Round 1 of the Victorian downhill series saw us in Shepparton and the view was great!
3-6-3-0 represent! Round one of the Victorian downhill series saw us hit up Shepparton (3630)A�- well actually we went to Mount Major which is about 30 minutes from Shepparton but close enough. It was round one so everyone was keen to get back to racing, it was hard to pick some people as there were new kits and bikes getting around.
Rocks were the name of the game, after 5 or so bikes lost their rear derailleurs to this rock the marshals came out swinging!
The track was rocky as usual, Shepparton actually held the Oceania Championships’ a few years ago so we will give you a quick brief of the course; the top goes across the ridge before riders had to negotiate several rock gardens as the course started to turn across the face of the hill, a few more rock gardens before some wide open flat corners and some big jumps into the finish, did we mention there were a lot of rocks?
We lost track of the number of mechanicals we saw riders having, either losing derailleurs or the air from their tyres/tubes!All the rocks made for some awesome riding though with whole rocks flying as riders came charging through!The rocks did catch some (a lot) of people out though! Hopefully everyone recovers quickly and we see you at round 2!Talking about rocks, this rock got dislodged in a rock garden midway down the track but it didn’t stop rolling and made it’s way almost all the way down the hill, dangerous for sure but not what you would expect to see coming towards you, it was more likely to be a bike/rider!The weather was interesting over the weekend, to say the least. Saturday saw hot and sunny conditions leaving a lot of people sunburnt! Sunday morning was much the same but just after qualifying a storm blew in coating the track with water and turning the ground wet on top but dry underneath making racing interesting.As per usual transport ran well and everyone was happy doing runs, yeeww!Overall numbers were probably down a little as riders are a little bit more picky as to which races they do these days but the pit set up was still impressive and there were a lot of smiles on riders faces.
QualifyingA�saw the usual suspects up near the tops of the time sheets, names like Lucas, Piribauer and Swann for Elite Men, Molloy and Wale for Elite Women and Morrison andA�Varley for the Under 19s. With racing though nothing is guaranteed, especially when you factor in the number of mechanicals and the prevailing weather conditions…
Fresh from racing World Cups, Dean Lucas was the hands down favourite and donned the number one plate. Photo extraordinaire, Jase Stevens, does his thing in the background!13, unlucky for some…
And sure enough… As qualifying finished the weather changed, wind and water hit the mount and threw uncertainty into everyone’s minds!
All morning we watched the weather closing in, hanging ominously above us.When it came it left the top part of the soil wet but underneath it was wet, good luck guessing what to do with conditions like that!The weather didn’t seem to worry some riders who just kept on blasting!
Racing, the most important part of the day! Much like practice all weekend there would be mechanicals and crashes, most of the big names kept away from this though. The Women was taken out by Tegan Molloy in emphatic fashion, she is really on a role lately. Under 19’s was unusual in that the fastest qualifier Callum Morrison, came down first, followed by the second fastest qualifier, etc. Different from the usual but something we don’t think is going to happen at the next round. In the end Aiden Varley took the win by over a second and a half from Ben Hill andA�third was Hayden Stead.
Tegan Molloy is on a role and took the victory here by close to 15 seconds!Riley Horsman holding it wide open in Under 19’sBen Hill took second place.Callum Morrsion ended up in fifth place.
Elite Men, the business end of the day and looked like all that would stop Dean Lucas was a crash or mechanical, fortunately for Dean he stomped the win by six seconds, second was Tom Wyatt and third Richard Kreuzer. The Elite Men dealt with the conditions unfazed and showed everyone how it was done.
No surprises really, Dean Lucas takes out round 1!Not everyone had the run they wanted though…!If it wasn’t a mechanical chances are it was a crash that meant riders had less than ideal race runs!Matt Swann had a less then perfect run and ended up down the time sheet, expect him to be back next race though!Trent Piribauer on his way to 4th.Riders were going Mach 1 in the rock gardens!Ina Jones on his way down, look closely….And you will see his derailleur with a mind of its own! Fortunately this was during qualifying!
Overall a great first round and we still have so much more to show you! Tune back soon…
Check out the compression! The g-out was highly entertaining….
At the recent South Australian State Champs the final chute into the finish line saw riders entering with quite a lot of speed, needless to say there was a lot of suspension compression going on! Check it out, enjoy;
With another season done it was time for the State Champs, for the last few years it has been at Eagle, this year it was Willunga that held the race.
The final Inside Line race for South Australia in 2013 was the State Champs held over the October long weekend to the south of Adelaide at Willunga. Here everyone was vying to take home the state champion jersey, a cool prize and one that everyone liked.
The track had seen a visit from the trail fairies, they brought their bulldozer to make a few changes which was good of them!
The trail was different from the State race earlier in the year held here but onA�one ridge over, the top section was made up of technical features, such as rock gardens, g-outs and big jumps while the bottom section was flat turns before the finishing chute.
There were a lot of flats over the weekend, one rider apparently even copping 5 in a row! The reason, little ninja rocks hiding everywhere!Different styles were displayed all weekend long!Overall the track was fast and riders just blurred past.Transport ran well over the weekend, the ride up can sometimes be as crazy as the ride down due to the access road!
The weather was good, the wind did cause a few crashes on some of the jumps as riders got thrown around, best recovery thoughts to all that crashed!
Ouch! He walked away though, literally crashing a few metres from the finish beam.
The big draw cards for the racing were Troy Brosnan and Connor Fearon, unfortunately could only do one run, a sore ankle meant he didn’t want to risk hurting it more and spectated over the weekend instead.
Elbows up! Troy Brosnan brings his international speed back home.There were all sorts of random things spotted over the weekend, large numbers of the police force, people mowing the lawn in their pit areas… All sorts!Nice view! Not that the riders would notice as they sent the kicker.
Racing saw tension levels higher than just a state round for obvious reasons, the Under 19 race was possibly the most dramatic as Matt Taylor, Conor Clancy and James Chambers battling it out all year, in the end Conor prevailed by 2 seconds. Full results are on the Inside Line club site (or should be soon!). Elite was always going to be Troy Brosnans race to win and he did just that taking the race ahead of Will Rischbieth.
Winner winner! Troy Brosnan adds the State Champs to his impressive list of achievements for 2013.Angus Maddern has had a good season all year including heading over to race his first World Cup, he shows us the middle line through the bottom chute.Henry Blake, another rider who had a good year, including heading over to Whistler earlier in the season takes the outside line.There is talk of doing a 20 year anniversary race here to mark 20 years of Inside Line next year, this bike would fit in perfectly.A good crowd witnessed a fitting final race for 2013!
That is a wrap for 2013! We can’t wait for next years series, thanks to Inside Line, the volunteers and everyone that has supported the site this year.
On a weekend where Severe Weather Warnings outspoke TV news, over 160 riders gathered to race on Lithgow’s Pony Express trail. Warmly hosted by the Central Tablelands MTB Club and Lithgow Pony Club, the racing atmosphere was buzzing early Sunday morning.
A dry, dusty track had riders on their toes, pushing for grip to beat the clock.A�Downhill riders are familiar with coming home covered in dirt, dust and sweat, usually accompanied by a huge grin and/or battle scars. There were plenty of spills and near misses, including an unlucky fall by Steve Humphreys (NSWDH) who left by ambulance, but has since been confirmed OK.
Dust isn’t as soft as it looks, as many riders found out. JB.Rick Boyer carves a wave of dust late in his race run, moments before spectators are sprayed with dust. EE.Teejay Clark took the Expert Men’s title for 2013 with a blistering run. Here, midway down the track TJ has his eyes on the prize. JB.Del Rio and Ourimbah had a designated ‘Heckler’s Corner’, here is Lithgow’s. As Jacob McCormack hit the deck on ‘Mega Thunder’ the crowd winced. With a facefull of dust, McCormack recovered and finished 21st. JB.On a modest spring day, even reptiles made it out to watch the state’s fastest battle it out. Spot our reptilian friend.. EE.Michelle Crisp on the gas to Third place in Elite Women. Michelle has had an impressive comeback after a serious shoulder injury just one year ago. 2014 will be a big year for her! JB.Lithgow locals celebrate their racing with true Aussie rider style – here ‘Skin’ stops for a well earned draught mid-race run. EE.Megaphones, tree-climbing, yelling, cheering, and sometimes drinking, the Hecklers were out in force come race time. Despite all the noise, here it’s a rider and his bike against the clock. JB.It’s like a miniature world cup atmosphere. At any level, Downhill racing represents the same values and passion; from grassroots to World Cup people are united by riding their bikes, in the bush.A�JB.
Graeme Mudd, on a high since taking out Dual Slalom at Crankworx was expected to perform in racing, and he did, falling into second place to Andrew Crimmins by less than a second.Crimmins attacks the same corner, blazing a trail of dust behind him. Andrew has shown his pace at every round this year, tough competition with Graeme Mudd and Blake Nielsen.
Here’s a few extra snaps from Lithgow’s State Champs for 2013. What a great weekend of Downhill! The next round of the NSW/ACT RedAss Downhill Series is in Awaba, November 17/18.
After 3rd place here last year in the juniors at the World Championships we were all hoping Connor could snag a big result!
So Leogang was the last race of the World Cup season for 2013 and the last race until I went back home for the summer so I was pretty excited to get a good result here and get home. Last year the World Championships were here and I placed 3rd so it was good to know I can perform here. The track was really good this year it had some new technical sections which worked in my favour but kept all the turns at the top section where my Kona Operator rips.
Since there was no cross country races at the event the schedule was different to other World Cups. Track walk was on Thursday, practice started Friday with qualifying Saturday and Sunday. It rained a lot during the week so practice was pretty wet and treacherous. I was using wet scream tires which worked well and they roll well so it helps in the middle section where therea��s lots of pedalling. On Saturday it dried up quite a bit but I still used mud tires because I was use to them. I had a big crash the run before qualifying which knocked me around a bit. I broke my helmet and hurt my hand so I had to roll down to the bottom slowly.
When warming up for my qualifying run my hand was really sore and I didna��t know if I could even finish my run. Luckily adrenaline kicked in and it didna��t bother me too much. I finished 13th which is really good, my best qualifier ever. I was looking pretty forward to racing and walked the track Saturday arvo I check out some new lines that appeared from the dried out course.
After qualifying 13th, his best result to date, Connor was in the box seat for a big result.
Waking up on Sunday I was really excited and nervous. Ia��ve never qualified this good before and it piled a lot of pressure on me to do just as well in finals. I did two good practice runs and just waited nervously until it was time to race. Matty my mechanic had my bike running flawlessly and I was really confident. With not much to lose I set off from the gate and gave it everything I had. Luckily there was a tailwind in the pedalling sections so there stronger riders couldna��t gain much time there. I was hoping to come through the finish line in the top 7 so I would be guaranteed a top 20 finish. I actually took the hot seat by almost a second. Once everyone had finished I was left in a career best 10th position. What made it better was before my race Matty said if I got top ten hea��d buy me a set of Brembos for my WRX so Ia��m waiting for those now haha!
Now that the season is done and dusted I can finally make my way back to Aus and relax for the rest of the year. Ia��ve learnt a lot this year, although I didna��t quite reach my goal of top 20 overall (finished 25th) I ticked a big box for the top 10 at Leogang. Ia��m locked in for next year and cana��t wait to train hard and improve my results.
That’s it! With a spectacular finish, the 2013 UCI World Cup is over. The heart of every rider was in this race, on the famous slopes of Leogang, Austria. With 3 Aussie riders in the Top 10, we’re a proud DH Nation! Read on…
Rachel Atherton has worked hard and pushed the Women’s division this year. Her riding has been outstanding, and today she stood proud on the podium, second by a half-second.Dean Lucas took on the Junior Men one final time, and came out 12 fastest. A strong season sent Dean to 4th place overall, an admirable achievement and a notch in the belt on his racing career. Here he takes on the mud and wet roots; a hazardous combination at best.
The Elite Men’s Top 10 in Austria for 2013. Packed with the most well-known DH racing teams, and over 1/4 Australian (equal with the Lads!).
1
SMITH Steve
CAN19891125
DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING
3:23.959
2
BRUNI Loic
FRA19940513
LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC
+1.311
3
HANNAH Michael
AUS19831121
HUTCHINSON UR
+1.934
4
ATHERTON Gee
GBR19850226
GT FACTORY RACING
+2.858
5
BRYCELAND Josh
GBR19900323
SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE
+3.402
6
GUTIERREZ VILLEGAS Marcelo
COL19900509
GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM
+4.267
7
BLENKINSOP Samuel
NZL19881028
LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC
+4.320
8
BROSNAN Troy
AUS19930713
SPECIALIZED RACING DH
+5.577
9
PEAT Steve
GBR19740617
SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE
+6.039
10
FEARON Connor
AUS19940119
KONA
+6.620
As the favourite, Stevie Smith placed ahead of a determined Gee again by mere 1.5 seconds. It seems like Stevie has a knack for getting us on the edge of our seats!
Familiar names throughout the Women’s Top 10 too, with Tracey Hannah Bringing Aus home in 8th place.
1
RAGOT Emmeline
FRA19860527
LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC
3:52.866
2
ATHERTON Rachel
GBR19871206
GT FACTORY RACING
+0.502
3
CARPENTER Manon
GBR19930311
MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM
+4.817
4
KINTNER Jill
USA19811024
TEAM NORCO INTERNATIONAL
+7.562
5
NICOLE Myriam
FRA19900208
COMMENCAL / RIDING ADDICTION
+7.815
6
CHARRE Morgane
FRA19900609
MS MONDRAKER TEAM
+10.592
7
SEAGRAVE Tahnee A�
GBR19950615
FMD RACING / INTENSE CYCLES
+10.609
8
HANNAH Tracey
AUS19880613
HUTCHINSON UR
+13.078
9
SIEGENTHALER Emilie
SUI19860919
GSTAAD-SCOTT
+13.178
10
GATTO Micayla
CAN19880821
A�-
+15.348
Here is your 2013 World Cup Overall Podium. These are the most elite Downhill racers in the world. While it’d be great to see some Aussie faces up there, these names deserve to be here.Tahnee Seagrave finishes in style, soaring for the crowd into 7th place.Right behind Tahnee was Hutchinson UR team rider and Australian, Tracey Hannah. This Team Hannah WC Tour was one to be remembered!
Here are the full Aussie results, starting with Elite Men:
3
HANNAH Michael
8
BROSNAN Troy
10
FEARON Connor
47
MOIR Jack
65
MACMILLAN David
DNS
HILL Samuel
A�Elite Women
8
HANNAH Tracey
Junior Men
12
LUCAS Dean
20
ELLISON Luke
The World Cup Season may be over, but we’ll be back soon with more Australian Downhill content, including NSW DH State Champs in Lithgow. Follow Downhill247.com on Facebook and Instagram for the latest unique content. Facebook: Facebook.com/Downhill247 Instagram: @Downhill247
