Seeding had its ups and downs for different people!
Today riding started getting heated as seeding was upon us, this would be the day that saw riders have their first official runs against the clock. A practice session earlier in the day allowed riders to sort out any last minute line choices. Unfortunately there were a few crashes throughout the day so best wishes to those involved! We are going to let you know that Troy Brosnan and Tracey Hannah were fastest in Men and Women’s seeding respectively and leave you with some pictures, enjoy!
Fastest seeding rider, Troy Brosnan showing us some hot, nasty speed!Fastest female seeder, Tracey Hannah.Spotted in his natural habitat Chris Kovarik.Remy Morton getting close but not too close to the tree on his right.Dean Lucas obviously felt better than a one armed watch salesman today to take 3rd in seeding.Looking sharp.Just pull the trigger and go!Patchy light was another challenge for riders.Whoops!Chris Pannozzo has been looking fast all week, a dark horse for the finals no doubt!Getting wild in the dust.The view for photographers just before a cloud of dust and dirt and rocks engulf you!Connor Fearon wrenching for himself with his regular World Cup mechanic MIA.He held it!Tegan Molloy had a few issues in her seeding but didn’t crash!Finals tomorrow!
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It isn’t all fun and games in Bright! Well okay there was a lot of fun and Timmy Eaton and David McMillan did find some games…
Day 2 in Bright and more practice before seeding tomorrow, the track is really starting to get blown out now. Riders were saying it is in the same condition now as when finals was last year and there is still 2 more days of riding to go! In other news Mic Hannah shouldered a tree, at a pace as well, whether he bounces back for tomorrow is yet to be seen because there was talk of broken bones and he was looking very ginger when we saw him. In fact we saw countless riders crash today, with the back of corners being washed out and big holes opening up on the track it was inevitable, staying up come finals will move you a whole lot of places up the result sheet that’s for sure!
Mic Hannah wasn’t the only rider who crashed!Riders were going between bright sun and dark forest, something that took some adjusting to.Jackson Davis has been looking fast all weekend!The new road gap near the to of the course isn’t an issue for most riders as they carry plenty of speed coming into it. Connor Clancy showing us how it is done.The Patrol FJC Mountain Bike Team is here with two of their riders and they are looking fast! Good to see them making the journey from their overseas base.Jackson Frew is one of the younger riders going for gold, he will no doubt be in the mix come Sunday.Aiden Varley is a local around these parts and will be a threat.Shelly Flood is quick and when we say that we don’t say quick for a girl because she is fast in anyone’s language.Tegan Molloy is another one of the fast women on track here in Bright, she will be looking to making a mark in her first Elite Championships.The reigning female champ is Tracey Hannah and she isn’t going to give up her title without a fight!Josh Button is a bit of a unknown not having raced many races lately but never rule him out!Claire Buchar is another fast lady, this weeks race could be anyones and the same rings true across all the categories!Andrew Crimmins would like to launch his international season with a National Champs win.Remy Morton is on a new bike here this week (we would really like to show you but you just have to wait a little while….)Jack Moir is loving his new bike saying it felt super comfortable and that was only after three runs!David McMillan, super stylish but hampered this weekend by an injury.Dean Lucas, another rider who will be on a new bike soon! Looking fast, a good result here for Deanos Machinos is quite possible!Timmy Eaton had a crash last run of the day but he is tough so it was no issue!There is some greenery amongst the dust here!The golden hour comes late in the day when everything looks good!
Seeding tomorrow check back then!
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The track at Bright is very similar to last year, there are a few additions, such as these corners at the bottom which Graeme Mudd is investigating.
For the second year in a row we are at Bright in the Victorian Alps for the MTBA National Championships. With the track being very similar to last year riders were up to speed early, the general consensus was that the track is already rougher than last year. The three most noticeable differences to the track this year are the new road gap at the top, the new rock garden half way down and a new finishing straight. We will leave you with a few pictures as we battle internet speed issues!
Connor Fearon up to speed early sending the higher line through the chute.Dean Lucas checking the lines but looking fast when he was coming down.David ‘Mayhem’ McMillan getting wild! The hashtag #mayhemdave celebrates it’s one year anniversary at this event.Tracey Hannah will be looking to retain her national championships winners sleeve.Older brother ‘Sik Mik’ Hannah looked fast on track.
Check back soon as we get some photos loaded for you all!
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Not often does downhill go to script but to be fair Thredbo over the weekend pretty much played out perfectly in the hands of the favourites across all categories! We are getting ahead of ourselves a little, first off riders awoke to another delightful delay in the Australian Alps! Breakfast for energy and then a practice session before seeding. A few offs here and there, most noticeably Andrew Crimmins having a dig at high speed in his last practice run. There were a few riders out on new rigs this weekend so that took some acclimatising to!
We saw a range of new bikes out on the course, some a bit more exotic than others!Everyone was ready to go and excited for racing!Andrew Crimmins leading the way, his local knowledge no doubt helping his cause.With the track so blown out and long, riders fitness was going to really shine come finals.There was a strong field battling it out for Elite Women’s glory.
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As well as some fast up and coming juniors!
Seeding was held on the same day as finals at this round and before we talk about those results we should issue a spoiler alert and say the winners of seeding also won finals! See what we mean about this day running to plan for some of the riders?!
Let’s just move straight onto racing, the results are below and most people wouldn’t be surprised by the outcomes. Troy Brosnan won and posted a time 5 seconds quicker than anyone else, Thomas Crimmins was second and Graeme Mudd, who’s downhill game is really stepping up placed third.
Troy Brosnan showing why he has the Australian Champs sleeve and number 1 plate. Taking the win by 5 seconds or so.Thomas Crimmins charging into the finish and second place.Muddy with his eyes on the podium. A new bike not slowing him down as he got up to speed quickly!
Under 19 Men is always hotly contested as riders look to make their way onto the team that represents Australia at the World Championships, this time 2 of the more experienced juniors took the top two podium steps. Even after a crash late in practice Andrew Crimmins got his head back in the game and took the win.A�Max Warshawsky showed his 4th at World Championships last year was no fluke and finished second. Another up and comer, Jackson Frew took third.
Winner winner! Andrew Crimmins took out Under 19s and keeps the number 1 Under 19 plate.Max Warshawsky looks like he has continued his good for from 2014 and possibly the only rider on Dorados!Remy Morton has stepped up to Under 19s and banked 5th place.
Elite Women and it was a good chance for Tegan Molloy to show everyone why she is the current junior World Champion and she did by a whopping 32 seconds, new and up coming racerA�Ronja Hill-Wright was in second and in thrid place was Tegan’s teammate Sarah Booth.
Tegan Molloy grabbed the win at her home round.
For the under 19 women it was Ellie Wale showing her bike handling versatility to take the win ahead ofA�Sian A’hern.
Under 19 Women:
Ellie Wale 6:17.16
Sian A’hern 6:52.71 +35.55
The holder of the national champions sleeve for a reason….Riders really had to weave through some sections, most commented on how the overall flow had been improved.Jackson Davis stepped up to Elite this year and just missed the top ten in eleventh place.Perfect weather over the course of the weekend (excuse the pun).Race weekends can often be a blur!Finally thanks to all the crew that brings you guys the action! Show them some love on social media! Ps look hard at this picture and you will spot our next product release….
We have some more content to come from the race so check back with us soon!
Images:A�RFPhotographics (FacebookA�hereA�or follow on Instagram @rfphotographics).
Welcome back to Thredbo for the second round of the MTBA National series, another day of practice and for most riders everything is going to plan. Lines are being double checked and confirmed, we saw a few crashes out on the course, as well as a few punctures but nothing major as far as we could tell!
here it looks like Andrew Crimmins was showing Troy Brosnan the way down the hill, Andrew is of course a local to these parts and smart money would say the fastest time on race day would come fro one of the two riders in this shot but stranger things have happened…The track is really seeing some action and with the dry weather there is dust being kicked up everywhere!We mentioned the dust right?!The views up the top of the course were still breath taking!There are some classic sections of forest dotting the course, including magnetic rocks… ones that seem to draw you towards them every time you go through that section!No gloves Lucas! Dean getting it done and no doubt a contender this weekend.Mayhem David McMillan had a bit of a crash during practice but he’s tough! A few injuries lately though have hampered his cause.The number 1 plate belongs to this man from Adelaide, Troy Brosnan.There was some new bikes/kits/teams getting around over the weekend…. points if you can put a name to a rider!We could have style checked so many sections of the course as riders all seem to have different interpretations of the fastest line!Another ‘local’ Tegan Molloy looking comfortable on the course.We like this, we like it a lot…..Keeping the black and white going….Looking stealth, Angus Maddern flying under the radar!On point!
Next up is racing, who is your money on?! Check back soon and we will let you know if you were successful!
Images:A�RFPhotographics (FacebookA�hereA�or follow on Instagram @rfphotographics).
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Back to the high country of Australia and the epic view at Thredbo!
National round 2 is upon us and we are back at one of Australia’s most iconic downhill venues, Thredbo! There have been a raft of changes lately to help keep things interesting so the riders are all enjoying the variety and having to learn new sections. We have an assortment of images for you from practice so check them out and enjoy.
Nationals for a lot of people mean road trips!And without the saying ‘it’s the journey not the destination’ often applies!It is all worth it though to get sideways on the track!And of course chairlifts in Australia are hard to come by so you have to jump on the chance to ride them!Yes all those rocks are still there!Some beautiful scenery on the hillside!The new Mondraker Australia team are getting amongst it.The usual suspects are there as well of course! Troy Brosnan on the way down.Of course there are riders across all categories enjoying themselves, not just the pros!Popping up and onwards!There is certainly a lot of terrain for the riders to cover, one of the longest tracks going around!Blue skies and mint conditions put a smile on everyone’s dials!Literally destroying corners Andrew Crimmins will be a favourite for fastest time of the day!Dean Lucas blurring past!The bottom section features some cool jumps, after riders have negotiated the rest of the course and are tired they need to have their wits about them going to the finish line through this section.Foot out flat out!Railing the Canadian style wooden berm!
Check back for the next installment real soon!
Images:A�RFPhotographics (FacebookA�hereA�or follow on Instagram @rfphotographics).
