With the domestic season coming to a close and the international races starting to ramp up it seems like now is the transfer period for a lot of riders. One rider onboard for a new team is Ben Hill, after doing an Inside Info with him earlier in the year we had a chat with him and his new manager, Ben Crundwell to get the Inside Info!
Hi Ben (Crundwell), thanks for chatting to us, for everyone that doesna��t know you run the Swift Rocky Mountain Racing team. Could you please explain a little bit to us about how it came about, who is on the team and what the goals for the team are?
The Team came about a few years back, after I took a year off a�?real worka�? for a trip to Whistler, followed later that year with a trip home to race the national series in NZ. I was offered a job running the workshop at the local bike store, to help pass the time. It was here that I made some very valuable contacts, when it came time to get back to work I decided I wasna��t ready to give up the perks of dealing directly with wholesalers, so I got on the phone and it just grew from there.
The team consists of myself (Ben Crundwell), Lucy Crundwell, Ben Hill and Luke Garside as our All Mountain Enduro rider. I am still looking for a 5th member for either DH or Enduro so watch this space.
The goals for the team are to promote the sport and have as much fun as possible, as long as were having fun the results will come.
A sizeable team by any standards but one that may continue to grow.
Now that you have signed Ben Hill to the team can you explain how that came about and why you chose Ben?A�
2013 brought on a few new challenges with the change to Rocky Mountain bicycles. I was excited to step things up, however time restraints didna��t allow my plan to come together until now. A�I always wanted to give the right junior a helping hand, someone who showed talent and drive but didna��t necessarily have everything they needed to get where they wanted to be. Benny was one of my first options due to his ability on a bike, his style and flare not to mention his fantastic attitude. From there I worked hard with our sponsors to put the deal together that Ben and his Dad would be happy with, now we look forward to an awesome season.
Having now spent a little more time with Ben, I feel lucky to be part of this chapter in his career as he will go a long way in this sport.
Awesome style but Ben is only in his early days and already we can’t wait to see what he does this year and beyond!
Next we chatted to Ben (Hill)A�about how it all came together and what he had to say:
The deal came about when Clint from CWR moved to New Zealand, I actually got in touch with Ben over Facebook and it took a couple of months but we sorted it out. I flew over to Victoria to pick up the bike and the first run was as good as any other run that weekend I felt so comfortable on it straight away. I love the bike, it feels sick and everything about it is good!
Scrub-a-dub-dub!
With Ben recently being selected to represent Australia at the World Championships we asked him his plans for the upcoming international season:
I head over to Scotland for the first World Cup in just over two weeks, the weekend after that is the Val di Sole World Cup, I can’t wait I am so keen for it, I have been watching so many videos of that track! After that I come home to do more training and then head to South Africa for the World Champs.
Be sure to catch up with the rest of the team at races across the country even when Ben is overseas!
Ben Crundwell: I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has made this possible.
Swift Performance Supplements
Rocky Mountain Bikes
Teva
One Industries
Fox Racing Shox
IRide
Breese High Performance
Scott
Schwalbe
Without the support from these companies I wouldna��t have been able to do any of this.
Ben Hill: I would like to thank:
Clint White
Ben Crundwell
My dad.
Images courtesy of Jason Stevens Photography/Swift Rocky Mountain Racing
Smiles for the camera! Connor Fearon ripping one of his home tracks. Image: Matt Gibson
As Connor FearonA�was packing his bags and getting ready for another International season we sat down and had a chat with him, here is what he had to say;
Thanks for chatting with us Connor, what are your plans for this year.
I am the only rider on the Kona World Cup team this yearA�and I head to Sea Otter, then I head to Washington to train with Luke Strobel for a bit before I head over to Montreal/Bromont for some more training, riding and to race a few of their races. Then after that it is the first World Cup in Fort William, followed by Val di Sole before a gap where I am going to come back to Australia.
What are your goals this year.
I want to be in the top 20 overall for World Cups, that’s the main goal,A�it is aA�pretty steep goal. Last year I started in the 60’s (placings), before getting to the 30’s. If have a strong start and keep it consistent I think I should be able to do it. The tracks are pretty much the same, I haven’t ridden Andorra before but Val d’Isere isn’t on the calendarA�anymore which is a shame as it was the best result I got. This year I am really trying to make a go of it and I hope the results show that.
Connor finished 34th overall last year and is looking to improve that this year, his highest finish, 22nd also came last year and is another goal for the 2013 season. Image: Matt Gibson
With your training have you got a more structured training plan.
Yeah, Jarah Breese has been helping me out, I have been training pretty hard for the last couple of months and it is definitely showing. I have been riding a lot of cross country and heaps of dirt jumps, there are a lot of dirt jumps around and heaps of my friends do it. I am pretty excited to see what difference it makes at the World Cup level.
The scene is getting more and more professional, what is it like from your point of view.
The racing in the past few seasons everyone has gotten faster and times seem to be closer as well, it seems to be gettingA�faster and more professional every year. I think there are moreA�riders and people, likeA�AaronA�Gwin, just stepping up the gameA�and people are trying to catch up.
Did you race many races over the Australian Summer.
Nah not really, even the National rounds I wasn’t taking that seriously as I just wanted to have fun, the season for me is really just about to start and I want to come in fresh. I had some good results at the Nationals but it doesn’t bother me that I wasn’t winning or up there all the time, if I take them super serious I have serious racing all year round.
A hard off season of training looks to be paying dividends already with Connor claiming third at the Underworld Cup at Port Angeles against a stacked Pro Men’s field! Image: Matt Gibson
There was a lot of talk about your new bike (which we featured here )A�anymore information about it.
To be honest I don’t know much more than you guys, I got it and ride it and like it. I don’t think there are going to be any changes made to it, the set up I have will be exactly the same as what people can buy.
A whole lot of the new wave of Aussie talent, such as David McMillan, Jack Moir andA�some juniors,A�are heading over to some of the races this year, are you looking forward to hanging out with them (downhill247.com will be following these guys at the races this year but more on that announcement soon).
Yeah it is so good riding with someone you know, Whistler this year as well they’re going over and I am looking forward to that, just having fun and a break from racing. It makes it more relaxed at races having people you know there and if you’re having fun you’re more likely to go faster in the race anyway.
With all the Aussies getting together and racing overseas lets hope it is a case of Aussie domination. Image: Matt Gibson
Now that you have been overseas racing so much, what are the things you look out for, free wifi? Good supermarkets? What have you learnt from all these foreign places, especially where they don’t speak English.
We travel in a group that’s pretty good at cooking, I am pretty hopeless and can’t cook more than 2 Minute Noodles or baked beans! The main thing is to get someone to cook some healthy meals. Sometimes it is hard to keep a really good diet when you’re travelling so much but at the races it is pretty good to just get good food and that helps with your racing. No Farmers Union Iced coffee when I am overseas so I have to stock pile those now haha!
The new carbon Kona Operator certainly sent the internet into melt down when Connor debuted his at the National Champs, good news the model we can all buy is the same as ridden by the man himself! Image: Matt Gibson
As we have previously we will be checking in with Connor and his overseas adventures throughout the year so stay tuned to downhill247.com and join us in wishing Connor all the best for the upcoming season!
Crashing is a part of downhill unfortunately but your recovery is something you can have a lot of control over….
Timmy Eaton had a particularly nasty crash at the Buller National Round earlier this year, we followed his recoveryA�from the day of the crash up until his return to racing, here isA�what Timmy had to say about it all;
Day of the crash:
I was in Mount Buller at the first National Round when I had a pretty big over the bars crash, I knew I had hurt my elbow, wrist and knee fairly badly. As I sat in the tent icing it I realised I had felt this same sensation before, at Awaba in 2010, when I broke the same elbow and wrist. So I didn’t bother heading to first aid, as I knew I needed X-rays and it was most probably broken again. I had done it just before seeding on Saturday morning therefore everyone else had to stick around, so I drove myself to Mansfield about 30-40 minutes from Mount Buller to the hospital. When I got there I got the X-rays, it confirmed a broken elbow.
The emotions can swing wildly after a crash, we have all been there no doubt!
I was so disappointed, my season was over, being only a 3 round season over 3 months makes it hard to come back after any bad luck. After spending the last 6 months preparing for this season I was in the best form I’d ever been in thanks to Jarah Breese at Breese High Performance, Also after signing with Giant Australia and doing my best to prepare for the season I had high expectations which are out the window. You can’t help but feel upset about it all. But you can’t let it get to you. Positivity gets you through these times and all I’ve been doing is looking forward and altering my goals for the year.
An injury is always hard to deal with when you feel like you are at the top of your game but as Timmy says you have to stay positive!
Week 1-5:
I headed home earlyA�on Sunday morningA�to get looked at by an elbow specialist and get more scans.
I had two weeks off work which sounds great but when you can barley walk or use your arm it sucks. I sat on the couch and watched movies everyday. I was going insane not being able to do any exercise. Ia��m lucky I have good mates who helped keep me company.
I ended up back at work two weeks later still not being able to do much but at least I am out of the house.
What would your boss say…?
My plan was to keep in some kind of form by sitting on the trainer but my knee was still giving me issues so I left it for a few more weeks.
4 weeks after my crash I went back to the specialist and he cut my cast off…I was hoping for good news but they checked it out and put another cast on my arm for a further two weeks. At least the end is in sighta��
The National Champs was in my home town that weekend, which was my main goal for the season. Hard but it wasA�good to go back out and catch up with mates and watch them battle it out. Was a great event even with the torrential rain on race day. Was awesome to see the Hannah’s get both titles for Elite Male and Female!
National Champs wasn’t all bad, Timmy you should have got a signature on the cast!
Week 6
That following week my knee felt a fair bit better but still a little bit sore. I decided to get on the wind-trainer and do 30 minutes. My knee felt pretty good which I was really happy about which means I can slowly get back into getting back into shape. 6 weeks off, doing nothing really destroys any form you had. I’ve lost 5kgs of muscle in my legs and upper body. I can’t wait to get fully back into training and get back into form.
Small steps but getting back on any sort of bike is a bonus!
I went back to the elbow specialist, my elbow and wrist still felt a bit sore which had me worried. They took the cast off and sent me on my way with a physio appointment booked for the next day! My elbow and wrist were so stiff and a little sore. I only had about 40 percent rotation in my wrist and 20 percent movement at my elbow. It’s going to be a while before I’m back on the bike racing. The physio gave me some stretches and exercises to work on before my appointment the following week.
Week 7
This weekend I decided to go for a lake lap with a mate to see how I went, it was fine and was the best feeling riding again. The following day I went for a 1km swim and then a 70km road ride which was awesome. I’m stoked I can work on my fitness before getting back on the downhill bike. I still have a way to go with movement and strength but it’s just going to take time.
The physio appointment went really well. They were extremely happy with my progress saying I was ahead of schedule my range of movement was improving everyday. There was still a bit of pain but the first round at Thredbo is looking more promising!
Thredbo was the race Timmy was aiming for, a real tough track to return to racing on let us just say!
Week 8-9
I went for my first ride off road to see how it would go, by doing a cruisy lap of Stromlo. A�It was awesome to be riding dirt again. It was a little painful but only when I had to react quickly, I didn’t have the strength in my arm to do so or the full mobility. Ill just keep on chipping away at it and try be sweet for Thredbo. I just have to be aware of my arm and not push to hard, especially if I decide to race which is hard for me just to cruise under race conditions.
Dirt! Nothing like hitting a few dusty corners.
I went out to the Mont 24hr I went out to watch a mate and ended up doing a lap for his team mate who broke his collarbone. It wasA�a 5amA�lap which was tough, but I got through it and felt good to push myself hard. My arm felt weak and pretty sore after a small run in while overtaking another rider.
I went to the physio again the following week and had some shock therapy to stimulate blood to the joint. Then booked in for an X-ray to see how the bone was going before I get back on the downhill bike.
Week 10
The x-rays came back and they said its healing wella��its still got a small crack in it but Ia��ve been cleared to ride. I was told to wear a brace but I wasna��t happy with the protection it was going to give, so we agreed on the elbow pad while riding. I got more of the shock therapy at physio and that weekend I headed up to Thredbo to test out my arm for the race the following weekend. It felt good to be back on the bike but I was pretty stiff and needed to loosen up, which only time on the bike can do. I managed to only do 6 runs because my hands where done, I couldna��t hold on longer and didna��t want to crash so I called it a day. I knew the following weekend was going to be hard…
Week 11
The week of the race, it was a good feeling packing and getting everything together. I headed up on Friday night and was staying with Specialized Dave, Booga and Hamish. Phil Piazza and Benny Cory arrived on Saturday morning. I was so keen for practice on Saturday, I did about 7 runs, and probably over did it but I was just stoked to be riding with everyone again. It rained a bit in the arvo which made the track pretty slippery and made for some wild times.
Keen and ready to go! First race back at Thredbo.
Then the rain stopped and I went and got ready for the pump track competition. I spent most of the practice session getting used to my new STP which I built up on Friday before the race, just trying to get as much time on the bike as I can to get back up to speed. I think I ended up 4th and was a fun event, pump track races are always awesome.
The next day I woke up the sorest I have ever felt from riding. Thredbo defiantly beats you up and I was struggling. My hands felt worse than they did at the end of practice on Saturday. I had to change my suspension set up on my forks, which helped a bit. I did 3 practice runs with Hamish and Benny which where good, getting to talk about lines and test things out.
Some nutritious supplies and time to ponder suspension set up…
Qualifying came around and I wanted to try and get as many points as I could for the series, I ended up 7th and I was pretty much done after thata��my elbow was not in a good way, I tweaked it in bunny walk and it was really weak and sore, I probably jumped the gun a bit by racing but I knew I just had to get through one more run. I got some Charge into me before finals and it helped with the lactic in my arms, and my hands felt better. My race run was a shocker, I was so fatigued I just made mistake after mistake. Then had one big moment when my hand blew off my bars and I managed to ride out of it and keep going. Then I decided to back off and just get to the bottom in one piece. I ended up 9th. I was disappointed with my time but I couldna��t expect much from the race as it was my 3rd day back on the downhill bike.
Not quite the race return he had hoped for but a top ten at a National Round is nothing to sneeze at!
Now I have about two months to prepare and get ready for the next round at Del Rio. Nothing motivates you more than getting smoked so Ia��m getting as much time on the bike as I can doing a lot of XC as my arm still isna��t quite ready for gym work yet, but shouldna��t be too much longer!
Man and machine, expect Timmy to be making up for lost time at a race track near you!
So there we have it a return from injury, the highs and the lows. We have no doubt Tim will be (and already is!) back on the podium.
Luke Ball blowing up midway through this right hander yeeew! Image: Jarrad Lawrence Photography
Round two of the Western Australian State Series was held at the Goat Farm, a good turn out saw riders on a dusty track with lots of flat, looseA�corners and rocks.
There was a good turn out for the race and they weren’t disappointed. Image: Jarrad Lawrence PhotographyStyles for miles! Image: Jarrad Lawrence Photography
The results looked like this;
Under 19:
1. Davis JacksonA� 1:44.91
2. Jaeger AlexA� 1:49.34 + 4.42
3. Esmaili Kian 1:53.55 + 8.64
4. Monotti Mitchell 1:54.00 + 9.08
5. Hall Hamish 1:54.12 + 9.21
Elite Women:
1. Baarspul Holly 2:14.19
2. Harris Jamie 2:28.20 + 14.00
3. Lanigan Kristie 2:34.77 + 20.58
Elite Men:
1. Ball Luke 1:42.30
2. Bryant Mitchell1:42.60 + 0.30
3. Prochyra Jordan 1:44.91 + 2.61
4. Baker Deon 1:45.15 + 2.85
5. Bell Matthew 1:47.24 + 4.94
We had aA�quick chat with Under 19’s winner Jackson Davis and this is what he had to say “I was feeling pretty comfortable on the bike all weekend and was reasonably happy with how my race run went, placing meA�first in Under 19’sA�and a time that was 4th fastest overall on the day!”
Comfortable and looking fast, Jackson Davis took the win in Under 19’s. Image: Jarrad Lawrence PhotographyNegotiating through the rocks, maybe that is what the POV camera is for? Image: Jarrad Lawrence PhotographyNot a long track by any stretch but a fun one for sure! Image: Jarrad Lawrence Photography
The next race on the 25/26th of May heads to Wellington Mills. The images for this story were supplied by: Jarrad Lawrence Photography, hit them up on FB or http://lawrencephotog.com/
Kellen Ewens has put together this nice little edit from the first SA state round at Fox CreekA�(you can read our raceA�report and check out the picsA�here) for everyone to enjoy.
Insideline is one of the oldest downhill clubs in Australia (and therefore the world?!) and the weekend saw their 19th season/year start at Fox Creek on the bowl track.
Fox Creek is one of the classic race venues on the South Australian calendar.Weather was good, especially considering how it can be at Fox.Everyone was happy to be back racing.There were some familiar races back from races we have seen across Oz, here is Henry Blake repping in SA.We understand mate, we understand! It is a tough gig being a photo-g but Kane wasn’t even sure what was happening at this moment!The track was very similar to as previously raced with a few tweaks from the trail fairies.Will Rischbieth is another rider who we have seen across the country this year already.Matt Taylor keeps his good form in SA going and took the win in Under 19s.Haha what is going on in this photo?! Oh the captions, we call it the downhill dance!
The results from the weekend are below;
Elite Women:
1. Philippa Rostan 2:45.312
2. Molly Payne 2:54.653
3. Moira Love 3:12.970
4. Sheree Dickinson 3:35.44
Elite Men:
1. Angas Maddern 2:17.190
2. Steve Gebert 2:17.440
3. Will Rischbieth 2:18.520
4. Craig Yates 2:18.920
5. Steve Marsh 2:21.070
Under 19 Men:
1. Matthew Taylor 2:19.380
2. Curtis Dowdell 2:19.770
3. Cody Barker 2:21.110
4. James Chambers 2:21.820
5. Conor Clancy 2:23.730
It was a very happy Angus Maddern who took the win, just from Steve Gebert amongst a strong field. The next race is Willunga, see you there!
