the Manning Great Lakes Tip Riders were elated to receive such glowing praise for their work and look forward to seeing more riders choosing Taree as the destination for their next MTB adventure.
The SRAM Singletrack Mind Series now sets course for the South Coast of NSW as the famous Coondoo Rd trails at Nowra play host for Round 2 on 26 May. For more information and full results see: www.chocolatefoot.com.au
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Turbulent Thredbo rewards persistent gravity enduro racers
Posted: 2013-04-08 20:36:33
More than 150 gravity enduro riders were at the start of the FLOW Rollercoaster State Championship event at Thredbo on the weekend. It was the inaugural race on the brand-new and fittingly named “Thredbo Flow Trail”. With rain at the beginning of the first race run turning the track into a muddy slide, U19 Oceanias Champion Thomas Crimmins used the second race run to win against recent VIC Gravity Enduro Series Champion Dan MacMunn and Ryan Delarue in the Elite Male category. Sarah Booth took out the Elite Female title ahead of local favourite Tegan Molloy.
It turned out to be the expected big show down between tough downhill athletes and the skillful gravity enduro racers. A large number of riders decided not to take up the opportunity to do a second optional race run after a downpour during the first half of the first timed run, which meant that a lot of the winning race times were clocked in later in the day on an improved and much faster race track.
“It was a challenging race”, said elite male runner-up Dan MacMunn. “The track changed completely during the rain and kudos to the guys who decided to do another run.”
With a winning time of 8:52.27 Thomas Crimmins got a gap of almost three seconds on the VIC State Series Champion MacMunn, admitting he had waited until just before the time cut-off to do his second run. “It looked like the rain was going to hold off and the track conditions were completely different towards mid-afternoon”, said Crimmins at the finish, being content with the improved track conditons. “This racing style will go off, I reckon”, he added. “Anyone can do it and all the top racers really enjoy it as well.”
Organiser Martin Wisata from Rocky Trail agrees, “We see such a wide variety of riders at the start line of our FLOW Rollercoaster and with each event we get more of them, which is fantastic.” It was a fun and social type of racing with neutral or shuttled rides to the trail heads and several timed sections throughout a race day, he explained. “The timed trails at a gravity enduro are mainly downhill, but not too technical with heaps of fun and flowy sections. It’s great to see a lot of women in the field as well.”
Sarah Booth, acclaimed downhiller in both national and state races, took out the Elite Female State Championship title ahead of local favourite Tegan Molloy and 4X-ace Vanessa Thompson in front of a huge crowd of spectators who was swinging to the tunes of the RedBull DJ and being looked after by the Wiings team.
FLOW Rollercoaster coming to Stromlo Forest Park
The FLOW Rollercoaster series will have its finale at Stromlo Forest Park on 28 July and its organisers promise a pure gravity enduro race with a combination of neutral rides and shuttled transport to the top of Stromlo and at least three to four timed race sections.
For further race information and more detailed results from the weekend, please visit www.rockytrailentertainment.com
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Rocky Trail delivers sweet treat with race on Easter Monday
Posted: 2013-04-04 20:46:57
More than 250 mountain bikers kicked off the SHIMANO Mountain Bike Grand Prix racing series at Awaba MTB Park near Newcastle on Easter Monday. Michal Kafka from Croydon Park was the fastest athlete in the 7-hour elite category, claiming his first solo win with 11 completed laps on the 10km course and Sarah Neumann from Newcastle was the strongest female racer. In the 4-hour competition, Kyle Ward from Wollongong secured a win in a strong elite male field and the female category was claimed by Susanna Fasold from Kirrawee.
The SHIMANO MTB Grand Prix is one of the largest endurance racing series in NSW and ACT and offers mountain bikers challenges to race for four or seven hours, either as individual solo racers or in relay teams. Organisers Rocky Trail Entertainment hosted the first round of the five-race series at Awaba MTB Park together with the local club, the Hunter MTB Alliance.
Fast four-hour race for state champion
More than two-thirds of the field competed in the four-hour race, including more than 100 solo riders. While the kids swarmed out on an Easter Egg Hunt before their race on the kids track, the reigning NSW cross-country state champion Kyle Ward from Wollongong raced to victory on the popular Awaba trails. “This was an awesome day out”, beamed the winner across the finish line. It had been a tight start and riders had paced themselves early on, adding, “No-one really wanted to spend any pennies too early, so with two [hours] to go I thought I give it a go and increased my pace.” The tactical move paid off and Ward was able to shake off a chasing group of three riders – Daniel McDonald and Anthony Shippard who crossed the line as second and third, respectively, only minutes behind Ward after the four-hour mark, as well as Stu Adams from Whitebridge who took out the master category on equal 7 laps.
First solo race, first win
In the 7-hour race, the top five finishers all completed 11 laps within half an hour of each other with Michal Kafka racing to his first solo victory in 6 hours and 54 minutes. The experienced endurance athlete with Quantum Racing and Crocodile Trophy stage race finisher won the 2012 SHIMANO MTB GP series title in the two-man team category and said that he saw the race at Awaba as a training ride, “I didn’t really know what to expect racing solo, but just enjoyed the day out on the bike. I did push myself, because I wanted to clock at least 100 km, so I’m really happy about this win!” Second was Grant Webster from Tea Gardens (NSW) and third place went to Roger Harrison from Hackett (ACT).
Sarah Neumann from Kahibah (NSW) was one of only three women in the seven-hour solo race and her 9 completed laps meant a top 10 overall position in the entire solo racing field. Like so many mountain bikers from the Central Coast and Newcastle regions she used the opportunity to race on a home track.
The line-honours and outright race title went to Matt Flemming, Jason Morgan and Harrison Wiles from the SHIMANO/All-track Cycles Racing team.
James Estate Winery next in the series
Round 2 of the SHIMANO MTB Grand Prix will be held on the brand-new mountain bike trails in the Upper Hunter Valley at James Estate at Baerami near Muswellrook on 20 April. Further series locations are Ourimbah MTB Park near Wyong (15 June), The Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan (13 July) and Stromlo Forest Park in Canberra (7 September).
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Experiential SHIMANO MTB GP endurance racing series kicks off on Easter Monday
Posted: 2013-03-29 05:58:10
The SHIMANO Mountain Bike Grand Prix Series will kick off at Awaba MTB Park near Newcastle this Easter Monday. With five events across NSW and ACT this popular endurance racing series promises variety on challenging trails at unique locations – including a botanic garden and a winery in the Upper Hunter Valley!
“For this year’s series we picked some of our favourite mountain bike venues in NSW and ACT. For us it’s not just about the racing, but we want our racers to ride new, fun, challenging and quirky trails and to have an awesome day out with us”, said Martin Wisata from Rocky Trail Entertainment who will again receive major support from SHIMANO Australia and leading companies in the cycling industry including JetBlack Cycling, Cell Bikes, Weldtite, Fox Racing Shox, Camelbak and GU Energy.
Inaugural race at James Estate Winery
“We will bring our series to locations that will feature great variety in terrains and unique types of trails”, added Wisata who will add another venue to the list of destinations that Rocky Trail has helped to put on the cycling map: round two will be the first MTB race at the James Estate vineyards near Muswellbrook in the Upper Hunter Valley at the end of April.
With the race track leading riders through the heart of the vineyards, past wine barrels and the event centre set up right outside the cellar door, competitors will be spoiled also for culinary choice: the supporting program of the event reads more like a food fair with local specialties and of course delicious James Estate wines be up for tasting and the race day coming to a close with “wining and dining under the stars”.
More exciting race venues in 2013
The challenging singletrail course at Ourimbah near Wyong will be up next in June, followed by the picturesque trail network at The Australian Botanic Garden at Mt Annan near Campbelltown in July. The series finale will be held at Stromlo Forest Park in September, featuring the infamous World Cup trails.
For the inaugural race of the series on 1 April perfect riding conditions are expected at Awaba MTB Park, which is one of the most popular mountain bike destinations north of Sydney with a track length of about 8 km. Organisers Rocky Trail Entertainment and the hosting club Hunter MTB Association expect a strong field of 250-300 riders for the four or seven hour competitions. The support program will include free kids activities with Easter-themed colouring-in competitions and an Easter Egg Hunt at the custom-built kids loop.
The race start is at 9am; first race finishers of the four-hour event expected to cross the line at 1.30pm. The race track will be closed at 4pm for the seven-hour racers and the final ceremony expected to commence at 5pm. For more event information and to sign up, visit www.rockytrailentertainment.com
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Joshua Carlson wins FLOW Rollercoaster enduro race in Wisemans Ferry
Posted: 2013-03-18 19:13:15
Joshua Carlson wins the second FLOW Rollercoaster enduro gravity state series round at Wisemans Ferry. Organisers Rocky Trail had arranged two different race tracks for the more than 100 competitors at picturesque Del Rio riverside venue and the 26-year old mountain bike and all-mountain racing pro from Wollongong dominated the high-profile elite men’s field. Jon Odams from Sydney took out the second place and downhill legend Michal Ronning from Hope Island (QLD) claims again third ahead of Mick Ross (Sydney, NSW) and Jason Blackmore (Pullenvale, QLD).
“This was one of the most challenging and fun days out”, said Carlson of his race that had competitors ride untimed to the start lines of two different race tracks and after a few hours of practice the fastest combined race times counted. “These race tracks live up to any international standard and I am so thrilled that this riding and racing format finally is gaining popularity in Australia”, said Carlson who has been racing in the United States for the last few summer seasons, focusing on the all-mountain discipline.
All-mountain enduro racing is the new kid on the block of mountain bike racing and with its roots in the French Alps and North American high-country it has been gaining traction in Australia, attracting a wide range of mountain bikers as it combines cross-country trails that require a good amount of fitness and endurance as well as challenging downhill sections that will reward those with good technical riding skills.
“It’s the perfect day out with your riding buddies - you explore the trails and ride together, but then you also have the element of a race where you get to challenge each other and certain parts of the course”, said Jon Odams from Sans Souci (NSW), current leader of the FLOW Rollercoaster NSW State Series. With a 6th place in the 2012 UCI Oceanias Super D all-mountain event in Rotorua (NZ), Odams has become one of the big supporters of all-mountain racing in NSW.
Odams leads the series ahead of Michael Ronning and Joshua Carlson. Elite female racer Genevieve McKew claims her second win in the series, leading ahead of State 4X and Downhill talent Vanessa Thompson (Yanderra NSW) and former National Downhill Champion Joanne Fox (Penrith NSW).
The FLOW Rollercoaster enduro racing series is now headed for the new Thredbo all-mountain trails, where the NSW State Championship event will take place on 6 April, before the final series round at Stromlo Forest Park on 28 July. For more information and to sign up, visit www.rockytrailentertainment.com
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Road riding champ wins Baw Baw Four-hour twilight mountain bike enduro
Posted: 2013-02-02 16:21:18
It was a fast lapping bunch of endurance mountain bikers who gathered atop Victoria’s Mount Baw Baw on Australia Day weekend for the inaugural Baw Baw 4-Hour Twilight Enduro event, which also doubled as the opening round of the Gippsland Mountain Bike Club’s Championship Series.
Riders swarmed the hill to tackle an 8km circuit through the snowgum wilderness, with at least three all-new singletrack sections adding to the thrill. Tracing what had been ‘old timer’ walking tracks revived from wild overgrowth, the trails had been only marginally bedded-in with riders competing in the previous day’s Seasons of Pain off road duathlon getting first crack at the freshly groomed dirt.
Favourite on the entry list was Wonthaggi resident and Team Jayco-AIS rider, Nick Aitken, touted as a world championships rider of the future. An Australian representative in road cycling who came 2nd in last year’s U23 Road Race Oceania Road Championships, Aitken has also shown plenty of chops on singletrack. He would have be an unbackable bet for the event apart from the last minute entry of notable multisport and adventure race athlete, Jarad Kohlar, from Newport, Melbourne. Although not in Aitken’s class in terms of pure cycling strength, Kohlar’s technical skill on what is a rough and technical course with plenty of uphill meant he was in with a show of matching the road specialist.
But from the first blast of the starter’s horn in front of the Mount Baw Baw stone gates, it was Aitken’s race, heading straight to the front to become the only rider to lap the course in under 30 minutes, his first two circuits the fastest in 28:44 and a 29:44. He then settled into a 30-minute loop pace, slowing his last, eighth lap to a 35.38. In the process he rode the most laps, established the course record and won the day’s outing overall, riding for 4 hours 12 minutes at an average 14.25km/hr.
For his part, Kohlar showed he had plenty in the legs, lungs and heart given he’d come off winning the previous day’s Seasons of Pain, a two and a half hour (for him) duathlon event incorporating two laps of the Enduro course in addition to 20 kilometres of trail running. Kohlar’s fastest lap during the Enduro was a 31:44, which sat amid an average lap time of 32 minutes. His seven laps were enough to easily secure second place on the podium.
In the women’s solo it was a two-person match up between Britta Weller and Kirstin Curtis. As a veteran of the Victorian State Endurance Series, Kona Odyssey MTB Marathon, Anaconda Adventure Race and Marysville to Melbourne 152km multisport event, Weller perhaps signaled that she had the pedigree to endure the best Baw Baw could throw at her, and indeed she did, registering five laps of between 42 and 48 minutes to take the inaugural female title. Curtis wasn’t far off the pace early on with a 48-minute circumnavigation before blowing out to a final 1hr 14min on lap four, her final loop.
In the teams division it was the pairing of Christopher Fice and Tim Rowe of Team FGP who held out over Kaos Custom Bike duo Leigh Barratt and Nick Kelly. Both teams squeezed in seven laps of between 32 and 39 minutes duration, and it was a close call with the FGPs nipping Team Kaos only just with an average pace of 12.76km/h above the Kaos’ 12.65km/hr.
Special mention goes to the winner and only competitor of the Junior Division, Malte Adebahr who backed up in the 4-Hour Enduro after already racing as a solo in the Seasons of Pain duathlon the day prior. Despite tired legs, he still registered six laps in the four-hour stint, his times impressive being between 33 and 37 minutes each.
Full results can be seen at: www.gippslandmtb.com.au/docs/results/GMTBResults-1301.pdf
More mountain biking action will take place at Mount Baw Baw throughout the year, with a round of the Victorian Downhill State Championships slated for Saturday 23 March - 24 March and plenty of two-wheel action to be enjoyed as part of the Season of Pain series, returning 14 April, 9 June and 24 November. Mountain bikers who aren’t up for the running are encouraged to enter as a team with a friend willing to run.
See www.mtbawbaw.com.au/whats-on/events/.
The Four-Hour Enduro will return in January 2014 on the same long weekend.
The Gippsland MTB Series Championship continues this year.
Details at www.gippslandmtb.com.au .
Baw Baw Four Hour Twilight Enduro Results
MENS
1. 1.Nick Aitken 4hrs 12min 35sec / 8 laps
2. 2.Jarad Kohlar 3hours 51 mins 55 secs / 7 laps
3. 3.Matthew Frank 4hours 11 min 35sec / 7 laps
WOMENS
1. 1. Britta Weller 3hrs 45min 22 sec / 5 laps
2. 2.Kirstin Curtis 4hrs 11min 36sec / 4 laps
TEAM
1. 1.Christopher Fice & Tim Rowe (Team FGP) 4hr 06min 47sec / 7 laps
2. 2.Leigh Barrat & Nick Kelly (Team Kaos Custom Bike) 4hr 09min 06sec / 7 laps
3. 3.Ben Brusamarello & Troy Taylor (Team Gary) 3hrs 52min 45sec / 6 laps
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Kona Odyssey MTB Marathon welcomes European Pro for 2013
Posted: 2013-01-09 18:52:02
Rapid Ascent is very excited to announce that Australia’s ultimate MTB marathon, the Kona Odyssey, will welcome elite Swiss mountain biker Nathalie Schneitter to compete in the event at Forrest on February 16th, 2013.
Schneitter is a Swiss pro rider on the Colnago Südtirol team has included the Kona Odyssey as an integral part of her pre-season training camp in Australia and is ready to race the fastest 100km yet.
Nathalie has been on the world MTB cross country scene for a number of years, winning a Junior World Championship in Les Gets in 2004, then coming 2nd in the U23 World Championship in 2008. She represented Switzerland in the Beijing Olympics and is now aiming to climb back into the top 10 in World Cup XC racing after being mired by injury in 2012.
The Kona Odyssey is a challenging mountain bike marathon event held in Forrest in Victoria. Including 15km and 50km events for novices , the premier 100km event attracts many of Australia’s elite riders from all over the country with a capacity field of 2,000 riders expected to take part again in the events 7th outing 2013.
Schneitter commented that she is particularly excited to be racing at the Kona Odyssey and answered the following questions about life as a pro rider, her goals and expectations for her time in Australia.
RA: Nathalie, you’re consistently a top ten rider on the world stage – including wins as a World Junior XC Champion and in the Open World Cup. Talk us through some of your biggest MTB achievements.
Natalie: My biggest achievement was for sure winning my home World Cup in Champéry (Switzerland) in 2010. In 2011, I finished 5th at the World Champs on the same course. Winning the European Champs and becoming Vice World Champion as U23 in 2008 was very exciting. Winning the Junior World Champs in 2004 is a long time ago, but the rainbow jersey is something very special to me!
RA: And aims for the future?
Nathalie: After having a very difficult season in 2012 (I broke my arm in May and struggled to get back on track afterwards) it is my goal to get back to top 10 in the World Cup series and a medal at the World Championships is still a real dream for me. However, my next big goal (after the Kona Odyssey, RA) is to win the Cape Epic stage race in South Africa in March 2013.
RA: How did you get into the sport and how tough has it been to progress?
Nathalie: I started mountain biking when I was 14. As a kid, it is quite easy to learn technical skills, because children are not so afraid of crashing and do not envisage all the upcoming things that might happen. The first few races were quite bad, but I could feel progress pretty soon. The most important thing to progress is have clear goals - if you have goals you want to achieve the motivation for training just happens and it’s more fun. Fun is always one of the key aspects of mountain biking!
RA: What is your key MTB strength?
Nathalie: I am technically good and like short powerful uphills. I am kind of a sprinter.
RA: And weakness?
Nathalie: Long steady uphills. I just get bored with them soon.
RA:How do those both line up against the 100km Kona course that you’ll be tackling in February?
Nathalie: I think the course will be a challenge. There are two big hills I'll have to survive, but the sweet single-track will make it fun anyway :)
RA: What got you on to the Kona Odyssey?
Nathalie: I asked a friend of mine (Naomi Hansen) what races she would suggest me to do while being in Australia - there was no question for her that the Kona would be the one I have to do.
RA: You’re racing a few other events while Down Under – what is the idea behind your trip here – serious competition or a riding holiday with a few competitive outings for fun?
Nathalie: The idea is to do a proper training camp with some serious competition. I will be training hard, but of course also enjoying the sun, landscape and the nice tracks. I've been injured during the season 2012 and lack a bit of race practice. So the trip is kind of a mix of escaping the snow and cold back home, get good training in and gain some race practice.
RA: Have you raced in Australia before?
Nathalie: Only once at worlds in Canberra in 2009. (Finished 5th with Switzerland in the Team Relay and has a DNS at the cross country because of food poisoning.)
RA: What are your expectations of racing in the Kona?
Nathalie: Hard to say, but I will of course try to make it a hard day for the other girls!
RA: How tough is competition these days in marathon style MTB racing?
Nathalie: It is hard. The level is getting higher and higher and the girls are all very serious about racing. Cross Country (what I normally do) is just fast & full speed from the start line. A marathon is hard too, but it is also a lot about tactics, knowing your own body and making no mistakes.
RA: You get around the globe a bit for all sorts of exotic races – tell us about some of your favourites.
Nathalie: One of my favourites is the stage race in Langkawi, Malaysia. It’s exotic, the people are friendly and the tracks great. Another great race is the Cape Epic stage race in South Africa, which in the hardest race I've ever done. Also in South Africa is the Cape Pioneer Trek, I did this race with a deaf partner. It was unbelievably intense. We have also tons of fun races in Europe, but as this is where I come from it is far more exciting to get abroad to race :)
RA:You’re racing with your brother – is he a MTBer or have you done some persuading?
Nathalie: My brother never did a single MTB race in his life. He is a former soccer player and wants to get involved with mountain biking now. It’s good to have him around, but it will be interesting and funny to see how he deals with 100km of racing :)
Whatever happens on race day, we’re sure Nathalie will love the challenge that the Kona Odyssey will lay down before her – plenty of hills, flowing single-track and of course that amazing Otway landscape to take her mind off the pain.
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ROCKY TRAIL ANNOUNCES LINE UP OF EVENTS FOR Q1-13
Posted: 2012-12-13 19:54:15
After a huge racing season finale with their JetBlack 24 Hour at Mt Annan earlier in December, Rocky Trail Entertainment have just announced their line-up of mountain bike races for 2013.
Kicking off their endurance racing will be the Rocky Trail 100 at Stromlo in February and the JetBlack WSMTB 12 Hour in August will take riders again to the exclusive Dargle Farm venue. After its continuous growth and success, in December 2013 the JetBlack 24 Hour promises to sell-out The Austr. Botanic Garden at Mt Annan.
With major series sponsor SHIMANO, Rocky Trail will host five races in the 4 and 7 hour Grand Prix events and have just confirmed FLOW Mountain Bike as the naming rights sponsor for the Rollercoaster All-Mountain Series and Championships, which in 2013 have gained the NSW State titles. In the growing RedAss Downhill State Series there will be four races and a State Championship event, this year in Lithgow.
The Wild Wombat MTB Challenge will once again bring Rocky Trail’s Aussie race atmosphere to Austria in May and Juliane and Martin have also confirmed a teaching engagement at their old university near Vienna. Furthermore, Rocky Trail have been appointed once again as agency to provide marketing and media consulting services to the Alpentour and Crocodile Trophy events.
Find below an overview of Rocky Trail event details for Q1-2013:
27 January
FLOW Rollercoaster All-Mountain Race, Ourimbah State Forest, Wyong, NSW
With three series races and a championship event, Rocky Trail will take you to awesome all-mountain tracks including Ourimbah near Wyong, Del Rio at Wisemans Ferry (17 March) and the new Thredbo Super-D trail (6 April)! In 2013 FLOW Rollercoaster riders will race for the official NSW State titles. Online registration open now.
10 February
Rocky Trail 100, Stromlo Forest Park, Canberra, ACT
Imagine to race every possible track combination at Stromlo – three laps of the 33km race circuit are to be completed for the 100km challenge. One and two-lap racing options are offered as well and the 5-lap painfest is back with the 100 miler. New 100 km Mates team category to be launched in 2013! Online registration open now.
23 February
SHIMANO MTB Grand Prix, 4+7 hour, Awaba State Forest, NSW
Round 1 of five series races in 2013 kicks off at the singletrail heaven of Awaba with the signature Rocky Trail-style event atmosphere – race the MTB endurance racing series that ROCKS! Online registration will open in January 2013.
All venues and event dates are on our website – www.rockytrailentertainment.com
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