Day 2 of practice and riders were really getting up to speed, Blake Nielsen charging.
Another day of practice here in Bright, instead of a full day free for all today was separated into open practice early and then group A and B practice later on. No major incidents to report, a few riders said hello to the ground and some lost the air pressure in their wheels but it is a fairly technical track so this is to be expected.
Troy Brosnan sorting lines out, part of the game today was watching out for other slower riders on the track.Some riders were struggling to see the wood from the trees today!It is hard to convey just how steep the track is in parts, you just have to ride it (or try and walk down it!).Mayhem Dave, say no more!The biggest team on the circuit, we are sure of it, Giant Australia were looking good all day.Braaapppp Andrew Crimmins coming into the steep chute section!Connor Fearon was jumping sections higher than anyone else, most weren’t even getting air.Tracey Hannah going sans gloves!Riders had to deal with coming from bright wide open sections straight into dark forested areas at high speed.Goggle choice was a key decision today, not just aesthetically!Wide open, flat corners are a plenty here this weekend!Dust was hanging around in the forest sections, just in case you needed more of a challenge!Only a few riders were gapping down into this chute.Steep corners are Champery-ish in an Australian kind of way.Graeme Mudd getting airborne!
Saturday will see riders seed late in the day, this will be the first real indication of who is on it and who still needs to do some work.
Well at least the view is great if nothing else but fortunately everything else is pretty good, riders are loving the track!
Day 1 and this meant an early start for the track walk followed by all day practice. If you don’t know Bright is one of the best tracks on the circuit with riders loving the steep hill which means the track is a ‘real’ track, rocky, steep, loose, these are all words that can describe it. Check out these images from day 1:
Blue skies and sunny conditions meant everyone was happy.There’s a fair chance this family could take the win in the mens and womens!No time to stop and smell the flowers, David McMillan was flying, practice winner? Quite possibly…Riders don’t get too many opportunities but the view was great!Fast and looking comfortable after day 1, Tracey Hannah is hot favorite for the win.Luke Ellison looking fast, taking a high line here coming into this chute, a tight corner at the bottom was catching a lot of riders out.Connor Fearon smashed out a few runs, we often lost him in the dust or he snuck up on us,we will get you Mr Worldwide!Close! David McMillan getting close to the bunting, pin it to win it!Up to speed and smashing out runs, we lost how many times we saw Mic Hannah today!
Check back after tomorrow’s practice for more action!
Johnny Dawe pushes through the top rock garden, making it through unscathed this time.
The first weekend in March saw us head for Mount Tarrengower, right on the doorstep of Maldon for the 5th round of the Victorian Downhill State Series. The track has consecutively played a part in the series for a handful of years now. It has a reputation for its roughness and also its dust that seems to get everywhere, specializing in places it shouldn’t bea��
Sam Brownlie shows everyone how not to do it, but stays upright and on the bike.
Upon first inspection of the track the most notable thing was the top section, changes had been made through the top rock section, with speed being washed off and a higher line chosen. Though the track still traversed the same piece of the hill, there were a few changes to lines which meant everyone had to re-think how they were going to navigate the top section. As practice begun most people stopped to inspect the new section, but a few either didn’t hear about it or where boosted in confidence just pushing into it, this caught more than a few riders off guard, with plenty of harmless mistakes, but also some more serious ones to keep the medics busy!
Max Kreuzer stomps the landing after gapping the mid section of the rock garden.Luke Ellison decides its easier to run through the rock garden.
From the top section onwards the track took a very similar course to the previous years, with some minor changes to corners with no real direct influence on the track, the large double and the creek jump were still part of the track and providing cases all weekend.
Kyle Coutts pushes hard out of the rocks and into the berms.Pinner Designs team manager, Ben Ennis tries his hand at riding with the seasons end in sight.
As time passed and riders became more confident the rock gardens became a home for havoc, with many riders trying new lines where the smallest of mistakes could end with an ambulance ride. The medics became increasingly busy as incidents became more prevalent, until the late afternoon when there were so many accidents that they were happening in front on the medics treating another patient. By the end of Saturday practice the track had claimed quite a few top names in the elite field, leaving the race wide open as Dean Lucas had a broken wrist and did not attend Saturday practice.
Mount Tarrengower always provides some amazing views, by day or night…Downhill247, all lit up!
Sunday rolled around and some of the injured riders were feeling a little less sore and a little more adventurous, jumping back on the bike for more riding, putting the injuries behind them to push for the potential podium. To everyonea��s surprise Dean Lucas showed up, with a bike, and proceeded to ride. This threw the mix all up in the air, would he race with his broken wrist? How quick can he actually go with a broken wrist? Nobody really knew, but after the first run, it looked like he could go just a quick as anyone else!
Luke Ellison shows us some more superior bike handing skills.
As riders rolled down for qualifying the track just began deteriorating under race conditions, with rocks moving under every rider through all the rocky sections, making line choice a split second decision upon arrival. Qualifying wound up with Tracey Hannah on top for the girls and Luke Ellison on top for the boys.
Oli Zwar flies through the final section of the track.
Racing began and no one really knew where to look, could Dean make up the time for first spot? with flat tyres and snapped derailleur hangers becoming almost more normal than a clean run everyone was wondering if anyone would make it down the hill in once piece with an operating bike.
Jackson Davis brought all of the loose and rocky WA knowledge to Maldon and walked away with the u/19 victory
Racing wrapped up with the following results:
Elite Men
1 Todd Madsen
2 Oliver Zwar
3 Liam Panozzo
4 Dean Lucas
5 Matt McCorkell
Elite Women
1 Tracey Hannah
2 Tegan Molloy
3 Ellie Wale
4 Hannah Beeton
5 Lucy Crundwell
Dean Lucas was out to show everyone a broken wrist wasn’t going to ruin his track record of 6 years racing VDHS without missing a round!Even the locals stopped by for a geez.Trent Piribauer punches it out of the final turns.Womens PodiumMens PodiumNathan Murphy gives this photographer a solid dusting.Fabian Bill gets land-mined.
One of Australia’s brightest future prospects?! No doubt… we are keen to follow Andrew Crimmins as he sets his sights overseas for 2014.
If you follow downhill racing in Australia then no doubt the name Crimmins would be familiar to you, the brothers from Bredbo, about an hour out of Thredbo, have been making quite a name for themselves. Older brother Tom has represented Australia at the World Champs and is a regular podium getter across the land. For this interview we had a chat with the younger of the brothers, Andrew, at 16 he is set to make a name for himself. Just recently he has signed on with Kona to race both here and overseas, we sat him down at a race and found out what makes him tick.
With a new team along side Connor Fearon we think Andrew is really going to grow as a racer this year.
Hey Andrew thanks for chatting with us, leta��s get through some of the standard questions that everyone wants to know, how long have you been racing for and what is like having a brother you can ride with:
Almost 7 years, I started when I was 10 and I think it has definitely helped me having a brother to ride with, growing up I have learnt a lot off him. There was some competition between us when we were younger but not so much anymore, we just push each other and help each other out.
Looking forward down the line for this year, what overseas races will you be doing? Furthermore, knowing that you will be heading overseas to race some World Cups, something Tom has done, has he passed on any a�?inside infoa��:
For 2014 I will be doing the whole World Cup series. I have already learnt a lot off his experiences and what he has told me, it certainly has helped my approach to the World Cup scene I think.
We saw you last year at Crankworx Whistler, which was the biggest race you have thus far been in, what was that experience like:
That was crazy over there, I couldna��t believe it, I was there for almost three weeks but still didna��t ride every track, so many people just love it over there. I will be over there again this year after Windham World Cup.
What goals have you set this year, not just for Crankworx but also the World Cups:
Jared Rando has helped me out a lot with that sort of stuff and he has set me up a training program and told me what my goals should be. I would like to go a few top 5s if I can in juniors, that would be my main goal, maybe a podium at World Champs if I can. I havena��t really thought too much about goals at Crankworx, I will just go have some fun and do the races while I am there.
Expect Andrew to be carving at Crankworx, especially with a few World Cups under his belt.
Youa��re riding on the Kona team, along with Connor Fearon, how did that all come about:
I met Mathieu (Kona team manager/mechanic/boss man/all round good guy) at Crankworx last year, I think Connor had a bit to do with my signing, pushing Mathieu a bit. That was goods, it is heaps helpful. It is so sick riding with Connor I definitely think I am going to learn a lot off him, it should be good. We get on well.
A lot of people took notice of Andrew after he won the downhill race at Thredbo for the recent Cannonball Festival – beating names such as Troy Brosnan and his own brother in the process! We here at downhill247.com always knew he was fast though…
Everyone has a fair idea of Connora��s riding style having seen him at so many races now but how would you describe your riding style and what style of track do you like:
A lot of people have actually said to me I ride a lot like Connor, which I think is going to help me with line choice, working with him as we will be able to ride together and do the same sort of stuff. I always ride clips, I cana��t even ride flats anymore! I like a track where I dona��t have to pedal too much, I really like the national track at Bright, thata��s probably one of my favourite tracks in Australia at the moment and it is just super steep. For World Cups definitely Mont Sainte Anne, everyone talks about how good it is for Australian riders and I cana��t wait for Cairns either, it will be the home town race and having the family there will be great.
You just got on the new bike recently, how is the beast treating you:
I am real happy with it, a bit of a short rear end which really hooks around the turns, I love it!
A humble guy, Andrew has 7 years of racing experience that shows with his maturity and results. Image: Henry Blake
Finally, who would you like to thank for getting you here:
My family help me out a lot, they have over the past 6 years and I wouldna��t be here without them for sure! Also thanks to Kona Bikes.
Dean Lucas cuts through the dense fog early Saturday morning.
Mount Baw Baw, home of cold weather, fog, and the 4th round of the Victorian Downhill Series. Upon arrival all we could see was fog, we were lucky to see 5m in front of us! In the morning we poked our heads around the top part of the track and the neat new berm that the team at Baw Baw have freshly installed for the VDHS round (but as a permanent structure). We were very impressed, as we walked further down the track we spotted all the work down in the infamous jeep track area, made somewhat famous by Jackson Davis last year. We could see the work put in to turning the track away from the classic lines, however for this race the classic jeep track line was in use, bunted slightly different but still very much the classic configuration, we were sure this would impress both riders and spectators.
Elijah Marinov pushes out of one of the first berms in the open section, already eyeing off the following one.Lincoln Varass makes the most of the tacky-ness railing the corner.Oli Zwar pops over the small drop about mid track.Madeline Taylor makes her way down track with the fog now clearing.
As riders began to flow down through the fog, we were jumping off the track, relying more on bike sound over actual visuals! As the track snaked its way down the hill the fog began to thin and the trees opened up, we found ourselves in the switchback section with plenty of berms. The berms had also recently been worked on, there were plenty of riders feeling more than confident to dip some bars and get super low through these, this section was looking much faster this year, was it the sticky dirt due to conditions or was it the work on the berms? Time would tell!
Dean Lucas eyes off the upcoming corner.Jesse Beare rockets through the small jumps and drop before entering the fire road.Aiden Varley pushes hard into the final berm before the fire road, holding as much speed as possible.Elliot Reed gives us some Euro action, shifting body weight.Cam Osiurak hits the new berm at speed.
The wet fresh dirt was being picked up by tires and spread all down the track, this made the following sections much more treacherous, with the already slippery shale rocks being coated with fresh mud, to stray off line meant lots of seconds wasted and a very sketchy re-entry. The fog had cleared by now and we entered the high speed fire road section. This was very fast as usual, but with the sun coming through the trees it was drying out rapidly, but in a very patchy manner making it a very un-predictable surface to travel across at high speed.
Angus Jackson navigates the top section.Jackson Davis pushing hard into the berm, determined not to repeat last years incident!Getting a bit artsy with Dean Lucas.Trent Piribauer holding as much speed as possible into this berm.Tegan Molloy drops into the Jeep Track.
The track closed and riding was done for Saturday and there was time to ponder tomorrows conditions. Fog rolled in for the night, would it hang around Sunday morning or would it be like Saturday? Again time would tell.
The sun rose over the mountain awakening the hill for racing, with no fog in sight, just blue sky, this would dry the track up much more than Saturdays practice, would it be too much or would it stay tacky? Throughout practice the consensus was, it was definitely staying very tacky and grippy.
Madeline Taylor shifts allegiances, repping Australia on Australia Day.Ben Zwar had a day he’d rather forget.
Racing started and the crowds flocked down the hill, some were side attracted by the new berm, choosing to sit up the top and bask in the sunlight and enjoy the riders hitting the berm at high speed. However, but most couldna��t resist the potential for carnage and heckling at jeep track. As the spectators filled the section it got louder and louder and more rowdy, some riders revelled under these conditions and some felt the pressure to perform, pushing too hard and making mistakes. At the end of the day there were no really serious offs through the jeep track and Dean Lucas walked away with the win, again showing us just why he enjoyed the success of racing the World Cup circuit last year.
Max Kreuzer putting on a show for the crowd in Jeep Track.Dean Lucas departs Keep Track on his way to victory.
Elite Men:
1. Dean Lucas
2. Rhys Atkinson
3. Liam Panozo
4. Oliver Zwar
5. Max Kreuzer
Elite Women:
1. Tegan Molloy
2. Sarah Booth
3. Madeline Taylor
4. Carrie McLachlan
5. Ellie Wale
Women’s Podium.Men’s Podium.Dean And Max making the most of the podium champagne.A jolly bunch of podium getters and Media players.
That wraps up this round but the series continues to roll on.
Images and report: Jason Stephens Photography (Facebook.com/Jasonstephensphotography)
Troy Brosnan, having fun as always getting slightly sideways!
Round 1 of the Nationals Series, held in the hills surrounding Adelaide at Eagle Mountain Bike Park was a big event and we are wrapping up our coverage with one of our biggest ‘Pick of the Pics’ to date. A range of images that convey the weekend, some feature bikes and some don’t! We also do a bit of a style check with multiple riders at the same location, enjoy!
The track offered some spectacular views from the top.Looking to the stars?! You pick the caption…Up close and personal!
Inside Line club president, Andrew Byrne, going for a different ride!
Deanos the machinos!
Sideways!Scrub-a-dub-dub!
Wild times!
Sending it!Style points?!
Matt from Matt Bird Media and Dean Lucas.Art….Ty from Captyvate Media was on hand throwing down some solid edits from the weekend, check them out if you haven’t already!The new downhill247.com singlet coming in Summer ’14…. MaybeLaying down the HP.We style checked riders on this corner in finals.
The man himself, Jase, from Jason Stevens Photography getting the bangers for you all!
You have to eat when you can living the dream as media! Tim Bardsley-Smith chowing down!Winners are grinners, Connor Fearon throwing down the horns!Thanks for coming along on the ride this weekend!
As always, plenty more coverage of racing to be up on the site, check back soon!
