The second round of the Tasmanian Downhill series saw Glenorchy mountain bike park back in action for the first time since Oceania championships back in March. The course had had a bit of a tune up since then particularly to the bottom a�?Bombshella�? section to open it up and make it faster.
Josh Fuller launching off the improved gap in the a�?bombshella�? section.Aaron Oates.
In classic Tasmanian style the week before the race saw grey skies and rain leaving grim predictions for race day, luckily the sun was shining by Saturday morning drying out the majority of the track for riders to get their lines dialed on the practice day.
By Sunday the dust had revealed itself all over the track with plenty of riders getting loose on their way down. Sundaya��s practice went off without any major incidents apart from a few riders ending up in the bushes after taking one too many corners at full speed.
Simon Palmer testing the limits of his new Norco Aurum.
A turnout of 49 riders was reduction from round 1 with a few riders away at mainland events or choosing not to attempt the challenging course. Despite this fun was had by All with Ben Hill coming home with the win in Elite with a 3:18 followed by Aaron Oates and Josh Fuller. Under 19 was won by Dan Booker with Simon Palmer in second place then Derek West.
Ben Hill brought his flair for race day.
Thanks to Track X, Iron House Brewery, Bike Ride, Dirt Art, Thrifty Car Rentals and Hill Street Gourmet Meats for their support throughout the series . The series heads North on December 7th and 8th for the third round in Wilmot.
Photos & Words: Andrew Palmer
Follow the rest of the Tas DH 13/14 season with Downhill247.com
Nathan Aver with lift off…Ben Hill sideways in the dirt!Dan Booker with some wise words.Danny Young making use of the large table top at the bottom of the courseAaron Oates highlighted through the dust on a solid run.Remy Adderton with his eyes well ahead.Dan Booker leaving a trail of dust on the way to first place for the under 19a��s.Callum Fagg on his way to first place in the All Mountain category.Tim Sumpton kicking up dust amongst the Tassie bushMartin Branfield taking on the bottom berms.Derek West on the gas!
Welcome to VicDH Round 2! Angus Jackson makes his way through the low cloud, which settled on the top sections of the track.
Welcome to Granton, the location of the second round of the VDHS. Nestled in some Australian bushland the track was partially destroyed by bushfires in 2009. The conditions for the weekend seemed less than optimal with a forecast predicting rain all weekend, and upon arrival it was evident that, for Saturday at least the weather man was spot on.
Dion Thomas looked to be dominating in the wet; right at home in Saturday’s horrendous conditions.Jesse Beare pushes down the track, with his game face on.
The air was damp, the track was saturated and very slippy! As riders began to make their way down the track the clay beneath the top soil started to rear its head, making clogged tires grip even less!
It didn’t really matter whether you had spikes or not, this mud was going to stick to and clog everything.Louis Armitage pushes hard into the berm with full confidence in the traction of his tires.
That didnt stop the smiles through the mud caked faces though! Saturday practice was full of carnage with riders sliding off line and off track from top to bottom.
Jackson Davis puts the power down mid-powerslide on the slippery berm.Ian Jones shows everyone how it’s done, flowing over the drop.
The concept of practicing became more like an active game of avoidance with riders sprawled out everywhere. The sun did eventually show its head Saturday, but only momentarily, but the fleeting sunlight did aid in the drying of the track and improving the conditions. Although, saying that itA�may of slowed the tracks running time down by making it very sticky.
Something learnt from world cups? Or just something a little bit ghetto?Ben Crundwell gets some heckling from Nato on his way over the larger jump at the business end of the Granton. Fun times for all!
Sunday arrived and suprisingly so did some sunshine, the rain appeared to of moved on and the track was in great condition, riders began flowing down track in a much more consitant ride and the weather conditions now made it favourable to ride.
Max Kreuzer navigates some slippery roots that caught many riders out. Sunday brought only some relief.Lachlan Gibson shows off some style over one of the bigger kickers.
More and more of the bigger lines were being hit and soon enough all the top riders were taking enormous slabs of time off the previous days efforts with riders coming past noticably quicker. By the time qualifying began the track had almost dried out enough that there were areas of loose top soil forming.
Fabian Bill throws in some steeze on his last practice run!Jackson Davis gets loose on what is a deceptively slippery corner.Matt Kelly came through the top rocks, very quick with a solid line choice on Sunday morning.
With Qualifying wrapped up Trent Piribaer took the top quali spot. With racing beginning the only change to the track was the amount of riding happening on it, there was no rain and no altering of conditions making for fair racing and tight times. At the end of the day Dean Lucas walked away with honour’s in Elite Men and Sarah Booth took the top spot in Elite Women.
Round 2 winner Dean Lucas boosts a part of the track that many struggled with, leaving no doubt in his title of Australia’s Junior Mountain Biker of the Year.Elite Mens Podium
Elite Men’s Podium
1 Dean Lucas
2 Jesse Beare
3 Oli Zwar
4 Trent Piribauer
5 Joel Panozzo
That wraps up round 2, plenty more action on it’s way soon though!
The Tasmanian downhill series is upon us again with round 1 held at The Lea in the states south over the weekend. The notoriously flat and rocky track had a tune up over the winter with a bit of smoothing out done to the course as well as adding a couple of new jumps and and wooden drops to keep things interesting.
Seb O’hollaran passes the The Lea cheer squad mid-flight off a log drop. Support from the crowd heightens the excitement!Rock gardens are a notorious traffic jam during practice.
Saturdaya��s practice saw 69 riders competing with plenty of new faces on plenty of different bikes everything from dirt jump hardtails to 29er enduro bikes to full downhill bikes.Saturday afternoon saw some light rain causing certain sections of the track to become a bit boggy for sundaya��s race.
Tim Sumpton taking off!Australian downhill is synonymous with ‘rocks’, as a few riders found out.Remy Adderton dropping in…Kaine Cannon powers through a rock garden during practice, finalising his lines before punching out a top run to take Elite Mens.
Sunday morning had perfect weather for racing, with not a cloud in the sky which luckily retained for the entire day. Riders punched out the practice runs all morning for some last minute tune ups and familiarisation with the track.
Ewan Favretto punches down the trail, comfortable and focused on the bike.Even event director Matt Wood found some time for runs at The Lea. Perks of the job, hey!Doug Austin leads Connor Greatbatch OVER the rock garden during practice.Dereck West styling it up and getting low through the rough stuff.
Racing went relatively smoothly apart from Hamish Johns taking a spill and having to be taken away in an ambulance (Hea��s ok now) – the stoppage on the track caused some of the fielda��s race times to be thrown off resulting in race times having to be taken from the seeding results instead. A�Aside from this Dan Booker managed to take the win in Under 19a��s followed by Simon Palmer and Ewan Favretto. To no onea��s surprise Kaine Cannon took the win in Elite with Ben Hill and Remy Adderton closely behind.
Dan Booker on pace – staring the camera at full pace isn’t usually a good thing, but he pulled it off. Next time give us a wink?All race runs should start with a power wheelie…. Dan Booker taking off to 1st place in the U19s.Dan Booker coming in to land on his Norco Aurum.Ben Hill punching colour and style into the Tasmanian wilderness, yeeeewww!Ben again, holding it wide on a tricky rock corner.Adam Oates hitting one of Dirt Art’s wooden features.Riders had to be wary of webs like this; they’re no catch barrier! More of an unnerving inconvenience of “where’s the spider?!”
Thanks to the event sponsors Track X, Ironhouse brewery, Bike Ride, Dirt Art, Hill St Gourmet meats and many others.
On a weekend where Severe Weather Warnings outspoke TV news, over 160 riders gathered to race on Lithgow’s Pony Express trail. Warmly hosted by the Central Tablelands MTB Club and Lithgow Pony Club, the racing atmosphere was buzzing early Sunday morning.
A dry, dusty track had riders on their toes, pushing for grip to beat the clock.A�Downhill riders are familiar with coming home covered in dirt, dust and sweat, usually accompanied by a huge grin and/or battle scars. There were plenty of spills and near misses, including an unlucky fall by Steve Humphreys (NSWDH) who left by ambulance, but has since been confirmed OK.
Dust isn’t as soft as it looks, as many riders found out. JB.Rick Boyer carves a wave of dust late in his race run, moments before spectators are sprayed with dust. EE.Teejay Clark took the Expert Men’s title for 2013 with a blistering run. Here, midway down the track TJ has his eyes on the prize. JB.Del Rio and Ourimbah had a designated ‘Heckler’s Corner’, here is Lithgow’s. As Jacob McCormack hit the deck on ‘Mega Thunder’ the crowd winced. With a facefull of dust, McCormack recovered and finished 21st. JB.On a modest spring day, even reptiles made it out to watch the state’s fastest battle it out. Spot our reptilian friend.. EE.Michelle Crisp on the gas to Third place in Elite Women. Michelle has had an impressive comeback after a serious shoulder injury just one year ago. 2014 will be a big year for her! JB.Lithgow locals celebrate their racing with true Aussie rider style – here ‘Skin’ stops for a well earned draught mid-race run. EE.Megaphones, tree-climbing, yelling, cheering, and sometimes drinking, the Hecklers were out in force come race time. Despite all the noise, here it’s a rider and his bike against the clock. JB.It’s like a miniature world cup atmosphere. At any level, Downhill racing represents the same values and passion; from grassroots to World Cup people are united by riding their bikes, in the bush.A�JB.
Graeme Mudd, on a high since taking out Dual Slalom at Crankworx was expected to perform in racing, and he did, falling into second place to Andrew Crimmins by less than a second.Crimmins attacks the same corner, blazing a trail of dust behind him. Andrew has shown his pace at every round this year, tough competition with Graeme Mudd and Blake Nielsen.
Here’s a few extra snaps from Lithgow’s State Champs for 2013. What a great weekend of Downhill! The next round of the NSW/ACT RedAss Downhill Series is in Awaba, November 17/18.
That’s it! With a spectacular finish, the 2013 UCI World Cup is over. The heart of every rider was in this race, on the famous slopes of Leogang, Austria. With 3 Aussie riders in the Top 10, we’re a proud DH Nation! Read on…
Rachel Atherton has worked hard and pushed the Women’s division this year. Her riding has been outstanding, and today she stood proud on the podium, second by a half-second.Dean Lucas took on the Junior Men one final time, and came out 12 fastest. A strong season sent Dean to 4th place overall, an admirable achievement and a notch in the belt on his racing career. Here he takes on the mud and wet roots; a hazardous combination at best.
The Elite Men’s Top 10 in Austria for 2013. Packed with the most well-known DH racing teams, and over 1/4 Australian (equal with the Lads!).
1
SMITH Steve
CAN19891125
DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING
3:23.959
2
BRUNI Loic
FRA19940513
LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC
+1.311
3
HANNAH Michael
AUS19831121
HUTCHINSON UR
+1.934
4
ATHERTON Gee
GBR19850226
GT FACTORY RACING
+2.858
5
BRYCELAND Josh
GBR19900323
SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE
+3.402
6
GUTIERREZ VILLEGAS Marcelo
COL19900509
GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM
+4.267
7
BLENKINSOP Samuel
NZL19881028
LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC
+4.320
8
BROSNAN Troy
AUS19930713
SPECIALIZED RACING DH
+5.577
9
PEAT Steve
GBR19740617
SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE
+6.039
10
FEARON Connor
AUS19940119
KONA
+6.620
As the favourite, Stevie Smith placed ahead of a determined Gee again by mere 1.5 seconds. It seems like Stevie has a knack for getting us on the edge of our seats!
Familiar names throughout the Women’s Top 10 too, with Tracey Hannah Bringing Aus home in 8th place.
1
RAGOT Emmeline
FRA19860527
LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC
3:52.866
2
ATHERTON Rachel
GBR19871206
GT FACTORY RACING
+0.502
3
CARPENTER Manon
GBR19930311
MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM
+4.817
4
KINTNER Jill
USA19811024
TEAM NORCO INTERNATIONAL
+7.562
5
NICOLE Myriam
FRA19900208
COMMENCAL / RIDING ADDICTION
+7.815
6
CHARRE Morgane
FRA19900609
MS MONDRAKER TEAM
+10.592
7
SEAGRAVE Tahnee A�
GBR19950615
FMD RACING / INTENSE CYCLES
+10.609
8
HANNAH Tracey
AUS19880613
HUTCHINSON UR
+13.078
9
SIEGENTHALER Emilie
SUI19860919
GSTAAD-SCOTT
+13.178
10
GATTO Micayla
CAN19880821
A�-
+15.348
Here is your 2013 World Cup Overall Podium. These are the most elite Downhill racers in the world. While it’d be great to see some Aussie faces up there, these names deserve to be here.Tahnee Seagrave finishes in style, soaring for the crowd into 7th place.Right behind Tahnee was Hutchinson UR team rider and Australian, Tracey Hannah. This Team Hannah WC Tour was one to be remembered!
Here are the full Aussie results, starting with Elite Men:
3
HANNAH Michael
8
BROSNAN Troy
10
FEARON Connor
47
MOIR Jack
65
MACMILLAN David
DNS
HILL Samuel
A�Elite Women
8
HANNAH Tracey
Junior Men
12
LUCAS Dean
20
ELLISON Luke
The World Cup Season may be over, but we’ll be back soon with more Australian Downhill content, including NSW DH State Champs in Lithgow. Follow Downhill247.com on Facebook and Instagram for the latest unique content. Facebook: Facebook.com/Downhill247 Instagram: @Downhill247
Sunday came and the weather showed up. What an epic day of racing, did anyone see that coming? As the end of the season nears and points become crucial, the weather really threw a spanner in the works for some. Another amazing world cup race, here’s our account. Enjoy, and try not to get mud on you!
Sik Mik living up to the name here through the mud and rocks. An unfortunate race run for him, an error sent him off-track, and into 28th place. In such wet conditions the track really had its way with the riders.Stevie on the gas, he has shown up and performed once again to take the win – taking the World Cup overall isn’t out of reach; Gee’s got some ground to make up with only 17 points between them! Austria is going to be a big race for everyone!Rachel Atherton had some sketchy moments through the ankle-deep rutted mud in steep forest sections, but here she looks natural and confident. A solid run for Rachel to take 1st place. We bet underneath all that mud there’s a huge grin and wide eyes!Tracey Hannah went well with 7th place, holding it together with a fast, edgy run. That’s got to be a confidence booster for next weekend!Connor Fearon had some serious rain during his run, which left a dampness to his weekend. Next weekend is a chance to end the season on a high note – Aussie Aussie Aussie!Oi! Oi! Oi! Troy Brosnan screaming through the frame, out of the wood section and onward to 10th place, and the best-placed Aussie in Mens ahead of Sam Hill in 15th. Troy has been up there all season, what will the final round bring?
A tough race for the Aussies I guess you could say we don’t like riding in the wet; “your bike gets muddy” Sam Hill, Schladming 2008. That’s a pretty good assessment.
Here’s how the Elite Men lined up at the bottom in Norway:
Mens Finals:
1. Stevie Smith 3.40.174
2. Danny Hart 3.41.815 + 0.110
3. Andrew Neethling 3.42.957 + 1.837
4. Samuel Blekinsop 3.44.039 + 2.527
5. Greg Minnaar 3.44.163 +2.594
a��
10. Troy Brosnan 3.47.544 + 3.251
15. Sam Hill 3.49.926 + 4.904
28. Michael Hannah 3.54.323 + 14.720
29. Jack Moir 3.55.102 + 16.370
39. Connor Fearon A�3.57.916 + 18.994
UK rider Michael Jones took the Junior Men’s title by a comfortable 3 seconds. Amongst the carnage and mud he held it together and it paid off.Dean Lucas came in 29th place, keeping it together and dirtying up the Aussie kit. Dean will be out there for the win next week in Leogang, more exciting racing action!
Will the weather have a say in deciding the World Cup Champion? We’ll catch you in Leogang, Austria to find out. Stay tuned!
