The final weekend of January saw Mt. Buller host the first round of the Rockshox Enduro Challenge. Mt. Buller is a familiar place to anyone who races downhill having hosted many races over the years of operation, but this was to be a fresh race style for the mountain with a six stage enduro race, with liaison stages to link each section together. The event pulled in some big names such as Jared Graves, Richie Rude, Jerome Clementz, Sam Hill and Troy Brosnan, for anyone out there who is observant, you’ll see all of those riders are current or past world champions, quite an impressive field!
The track linked some of Mount Bullers classic tracks such as parts of international with some lesser known track around the mountain, and then with some of the newer Epic trail network. The tracks had a lot of up in the liaison stages, taking more than a little puff out of many riders, but the slog was rewarded with some great downhill sections, some opening up to some amazing alpine views.
The results were as follows:
Pro Men
1. Jared Graves 23:28.05
2. Troy Brosnan 24:27.04
3. Ryan De La Rue 24:29.68
4. Richie Rude 24:38.41
5. Sam Hill 24:45.73
6. Ben Forbes 24:49.82
7. Paul van der Ploeg 24:53.10
8. Ben Cory 24:54.54
9. Jerome Clementz 24:56.70
10. Chris Panozzo 24:59.73
Connor Fearon has been riding this handy little rig over the past few months, we sat him down and asked him a few questions about it!
Enduro bikes are in. We saw it at the first Australian national round late last year and whilst that was mainly due to the track set up there is no denying that enduro type bikes make good downhill bikes in a lot of places! Add to the fact and we can’t all afford to have multiple bikes so having a do it all bike is an even smarter idea!
Connor Fearon rocking the enduro rig at the national round at You Yangs.So we have full downhill tyres but tubeless to save weight and still be good over the rocks. The stem spacers can be swapped around depending on the height Connor wants for the front end. He made the switch to clips recently for most tracks, it definitely makes sense for the flat Australian tracks. A stiffer set up in the front end as well for trails that don’t need as much compression.Compared to the stock bike there is a bigger chainring at the front, this makes sense when you are primarily using it to go down and you don’t want to be spinning out.Just like his downhill bike there are 7 speeds at the back. No dropping gears into the heel and nice close ratios.Connor had the dropper posted removed for the race, not like you would need it! Plus it saves weight and then you don’t have to worry about the extra cables getting caught on anything or bashing against the frame and making noise. A quiet bike is a fast bike!A 40mm stem and as you can see a pretty low set up, getting the weight further forward over the front wheel to carve the turns.Bars are cut down to 750mm which is wide but not ridiculous.Third at the first national round shows the bike is more than capable.It was also the bike he used at the enduro race he raced a few weeks prior, which he won!When we talked to Connor he had the new DebonAir upgrade which is available to the public. Essentially it makes the shock feel plusher and bottom out less, useful for the bigger hits on the downhill track.Being a factory rider would be nice…..
That’s a wrap for the moment, we will be checking out a bunch of other bikes too so stay tuned!
Images: Stock Downhill247.com images,A�RFPhotographics (FacebookA�hereA�or follow on Instagram @rfphotographics) and JBPhotomediaA�A�(Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JBPhotomediaA�or follow on Instagram @jbphotomedia)
2014 was a ripper year and we are not just talking about the world cup series! Across the board there was some great racing, we thought we would relive some of the highlights. Furthermore it is a way we can say thank you to our contributors, they are what powers the site. So a big thank you to them all, specifically JBPhotomedia and RFphtographics. Finally we need to say a massive thank you to Jason Stevens Photography who brought us a range of coverage but most notably the 2014 world cup series. Enjoy our review;
January and Round 1 of the Nationals Series, held in the hills surrounding Adelaide at Eagle Mountain Bike Park was a big event. Won by Connor Fearon on his birthday none the less…The end of January saw Mount Baw Baw host VicDH and the weather went from fog to sun over the course of the weekend.In February we talked to one of Australia’s up and comers, Andrew Crimmins.Round 2 of the national series was at an iconic Australian venue, Mount Buller and it was won by Troy Brosnan.February was all about the nationals as round 3 was on in Thredbo.March was all about Bright, it hosted the national champs and a Vic Dh round.April saw the world cup season kick off in South Africa won by Aaron Gwin.One of the highlights of the year was the return to Australia for the world cup series. Cairns was the host and the weather played a large part but regardless it was a great event.May saw some of the other state winter series kick off.We also covered the Australian national enduro series.June saw us head west for something different, the Albany urban downhill race.One of the highlights of the year was Troy Brosnan taking his first world cup win in Fort William.In what was a sign of things to come June saw Josh Bryceland take his first world cup victory.July was our third birthday!July also saw a muddy race in Ballarat.August was an extremely busy month that kicked off with the Mont Sainte Anne world cup and a return to the top step for Sam Hill.Followed by the Windham world cup, won by Josh Bryceland. The juniors were also on board getting some experience before the world championships.Crankworx finished off the North American adventures.Capping off August was the Meribel world cup where Sam Hill took his second win for the year. Josh Bryceland was also crowned the overall winner along with Manon Carpenter.September saw Norway host the world championships and Gee Atherton grab win number 2.Back in Australia during August we headed to New South Wales for their state series.October saw the South Australian state championships and a vintage race be held.November saw us head to Bali for one of the best races of the year, the Asia Pacific Downhill Challenge.November also saw us get our enduro on.December saw the kick off for the new national downhill series in You Yangs.Cannonball festival was a nice way to head into Christmas.
We go on board with Under 19 pinner Andrew Crimmins at the first National round in You Yangs, Victoria. This gives you an idea of how fast these riders are going! Sit back and enjoy.
Pro-bike-trains were commonly seen in the Victorian landscape, this one featuring Ryan Hunt as he beats the dust kicked up behind T Crimmins.
The 2014/15 Subaru Australian National series commenced on a warm note – on a perfect summer’s weekend in December. Upon arrival and track walk, it was clear that the weekend would be exciting racing, as our practice articlesA�1 & 2A�show an established trail with opportunity for tight racing.
It’s obvious that You Yangs is an extremely dedicated club, with dialled trail building features and techniques throughout the course. From trail crossings to planter-boxed jumps that couldn’t be much more bulletproof, the trail sets a standard for sustainable competition trails.
With a total of 231 riders as a result of the combined VDHS / National round, seeding and racing were moved forward in the day to ensure a smooth day for all. Still, in the heat riders were feeling the effects of dehydration and the medics were kept busy. Although one rider was reported to have “superman-ed” over the off-camber rock drop pictured below during seeding, there were no major incidents to interrupt racing.
Shelly Flood bearing yesterday’s damage, and a smile – nothing brings Shelly down, it’s time to ride!Michelle Crisp took the 2014 National Series Title for Elite Women, will she hold it in 2015? With 3rd in the first round, the rest of the series will be exciting!
Jackson Davis slaying the blind rock gap, one of many rider trains making the most of practice.Aiden Varley has had a massive year travelling with his Dad, Peter, to World Cup events. Aiden has had a hugely promising year but suffered a wrist injury which hampered his season. Another rider to move into the Elite category for this series, Aiden placed 8th, a promising result for 2015.
Turn down for what?!? -Sorry- Troy laying down some signature style during seeding!Andrew Crimmins was clearly comfortable with the track, declaring his speed with a blazing seeding run. Later in the week we’ll be releasing a little clip he shot on our GoPro.The Fox “Everyone’s a VIP” chill out tent was the place to be after seeding runs, with times going up and misting fans, MTBA made a big effort A�in Victoria to make a statement about the new National Series.
Captions we got for this one included… “ooh, a piece of candy!” “My hand’s over the line!!” .. we’re sure you can think of some more.
Bilt Bikes rider Brendan ‘Moony’ Moon scrubbing hard on a track where the slightest difference can be the winning move.Some good looking elites catching some sun before their race runs. (Left to right: Andrew & Thomas Crimmins, Ryan Hunt)
Tim Eaton – aboard the striking 2015 Reign – capably throwing it like he would his downhill bike.After pedaling the many traverses between obstacles, the bottom section saw riders feeling the lack of natural assistance down the hill. Angus Maddern here attackes the last 20m of trail…Sarah Booth took the Elite Women’s title, with a 3.7 second lead over Junior World Champ, Tegan Molloy. who has just moved into Elite. Reportedly Molloy crashed during her race run; Thredbo will be one to watch! The Womens’ field grows every year, a trend we all hope continues, embracing diversity and family within our sport.Troy always has the crowd buzzing by the finish line; the existing quarry landscape makes for an awesome atmosphere! Moments later Troy claims the win, half a second faster than NSW’s Graeme Mudd.Graeme ‘Muddy’ Mudd recaps and revives after a blazing run, with serious threat to the top of the podium.
RESULTS – Courtesy of Mountain Bike Australia
Category
First
Time
Second
Time
Time behind
Third
Time
Time behind
Elite Men
Troy Brosnan
1:55.42
Graeme Mudd
1:55.98
0.56
Connor Fearon
1:56.85
0.87
Elite Women
Sarah Booth
2:31.30
Tegan Molloy
2:35.06
3.76
Michelle Crisp
2:35.46
0.40
Junior Men
Andrew Crimmins
1:57.69
Jackson Frew
1:59.34
1.65
Max Warshawsky
2:01.72
2.38
Under 17 Men
Baxter Maiwald
2:05.01
Joshua Clark
2:09.45
4.44
Darcy Coutts
2:11.23
1.78
Under 15 Men
James Findlay
2:22.99
Oskar White
2:27.54
4.55
Downey Cooper
2:35.12
7.58
Under 13 Men
Troy Weinert
2:40.15
Open Men
Liam Thomas
2:12.54
Connor Hunter
2:14.22
1.68
Jamie Dunlop
2:15.23
1.01
Sport Men
Aaron Churton
2:18.86
John Hunter
2:23.04
4.18
Luke Campbell
2:24.16
1.12
Masters 1/2 Men
Jack Tattersall
2:09.45
Lee Ellis
2:11.58
2.13
Sean Martin
2:21.18
9.60
Masters 3/4 Men
Mathew Molijn
2:13.94
Tom Gilfedder
2:13.95
0.01
Matt Wise
2:15.68
1.73
Masters 5/6 Men
Craig Kirkpatrick
2:34.62
Mark Gardner
2:49.92
15.30
Rick Hauck
2:59.90
9.98
Masters 7+ Men
Stephen Coles
3:11.14
Conway Ganderton
3:44.76
33.62
Senior Hardtail Men
Jamie Essam
2:49.92
Pac Diesel
4:10.39
1:20.47
The next round of the Australian National DHI series will commence in Thredbo on the 6th of February, followed by Bright and National / Oceania Championships in Toowomba. Check the National Series website for information, rego and updates.
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Article:A�Jaime Black
Image Credits:
Jason Stevens / www.jasonstevensimagery.com
Ryan Hunt / RFPhotographics
Jaime Black / www.jaimeblack.com.au
Elite Women’s Podium cooling off after a hot day’s racing!After a front flat pretty well ended Connor’s contention for National champion last season, 2014/15 is a new story. What will Mr. Fearon have up his sleeve in Thredbo and Bright?A splash of new colour in the field from U17s to Elite is the new Mondraker Australia DH team. Stay tuned, we will be speaking with them soon….
Oliver Zwar; New team, new look, extra speed, sliding over this rock mid track, hardly touching the ground and looking smooth as always.
Here we go with our second range of coverage from You Yangs, no massive news as yet to report but we will bring it to you as we get it. Practice has seen most riders get their lines dialled, there are a few bigger jumps that some riders have had to work their way up to. Alternatively riders are looking for areas where they can save energy for the pedal sections to come.
Aiden Varley clears the hip jump with ease, sporting a fresh bike, and kit for the new season.Tim Eaton drops in on a line that some would cringe at even on a DH bike, making it look easy and smooth.Searching for those elusive seconds!Some watched onto see how others were doing it.Andrew Crimmins will be one of the favourites in Under 19.There were some jumps that are keeping riders on their toes…Others were more comfortable and adding a bit of style!Like this…Kicking dust.Troy Brosnan would be one of the clear favourites in the Elite race.Scrub a dub dub!Whilst the hill doesn’t have surplus elevation it has is moments…That World Cup speed Dean ‘The Machine’ Lucas on the prowl.Connor Fearon keeping low, check out the eyes they’re business despite the party going on out the back of the helmet!
Our next report will beafter finals, check back for all the latest soon! Like what you see? Hit the like button below, cheers.
Images:A�Jason Stevens PhotographyA�www.facebook.com/jasonstevensphotographyA�or follow @jasonstevensphotography on Instagram andA�RFPhotographics (FacebookA�hereA�or follow on Instagram @rfphotographics).
