Alpine Gravity Elevation Enduro 3 – Mt Buller

A different kind of start gate with an urban feel, as riders departed through Mt. Buller Village before dropping into the lush wilderness.

The forested areas made for an excellent shady retreat with awesome riding, solid berms and great scenery.

The 3rd round of the Alpine Gravity All Mountain Series had us arriving at Mt Buller, a venue that has had its fair share of mountain biking events over the years. The weather was looking fantastic for the weekend, and as we arrived there was a small sense of delight as there was small patches of snow hidden in the shadows, and while there wasn’t any to ride through, it was a lot of fun to throw at passing riders (Media is allowed to have some fun right?!).

Karl Peel shows us that just because there is no berm doesn't mean a corner cannot be slayed! — Karl Peel shows us that just because there is no berm doesn’t mean a corner cannot be slayed!

One of the more picturesque crossings, this time theres no getting wet while crossing one of many bridges on the Delatite River trail.

As riders started flowing past and we made our way down track, we realised we were infact making our way up track, with the first section of the track being a slow, but steady climb, out of the village and along the ridge of Mt. Buller, slowly snaking our way towards the Delatite river and the aptly named Delatite River trail. After a leg burning climb, the trail slowly started dipping downwards again into a nice flowy section with berms and a traverse along the hillside. It then hit some very fast and loose fire road sections, though just a fire road, your amount of dedication would make or lose time here; if you were confident to let go of the brakes and put full trust in the bike there were valuable seconds to be made up.

More amazing views along the trail, it hard to keep the concentration on the track with views like these.

The fireroads opened up onto a valley with the Delatite River at its base, as we traversed along the walls of the valley we began getting closer and closer to the river, and then started snaking across it over some awesome bridge crossings, and occasionally we got wet, crossing a small tributary feeding the river. These small river crossings were much welcomed as by this time most riders where pooped, with this being a very long track, taking it out of alot of riders, and also the media crew.

This time its full scale wetness... — This time its full scale wetness…

...not just for the cyclist. — …not just for the cyclist.

And then we decided to get a little bit arty... — And then we decided to get a little bit arty.

Just when you thought the track was done there are also two pinch climbs to push you over some small but tough hills and then eventually to the base of Mount Buller and the finish. Queensland’s Michael Ronning took the Elite Men’s title, while Victorian Jo Wall claimed the Elite Women’s podium.

Photos & Words: Jason Stevens – www.jasonstevensimagery.com

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One of the final river crossing bridges delivered us out of an amazing valley along which the Delatite River flows.

'Hux', a name very well known in the Vic riding scene for photography finds himself on a bike for once! — ‘Hux’, a name very well known in the Vic riding scene for photography finds himself on a bike for once!

Oskcar White looking right at home on the opening section of trail.

'Leachy' on the hunt for the Alpha Wolf title over reigning 'Nato'. — ‘Leachy’ on the hunt for the Alpha Wolf title over reigning ‘Nato’.

December 16, 2013

Thredbo Cannonball Festival

The classic race venue, Thredbo, had a few tweaks applied for the race, many involved getting more air which isn't a bad thing as Connor Surgeon shows! — The classic race venue, Thredbo, had a few tweaks applied for the race, many involved getting more air which isn’t a bad thing as Connor Surgeon shows! Image: MBN Photography

Here in Australia we are really starting to see an explosion of these one off events, which combine a few different race styles, a range of non bike riding related activities (we know right?!) and relatively good prize money! The Thredbo Cannonball Festival had all of this, with names like the Hannahs, Brosnan, Moir, Eaton, Crimmins,A�Boyer, McMillan, Cory, Lucas, Molloy andA�Beecroft all on hand to get some of the $13,000 in prize money this was always going to beA� big event!

There were a large number of pros on hand, here Troy Brosnan throws down a bit of style. Image: David Blucher

The track for the main downhill race received some tweaks before the weekend and also used more of the high speed fire road near the top of the track, one of the biggest challenges though would be the weather wit snow covering the top of the hill!

Sean Martin near the top of the track, you can see the snow behind him, fortunately by race time it wasn't as much of an issue as it could have been! Image: MBN Photography. — Sean Martin near the top of the track, you can see the snow behind him, fortunately by race time it wasn’t as much of an issue as it could have been! Image: MBN Photography.

Apart from the downhill race there was also a flow race on the single tracks lining Kosciuszko, a pump track challenge as well as a whip competition so plenty to see and do. Add to this the Potbelleez and DJ Nino Brown on hand in the village to keep the tunes flowing and you have set the scene for a pretty epic event! In fact all the riders we asked were raving about the event so let’s hope we see more and more of these events all year around.

You can do better whips then your mate?! Finally a chance to prove it with the whip comp.

Troy Brosnan took out the opening event which was the pump track challenge. David McMillan and Luke Ellison were the two winners in the whip off competition, Ben Cory won the Flow racing showing all the youngens he still has ‘it’ whatever it is!

David 'The Whip Doctor' McMillan shows us why he took the watermelons ($100s) for the whip competition! Image: David Blucher — David ‘The Whip Doctor’ McMillan shows us why he took the watermelons ($100s) for the whip competition! Image: David Blucher

For the big event seeding revealed who would be in the mix, Troy Brosnan topped the time sheet 2 seconds ahead of Mic Hannah with ‘local’ Andrew Crimmins in third. For the women Tracey Hannah had a formidable 12 second advantage over second placed Tegan Molloy but with racing anything is possible!

Tegan Molloy second in qualifying. Image: MBN Photography

Nothing like chairlifts to smash out the runs! Image: MBN Photogrpahy — Nothing like chairlifts to smash out the runs! Image: MBN Photography

Moving on to finals and Tegan Molloy brought the gap down to under 10 seconds but Tracey showed her experience by taking a strong victory, Tegan second and Danielle Beecroft was in third.

Tracy Hannah, a resounding winner by nearly 10 seconds in Pro Women. Image: David Bluchar

The Pro Men’s class was always going to be a hard one to call such was the depth of the field! Mic Hannah brought home 5th saying he had a good run but simply left too much in the tank, Josh Button showed us he still remembers how to ride despite taking the season off from international competition with 4th, local Thomas Crimmins took out 3rd. We definitely saw a competition of what a lot of people already knew, Australia has another real Junior World Champs contender in Andrew Crimmins, the young rider from Bredbo beat out Troy Brosnan to first place by just over 2 seconds! Troy said he was simply beaten byA�a faster rider, exciting times for Australian downhilling! Well done Andrew, enjoy the $5000!

Second place for Troy Brosnan. Image: David Bluchar.

On a new bike Andrew Crimmins managed to show his skill and took out the numero uno position, what a great result, look out for more from Andrew as we have a chat with him soon. Image: David Blucher.

Thredbo put on a great event and we can’t wait to head back for the next one!

Images: David Buchar and MBN Photography (facebook.com/MBN-Photography)

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December 15, 2013

Tas DH 13/14 Round 2 – Tolosa | Glenorchy

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 on the a�?bomshella�?. — 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

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Nathan Aver with lift off... — Nathan Aver with lift off…

Danny Young making use of the large table top at the bottom of the course

Aaron Oates highlighted through the dust on a solid run.

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 bush

Martin Branfield taking on the bottom berms.

November 23, 2013

Bright Mountain Bike Festival

Bright MTB Festival - one of the biggest events of the year! With a huge amount of disciplines there was something for everyone. — Bright MTB Festival – one of the biggest events of the year! With a huge amount of disciplines there was something for everyone.

The second round of the Alpine Gravity Enduro Series saw us arriving in the picturesque Bright, not only for the enduro, but for the Bright MTB Festival. This saw a slopestyle event, cross country, downhill and enduro races all held over the course of the weekend!

Steep and loose, just what riders wanted and living up to the reputation that Bright has for being one of the premier race destinations in Australia.

For the enduro the weather was on our side with warm sunshine beaming down. On initial inspection the track lived up to its reputation from last year and from the start gate it was steep and loose with plenty of fun turns. After a few riders the track started to get loose and the dust started to fly! Riders were flowing down the track with smiles from ear to ear on everything from 29er hardtails to full-fledged DH bikes. When one bike was shining the other would lose out and the track became equally fair to everyone.

Caption options A) Bulldozing down the track! B) The grade was awesome! C) Everyone brought out their best machinery for the weekend. There you go pick your story!

The sun was out and shining, well for most of the weekend anyway!

As the first run rolled around there were so many riders the times fell slightly behind, but everything continued to keep up and run smoothly. As rider after rider pounded the corners the looseness escalated quickly, with many being caught out by dust piles looking like berms, and front wheel washing out.

Front wheel washouts and flat outs wiped the smile off the faces of many riders but only temporarily of course!

Rider after rider hit the track churning it up but that's pretty standard and you get use to that with the Australian climate and soil conditions! — Rider after rider hit the track churning it up but that’s pretty standard and you get use to that with the Australian climate and soil conditions!

Check out the crowd and the stoke clearly evident on Lucy Crundwell's face! Doesn't it make you smile?! — Check out the crowd and the stoke clearly evident on Lucy Crundwell’s face! Doesn’t it make you smile?!

Staying with the Crundwell clan but this time Ben pinning it and duly rewarded with 5th for his efforts!

The second runs began seamlessly and riders again flowed down the track but soon the clouds rolled in. By the time Elite Women were racing there was a sizable thunderstorm making its way over the race, many women finishing claimed to be hailed on either at the top of the track or mid-way down! As the storm escalated and the lightning grew closer and closer, the decision was made to cancel the Elite Mena��s second run due to dangers with the lightning and storms. This meant a hectic mass downhill start for all the boys resulting in plenty of fun being had down the track, it did however mean the first runs standings were the final results. Chris Panozzo took the victory with a healthy margin of overA�9 seconds in what was a pretty stacked field.A�What times riders would have done in their second run we will never know but we still got a result and fun was had, which is the main thing!

Elite Women:

1. Carrie McLachlan 8.30.22

2. Genevieve McKewA�8.34.10

3. Ronja Hill-Wright 8.38.36

4. Jpo Wall 8.44.25

5. Alyssa Lyons 8.52.44

Elite Men:

1. Chris Panozzo A�6.55.52

2. Jack Tattersall 7.04.58

3, Kaine Cannan 7.05.58

4. Jon Odams 7.08.09

5. Ben Crundwell 7.10.73

Watch that pedal! The fine line between an awesome run and telling all your mates in the car park 'if only I had/hadn't...' — Watch that pedal! The fine line between an awesome run and telling all your mates in the car park ‘if only I had/hadn’t…’

Bright MTB Festival done and dusted for another year, we will be back next year! Before then though we will be back to Bright over summer for some more racing!

Report & images: Jason Stevens Photography

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November 19, 2013

Double Fist Fury – Fun In The Sun

Dual slalom, is it just like two person downhill racing?!

Downhill mountain biking (and to a large degree mountain biking in general) is so much more than just the act of riding, it encompasses so many other areas. We attended a private race, on a sunny weekend day, that just was all about riding, mates, tunes, food, drinks, outdoors and good times. All things that come with downhill anywhere, this day just saw everyone racing bikes dual slalom style, there were World Champions, World Cup riders, Elite racers, punters and us! It didn’t matter about your skill, in the end no one is sure who even won but that’s okay! Surely downhill encompasses so much more than just riding, no doubt you can relate to a great day like this, enjoy.

Small wheels, normal wheels, big wheels, so long as there were wheels it didn't matter! — Small wheels, normal wheels, big wheels, so long as there were wheels it didn’t matter!

Shuttles for the day! For some reason there didn't seem to be a shortage of volunteer drivers! — Shuttles for the day! For some reason there didn’t seem to be a shortage of volunteer drivers!

Getting tight on the markers on the way down!

There was even drifting when there were no other riders around! All part of the 'just ride' vibe that was there all day! — There was even drifting when there were no other riders around! All part of the ‘just ride’ vibe that was there all day!

DIY helmets... The next big thing?! — DIY helmets… The next big thing?!

Energy supplies - Australian style! — Energy supplies – Australian style!

Downhill is just great!

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November 17, 2013

VicDH – Round 2 – Granton

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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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 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!

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November 12, 2013