Inside Info – 2014 Australian MTBA National Series

The 2014 Nationals' series will see us heading to some classic Australian race tracks. — The 2014 Nationals’ series will see us heading to some classic Australian race tracks.

With the 2014 Australian National Series about to kick off we thought we would quickly check out what is making up the series this year. Pretty simple, three rounds of downhill, the National Championships and the Oceania Championships make up the domestic season.

National Series:

1:17 – 19 January 2014

Eagle Park, Adelaide, SA

Round 1 sees us head to Eagle, a track that has held a lot of National rounds and champs in the past few years, it is the shortest track in regards to both time and length this series. Super technical there are always riders who get caught out on this beast, being round one it will also be interesting to see who’s training has paid off. The home track of both Connor Fearon and Troy Brosnan means a showdown is on the cards but will anyone else be able to rain on the locals parade?

A�2: 7 – 9 February 2014

Mt Buller, VIC

Next up we head to the Victorian Alps for round 2 at Mount Buller, this track is long and technical. It features a mix of single track and wide open sections, all at warp speed.A�Often described as one of Australia’s most ‘World Cup like’ tracks and much to the riders delight it is aA�chairlift track – remember pull the bar down!

3: 21 – 23 February 2014

Thredbo, NSW

The final round of the series sees another chairlift round on one of Australia’s oldest race tracks. If you haven’t been to Thredbo before then chances are you don’t know the meaning of arm pump! 5+ minutes of high speed downhill action, recently the track has been freshened up with the addition of some new features, most noticeably the addition of some big jumps. With only three rounds every race is going to count and we doubt it very much anyone will have a comfortable series lead coming to this race so it promises to deliver high speed racing!

Expect the National Champs in Bright to be epic in every way!

National Championships’

6 – 10 March 2014

Bright, VIC

This year National Champs heads to Bright, one of the most fun tracks on the circuit, as well as the steepest! There is a round a 400m elevation drop on this track, almost enough reason by itself to get there… If that isn’t Bright is a bit of a riders paradise with a huge range of trails for all skills and tastes not to mention aA�supportive community. This will be one of the last big races before riders head overseas for the international season so expect them to be turning it on.

Oceanias:

15 – 16 March 2014

Methven, Canterbury, New Zealand

This year Oceanias’ heads across the pond to New Zealand, a bit of an unknown course for us Aussies expect the locals to be out in force. With the Kiwis being one of the most dominant forces in world downhill at the moment it is going to be a tough race for the contingent that goes across.

It looks to be a good season, as always keep in the loop with downhill247.com!

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January 13, 2014

Inside Info: Connor Fearon’s Kona – The Blackbird

Father Christmas was kind to Connor Fearon with the delivery of his new Kona Operator! Talk about a good looking bike, all the descriptors you want to use go for it; ‘Blacks on blacks on blacks’ or ‘all black errrything’ or ‘Blackbird’ or ‘the Black knight’ or… well you get the point!

Check the style! Are we talking about the bike or Connor? Or both?

We caught up with Connor as he had just gotten delivery of his new bike which he gave us the run down on before we headed out to Kangarilla, one of the better riding spots in his hometown of Adelaide.

So what you see here is Connor's personal World Cup rig but the good news is what you see here has the exact same angles, geometry and sizing as the public can buy from their local bike shop. — So what you see here is Connor’s personal World Cup rig but the good news is what you see here has the exact same angles, geometry and sizing as the public can buy from their local bike shop.

The difference is that Connor's bike is set up with sponsor/personal preference parts unlike the 'stock' build from your local bike shop. — The difference is that Connor’s bike is set up with sponsor/personal preference parts unlike the ‘stock’ build from your local bike shop.

Regardless of whether it is a 'stock' build or a custom jobby pedals is always personal reference. On this day Connor was riding flats but openly admits he can see many of the benefits of clips... — Regardless of whether it is a ‘stock’ build or a custom jobby pedals is always personal reference. On this day Connor was riding flats but openly admits he can see many of the benefits of clips…

Something that you might want but you won't be able to get, just yet anyway, is these prototype Maxxis tyres, 'Spec C' apparently... You know as much as we do! — Something that you might want but you won’t be able to get, just yet anyway, is these prototype Maxxis tyres, ‘Spec C’ apparently… You know as much as we do!

The only difference with this frame is a slightly different weave of carbon being tested by the guys at HQ, other than that as we have already said angles, geometry, size, etc are all identical to what you can buy.

Carbon frame, carbon crank, titanium spring all exotic materials but who would have thought just a few years ago these parts would be as common as they are today, available for everyone?!

After discussing his bike Connor put it to use and showed us he is more than comfortable on it already which should be no surprise! You can catch Connor at the National rounds this year before he heads overseas to race the World Cups.

With this matching kit maybe we should start calling him Darth?

Looking comfortable with two wheels on the ground, going past in a blur...! — Looking comfortable with two wheels on the ground, going past in a blur…!

And more sideways...! — And more sideways…!

We also heard about a new enduro style bike he was waiting on….

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January 9, 2014

VDHS Round 3 – Narby

Troy Brosnan looks down track through one of the first berms.

Welcome to Round 3 of the VDHS, hosted by Narbethong, a track that’s probably been around longer than you have. Not too far away from our last round at Granton, Narbethong promised to be a great track with plenty of good times to be had by everyone! The sun was shining and the track was slick, but as riders began descending the hill the sheen disappeared of the dewy ground the the magic sticky dirt came out to play.

Fabian Bill looking focussed aboard the new steed.

Matt McCorkell dips into the same first part of the track.

All the riders were enjoying their time on track, with plenty of smiles at the finish line. Everyone was reporting the track was amazing fun, with the high speed sections pushing them as to how much they want to be wide eyed and let the brakes go. The track consisted of plenty of roots, small tree stump booters and drops, along with some solid, confidence inspiring berms.

Harry Ewings throws in some style through the woods.

Angus Jackson pushes through the sun drenched fern forest.

As the sun set on Saturday there were smiles all round, with the track getting a thumbs up from all. Sunday rolled in with another cracking day, Practice started, and then rather quickly closed due to an injury down track that requried an ambulance, this in turn caused a sizable delay which meant event organisers took the step of cancelling seeding for all categories, this meant that practice would run a little longer to allow everyone to get a bit more track time, this would of worked fantastic if there wasn’t another injury soon afterwards, the track wasn’t entirely closed, it was left open on a yellow caution, however many riders on track opted to push and section the track as they rode down, this reduced the risk of missing further shuttles due to the ambulance being on track.

Ben Hill appears in a scene that could easily come from Life Cycles.

After the rider was cleared and the track re-opened to finish practice it all came to an end with plenty of the riders feeling a little odd with all the extra energy usually reserved for a qualifying run still in the tank. This meant for close racing, but Troy Brosnan was a step above the rest; putting in a sizable 10 second margin o his closest competitor. At the end of the day the podiums looked like this:

Trent Piribauer struggles with a nasty surprise that caught him off guard.

Elite Men:
1 Troy Brosnan
2 Liam Panozzo
3 Dean Lucas
4 Jesse Beare
5 Joel Panozzo

Elite Women:
1 Sarah Booth
2 Tegan Molloy
3 Carrie McLachlan
4 Anna Pauly
5 Ellie Wale

Grant Weighton peaks over the crest at speed.

Dean Lucas hangs loose the finals drops into the jumpy section.

Through the drops, always calm and collected!

Kyle Coutts pushes past a massive tree, quite a cool feature!

The rocky shuttle road took its toll on the shuttle vehicles, with many tires deciding they'd rather not stay inflated. — The rocky shuttle road took its toll on the shuttle vehicles, with many tires deciding they’d rather not stay inflated.

Theres always a smile from this man, Jesse Beare pushes up track after the rider injury.

Dean Lucas pushes hard through one of the longest berms on track.

Clint White shows us some of the skills he acquired from running CWR.

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December 20, 2013

Downhill247.com T-Shirts Available – Again!

As worn by some of the fastest riders in the world, the best media crew and now available for you! The downhill247 factory T-Shirt is back in stock in Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. All available here; http://www.downhill247.com/store/ for $25 plus postage and handling, a perfect Christmas present…

December 18, 2013

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

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