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Nationals Photos Up
See some of the photos taken by Russ Baker from all disciplines at the 2008 Nationals.
Locals Shine in Downhill
The Elite Downhill categories were the draw card events of the weekend. Nathan Rennie dominated the field winning by just over 2 seconds. Canberra rider Ben Cory rode impressively to take third with Jarred Rando just outside the medals in 5th. Julia Boer finished with a bronze medal in the Elite Women's Downhill behind world-class riders Tracey Hannah and Tracy Moseley. Moseley posted the fastest time, but as a British citizen, Hannah was crowded National Champion. Caroline Buchanan was the only rider in the Under 19 category, however she rode strongly with a time that would have given her third in the Elite Women.
Canberra riders featured heavily in the results sheet in other categories Harriet Burbidge-Smith took out the under 15 women, David McMillan won gold in Under 15 men, Glenn Adams took out the Veteran Men, Geoff Lovie second in Masters Men, Matthew Vincent second in Under 19 men and Jesse Went was third in Under 17 men.
Riders across all categories were speaking the praise of the organization of the event and improvements made to the courses. This is a great stepping-stone to the up coming 2008 Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup round 6 event and the 2009 UCI World Mountain Bike and Trails Championships.
Check out other results over the long weekend of racing.
Fast and Exciting XC Short Track Action
Local Canberra favourite, Oenone Wood, walked away with a bronze medal following an impressive ride in the women's short course event. Wood, the National Road Race champion used her strength and explosive power to make up for a lack of mountain biking experience. Rowena Fry of Tasmania took her second national title today making a desperate attack on the last lap to literally squeezed out yesterday winner Dellys Starr who took second.
In a similar fashion to yesterday Chris Jongewaard dominated the men's short course field leading from start to finish. Local rider, Dylan Cooper was spurred on by an extremely vocal crowd to claim the bronze medal. Cooper was happy with his start "in short course it's all about positioning at the start, I then had to ease up in the middle to rest, and then go again at the end." In the closing laps Cooper held off a charge from 4th place Sid Taberlay whilst making a bold attempt to catch second place rider Paul Van Der Ploeg. Cooper ended the day in third.
Other Canberra riders had a great start to the day with Peter Rogers, older brother of Tour de France star Michael Rogers dominating the field in the Open men's category. Young Canberra star Michael Baker unfortunately crashed out of the junior category whilst in the leading group.
Check out other results over the long weekend of racing.
Weekend success shows Stromlo ready for world's best
Top mountain bike riders from across Australia gave the rebuilt Stromlo Forest Park an unequivocal thumbs-up at the weekend and confirmed Canberra is on track to welcome the world's best competitors later this year.
The ACT hosted the Toyota 2008 MTBA Australian National Mountain Bike Championships over the Australia Day long weekend, drawing the best riders in the country to compete on the purpose-built cross country, 4X, downhill and trials facilities.
Canberra Off-Road Cyclists president Anthony Burton said many competitors had been riding the facilities for the first time and the feedback had been overwhelmingly positive. With a successful Nationals now complete, it was full steam ahead with preparations for the ‘Nissan World Cup Powered by Shimano' in August and the UCI World Championships in 2009.
"I think many people were surprised just how much work has gone into it. We've still got more work to do ahead of the World Cup and the World Championships but this weekend was the first big test for us and the facility at that level and I'm pleased to say both passed with flying colours," Burton said.
"Both the world-level events will shine the international sporting spotlight on Canberra with between 15,000 and 30,000 spectators expected to be drawn to the Olympic-level competition."
Sydney rider Rick Boyer was one of the chief builders of the Stromlo course and said he was happy with how the course had stood up to both recent storms and extended dry, providing great racing conditions at the weekend.
Graeme Allbon, winner in the men's masters and club teams cross country races at the Nationals said it was remarkable how much had been achieved at Stromlo Forest Park since the area was wiped out by bushfires in 2003.
"They've done so well, and with the plans they have I have no doubt it will be a world event venue many times in the future. It's great to think of the best cycling facility in the country right here in Canberra."
Tough and Close XC Racing
Today Stromlo Forest Park hosted the Toyota 2008 MTBA Australian National Mountain Bike Championship for the Olympic Cross Country discipline. Today's winners of the Elite Men and Women categories moved themselves into a good position to be considered for selection into the Beijing Olympics selection squad.
The women's race saw Dellys Starr, Australia's highest ranked women at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, lead from start to finish. Starr's has returned to Australia from her base in Denver with a focus on putting herself in contention to qualifying for the Olympics. Emma Colson who also represented Australia at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games finished her first lap in 6th place but then put the power on to take out the silver. Local Macquarie girl Niki Fisher, used her hometown advantage to take out the bronze medal riding a strong race from start to finish. Fellow ACT rider and National Road Champion, Oenone Wood, took off to a great start but her limited mountain biking experience saw her finish back in 10th place.
A massive field of 57 riders took to the start line for the Elite Men's race. In a similar fashion to the women's race Chris Jongewaard put on the power early to lead from start to finishing with a considerable margin over Sid Taberlay and Daniel McConnell. Local boy Shawn Lewis capitalised on a strong start and rode consistently finishing in fourth in what he described as his"best ride to date".
"I am stoked to be fourth just behind the riders in the Olympic shadow squad and am looking forward to racing the World Cup in Canberra this August" said Lewis.
Other ACT riders Brent Miller, Dylan Cooper and Andrew Blair all finished within the top 10. Blair was unlucky having to run sections of the last 3km after breaking a chain. Post race Blair said "I just looked down and it was gone, it still out on the mountain somewhere".
The under 23 Men's category was closely fought, up until the penultimate lap the top 5 riders were all still together. Paul Van Der Ploeg of Mt Beauty took the upper hand to take the converted green and gold jersey. At one stage Ben Henderson of Monash was leading the under 23 field until suffering from a puncture. Following a quick wheel change, Henderson was able to rejoin and finish in a commendable 3rd. Gracie Elvin of Yarralumla finished 2nd in the Under 23 Women's Category to defending champion Lindsey Gorrell.
Tomorrow the nations leading Downhill riders will put Stromlo through its paces contesting various categories through out the day. The Elite Men and Women will ride it out for the title of National Champion from 2:30pm. The exciting Short Course format of the Cross Country will be a spectator friendly event held just outside the race village, action starts at noon.
Check out other results over the long weekend of racing.
CORC Geese claim opening event
Four teams contested the Club Team Relay which was based on a similar model used at the UCI World Mountain Bike Championships. Teams included one rider each of an elite/expert/sport man, a veteran/master/supermaster man, a woman and an U19/U17 man. Each rider raced one lap of the cross country course.
The Canberra Off Road Cyclists (The CORC 'Geese: Graeme Allbon, Brendan Johnston, Rebecca Henderson and Ben Henderson) collected the first win of the Australian National Mountain Bike Championships. Canberra also picked up a second place with its Giants team (Jason Chalker, Michael Baker, Rosemary Barnes and Andrew Blair). The Manly Warringah Cycling Club (Aiden Lefmann, Zoe King, Hugh Suttor, Warren Burgess) came in a close third. Results
- The CORC 'Geese (Graeme Allbon, Brendan Johnston, Rebecca Henderson, Ben Henderson) 1.38.37
- The CORC Giants (Jason Chalker, Michael Baker, Rosemary Barnes, Andrew Blair) 2.36
- MWMTB (Aiden Lefmann, Zoe King, Hugh Suttor, Warren Burgess) 6.39
- CORC Smurfs (Mark Tupalski, Claire Graydon, Phillip Hopkins) 8.23
Check out other results over the long weekend of racing.
MTB Nationals show Stromlo set to welcome the world
Five years after bushfires devastated the area in 2003, Canberra's rebuilt Stromlo Forest Park will be showcased to the nation this long weekend as it hosts the Toyota 2008 MTBA Australian National Mountain Bike Championship in the lead-up to welcoming the world in August.
From Friday 25 January, top level mountain bike riders from around Australia will descend on Canberra for four days of fast, adrenaline fuelled racing on Stromlo Forest Park's purpose-built cross country, downhill and 4X courses.
"Stromlo Forest Park offers some of Australia's best facilities for mountain bike racing, and it's fitting that this weekend's National Championships take place on an exhilarating, truly unique course that overlooks the national capital," said Anthony Burton, president of the Canberra Off-Road Cyclists (CORC).
"Beyond showing the rest of the country why Stromlo Forest Park has become the Mecca for mountain bikers, the National Championships provide the perfect practice run for showing the world that Canberra has what it takes to run a world-class event."
Since bushfires devastated the area in 2003, Stromlo Forest Park has been rebuilt by CORC, Glen Jacobs (course builder, Sydney 2000 Olympics) and the ACT Government to become an internationally recognised mountain bike racing venue, and in addition to this weekends Australian National Championships, will host the 2008 Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup round 6 event and the 2009 UCI World Mountain Bike and Trails Championships.
"It's humbling to think that in just five years Canberra has built a mountain bike venue that is on par with – if not better than – the best in the world," said Burton.
"For both the World Cup and World Championships, Canberra will be the focus of international sporting media, and we'll have Olympic level competitors and crowds of anywhere between 15,000 and 30,000 people."
In the meantime, CORC is concentrating on ensuring this weekend's Australian National Championships, will show that Canberra is ready to welcome the world's best off-road riders come August 2008.
More Info
For more information or to arrange an interview and photo opportunity, please contact:
Kimberlee Philip, Media Liaison, CORC: 0405 675 583
Paul Aubrey, Media Liaison, CORC: 0408 483 377
Online registration closes 2100 Jan 22nd
Nationals Online registration closes at 2100 (9pm) on Tuesday 22 January 2008. After that time, you will need to enter and pay at the race. When you arrive there, look for the big brown CORC Registration flag.
Please remember that all riders who have entered online still need to come to the registration tent to receive race packs and their bike numbers.
HELP! More Volunteers Needed for 2008 Nationals
With only ONE WEEK to go till the 2008 Australian Mountain Bike Championships we are still in significant need of VOLUNTEERS for registration, the shop and general site management. We also require many more MARSHALS for both the down-hill and cross-country courses. So, if you have a few hours to spare over the long weekend (24 - 28 January) we would love to hear from you. All volunteers and marshals will be provided with a t-shirt, wide-brimmed hat, sunblock and a cooler bag with their morning/afternoon tea and/or lunch and drinks. Two weeks after this great event CORC will host a Volunteer Function at which time we will have a prize draw which will include iPods, clothing and bike product. The more times you volunteer, the more chances you have of winning.
Do you want the best viewing point for the 2008 World Cup and 2009 Worlds. Why not volunteer at the 2008 MTB Champs in January 2008 being held at Mt Stromlo? Preferential placement will be given to those volunteers who have gained their volunteer and marshaling experience at this event.
For further information please phone Sarah on 0417 665 561 or Leanne on 0414 524 689. We would love to hear from you. Please return your completed Volunteer Application Form asap.
Volunteer Application Form
Download the Volunteer Application Form (Adobe PDF | 160kb)
Nats DH Course closure from 6pm Jan 18
The Nationals DH Course will be closed from 18:00 (6pm) on Friday 18 January to 09:00 on Thursday 24 January to conduct maintenance and begin marking it out for the National Championships.
The beginner DH course on the western side of Mt Stromlo is still open for riding. The beginner DH course starts about 300m north of the start of the Nationals course, and is at the top of a small crest near a gate. Remember, both XC and DH riders use the beginner DH course.
Stromlo Short Tracks: Fast & Green
Stromlo's looking greener each week. And the CORC Short Track last night was a huge success, with the track proving to be fast and flowing. The Nationals XCC will prove to be a close race with tactics playing a part.
Check out photos of the Short Track.
Event Schedule Changes
After listening to comments from the Australian mountain biking community and have made a few changes to the schedule for the 2008 MTB Nationals.
In short we have:
1. Added more DH practice time on Friday for Group C and B
2. Changed U19 XCO women's race to Sunday after the Elite Women's race
3. Moved U15 men to an earlier start time on Saturday
Change 1 were made to allow a more equitable practice sessions for B and C groups onearlier in the schedule. A total of of 30 minutes has been added for Group C and 60 minutes for group B. This is in line with expected group numbers.
Changes 2 and 3 have been made to allow the Saturday's women's race to use a truncated course as a group. All other start groups will use the full course.
Nationals Event Schedule
Download the full Event Schedule (Adobe PDF | 460kb)
Online Rego Now Open!
You can now register for the MTB Nationals online now. The closing date for entering for the MTB Nationals is 21 January.
To register, please visit our online rego site (external site).
Extra Male XCC Categories Added
There will now be 3 male XCC (Short Track) categories at the Nationals:
- Open (Elite) Men
- Sport Men
- U19 Men (any rider under 19 on 31 Dec 08 can enter - so it covers U17/U15 too)
For the online entries, the U19 XCC will have the same pricing as the Sport ($45/$55)
The schedule on 28 Jan will probably be advance 30 minutes for the start, to create the extra 30 minutes for the additional XCC category.
UCI ticks the boxes at Stromlo
"It's a very good venue," stated Melanie Leveau, UCI mountain bike events coordinator after a weekend at Stromlo. Leveau, one of three UCI technical delegates, recently visited Canberra as part of the preparation for the World Cup round in August 2008 and the 2009 World Championships, and they were happy with what they saw. "It's very wide and open so we have many options for the tracks and the set up of the village" Leveau said. "We still have to decide where to put what, but we have many options and that's the most important thing."
Leveau's collegue, former downhill World Cup racer Helen Mortimer, has identified some changes to improve the courses. "There are a few things we're going to change on the downhill course", said Mortimer, appraising the track in her role of UCI Technical Delegate. "We're looking to put in some tricky drop offs and bigger jumps as well – to meet the standards of the world's best. Already there's been huge amounts of work put in with the 4X and the downhill tracks. The bobcat will be up there digging and putting some strategic rocks in place. It looks to be pretty good once it's finished."
Mortimer recognises the advantages of hosting lead-up events at Stromlo, like the Nationals, and the value of feedback from those taking part in them. "You've got quite a few races out here so it'll be good to get some of the riders' input as well. Australian riders are some of the world's best and it will be good to get some of their feedback once the new sections get put in."
Keep an eye out for the Official Program of the 2008 National Mountain Bike Championships for a feature on the UCI's visit to Stromlo.
Wrap Up
At the end of the successful UCI visit to Stromlo on 10 December an event layout for the World Cup and World Championships was agreed. CORC will be implementing some of this layout for the 2008 MTBA National MTB Championships so that we can give it a good test.
This will mean a much better DH transport system, with riders able to use the facilities of the pavilion while waiting for their shuttles, which will be leaving on a bitumen road.
The plan for Nationals is that riders will get two runs per hour during their allocated practice sessions, so if you turn up on time to every practice session for your group then you can expect to get 11 (Group C) 17 (Group B) and 19 (Group A) practice runs, and then its on to your race runs. Remember, the shuttles will be loading before the start time so you can get to the start of the DH course ready for the start of your allocated practice session. There will be a system of marking your number plates so that the marshals know which group you are in.
The grass isn't always greener somewhere else
Incredible spring rains have brought Mt Stromlo to life. As summer approaches this year, riders are more concerned about undergrowth and slapping saplings than dust.
Many of the trees have now reached head height and are even casting (gasp!) shade on portions of the course. It's a very different landscape to that which greeted competitors at the 2007 Nationals. The real good news about all of that growth is that, even if we don't get any more rain over Christmas, the roots of what's there will do a sensatioal job binding the soil and minimising the dust that was whipped up from previously bare parts of the Park.
The wind made its presence known during the Scott 24hr in October, but even what little early spring growth we'd had to that point meant that no dust was carried into the massive camping area. The 2007 Scott was many great things - but it wasn't dusty.
See more green photos as at Dec 1.
Newly Adopted Random 4X Start
Competitors racing 4X at the 2008 Australian National MTB Championships are set to start with the newly adopted UCI random start. The Gate will be the same as used in 2007 but the track and start control box have been modified. The start call will vary in the following ways from last year.
The start or abort start signal now has a twin tone.
Once the starters voice is completed a delay will occur between the beeps and the gate drop sequence beginning. This randomly generated delay can vary between 0.1s and 2.7s as per the UCI specifications.
Glen Jacobs has recently carried out some track work and has modified the first, second, forth and fifth corners. This work will be tested and fine tuned in the lead up to the Nationals.
XC Club Team Relay
A new event graces the schedule at this year's Nationals. The team relay is an event that pits club against club in a multiple laps of the Stromlo XC course. The club team relay will be staged on Friday 25th, and be reminiscent of the team relay at the World Championships. The rules for the club team relay are:
(a) The team will comprise 1 Elite/Expert/Sport man, 1 Veteran/Master/Supermaster man, 1 Woman and 1 U19/U17 man.
(b) All members of the team must be registered members of the same club which is affiliated to MTBA. If the rider(s) are not MTBA members (ie a CA member) then other documentation to support this needs to be given.
(c) The team can start their riders in any order
(d) All team members must be also entered for another National Championship event
(d) The course will be 1 lap of the standard XCO course for each team member
(e) Team member change-over occurs by a physical contact at the start/finish area between team members
(f) The winner is the team who completes the 4 laps in the fastest time
DH Course modified
The second stage of trail work on Mt Stromlo undertaken under the guidance of trail building guru Glen Jacobs, has resulted in a heap of tweaks to the downhill course. Changes such as an in-sloped turn at the bottom of the rock garden, realigned turns, faster entry into the triple treat and the removal of the odd off camber corner have increased the speed of the course. Further, the big (ie: bloody enormous) bridge is now in place over the upper road crossing and, with the completion of the 4-cross mound, the final fireroad sprint has been replaced by a pump-style track carved into the side of the 4-cross hill. Faster and funner!!
World Class Downhillers take National Series, Illinbah
World ranked downhillers, Tracey Hannah (Cairns) and Nathan Rennie (Gold Coast) proved too hard to beat at the second round of the National Mountain Bike Downhill Series on the Gold Coast. Hannah, currently ranked third in the world, dominated the women’s field and rode a respectable 3:49.33. The 19 year old beat second place getter Emma McNaughton (Newcastle) by a massive 34 seconds over the 2.3 km course.
“I love racing the local Australian races,” said Hannah. “There is so much support.” Hannah admitted she found some sections of the world class course tricky but is determined to compete at the National Championships in Canberra late in January. “It was tight in the woods with rocks and roots. I was struggling but I’m happy with my run,” she said. Series leader, Claire Whiteman (Canberra) placed third and retains the series lead. World number 7, Nathan Rennie, left nothing to chance when he barrelled down the Illinbah course in record time of 3:13.74. He took a full 6 seconds off another professional rider, Bryn Atkinson (Blue Mountains).
With a near perfect run Rennie improved on his qualifying time of 3:20.34.
“I’ve had a perfect run just one little falter,” he explained. Coming into the finish at a blistering pace Rennie admitted he was going too fast. “I had to break a bit near the finish I was cooking. The track had dried out a bit and I wanted to keep both wheels on the ground.” Spectators crowded the bottom of the course awaiting Rennie’s speedy descent. “I was wondering where everyone was at the top,” said Rennie, “then I came into the finish. It was awesome. It’s great to win on the Gold Coast in my own backyard. I’m a local boy here and I’ve had a few more runs than the other guys,” he explained.
Rennie praised the course at Illinbah, saying it has potential.
“This is a great course it’s got a bit of everything. The course here could suit a World Cup. All the riders loved it.”
Third was young Western Australian, Mitch Delfs (Bunbury), while fourth place getter, Amiel Cavalier (Wollongong) takes over the series lead from young Adelaide rider, Will Rischbieth, after he placed 13th.
Another favourite, Jared Rando (Canberra) was unlucky to hit the dirt in the final run. Local downhillers, Rhys Willemse (Chambers Flats) won the Under 19 division. The 16 year old also claimed the second fastest qualifier of the day. Willemse rode an impressive 3:23.97 with only Nathan Rennie bettering his time in qualifying. Second was Tamryn Murrell (Gold Coast) and third place went to Shaun O’Connor (Sydney). Adelaide’s James Shepherd won the under 17 division.
(MTBA)