Graves Qualifies on top of Mens 4X
Well the weather threatened today but never delivered. There was a lot of action out on the XC trail and with Trials in full swing there was always something to look at.
For most riders from tomorrow it gets a lot more serious.
Gerhard Kerschbaumer, 18, has claimed his second gold medal at the 2009 UCI World Mountain Bike and Trials Championships, taking out the junior mens cross country event in Canberra.
The Lance Armstrong award has to go the Aussie Brendan Johnston who is now officially a Lil Aussie Battla:
"Australian Brendan Johnston covered the 32.35 kilometre course more than 16 minutes slower than Kerschbaumer but by simply being on the start line meant Johnston had won.
A little more than two weeks ago, the 17-year-old from Moruya on the NSW south coast, was undergoing surgery for testicular cancer. Today he was riding in a World Championship.
The fact that he placed a credible 50th of 71 starters and finished on the same lap as the medallists was not the point. Nor was it that he finished fourth of the Australians behind Mitchell Codner (17th), Michael Baker (22nd) and Cameron Ivory (36th). Johnston’s mere participation against the best in the world was.
“I was on the start line which was good enough for me,” Johnston said. “The start was a bit hectic and there was crashes everywhere so I moved up a little bit.
“I was on the lead lap, so to finish 50th out of 71 starters was unreal.”
Riding in pain but determined to do his country proud despite several weeks off the bike in which he inevitably lost conditioning, Johnston won plenty of support as he powered round the five laps of the 6.47km circuit.
“I’m actually feeling alright, it’s definitely painful and I’ve lost a fair bit of fitness. That was the main pain I had,” the brave teenager said.
While Johnston will begin post operative chemotherapy immediately he has his sights set on higher honours on the bike once his health issues are behind him.
“I guess the Olympics is a goal you always think about and to finish this just gives me that positive attitude,” he said. “I was quite down lately, understandably, but this has picked me up which is good.”
A Kiwi gets lost in the outback... On the 4X heading for the "Bungle Bungles"
Trials action was all around and always an impressive distraction.
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