S.
ex offender
Hosted on the infamous International track at Mt Buller over the Easter long weekend, the 2007/08 State Champs threw down a solid challenge to every rider who raced. The track, well known for its rocks and the number of derailleurs and rims it has claimed, had a new start section running through the pits at the top of the track, involving a tight slalom-track out of the gate followed by a lengthy sprint into a new double smack bang in the middle of the spectator area. The jump was the centre of attention for much of the weekend, providing a spectacle for the onlookers as well as claiming its fair share of rear rims as numerous riders came up short. As usual, Mount Buller had its transport situation fairly dialled, with the ever popular chairlift letting riders churn out as many runs as their forearms would allow.
Unofficial practice Friday saw plenty of keen riders out and about, scoping new lines and assessing them based on the "pin it or bin it" criteria. Some riders were more innovative than others, with the likes of Ben Watkins spending half his time trying to find lines closer to the moon than the worn track. Saturday brought another wave of riders to the mountain, and a track that became more and more blown out as time wore on.
Come race day, it was apparent that fitness was going to play a major role in the results. Pinning sections one by one was something plenty of riders were capable of, but holding it all together after spending the first 25 seconds of the track pedalling hard would prove to separate the boys from the men.
Elite men's qualifying brought no major surprises, with Jarah Breese topping the board with a 3:50.79, 2 seconds clear of Brendan "Woody" Wood. U19s ripper Ben Barrett was the only rider in his class to crack 4 minutes in his qualifying run, with a flying 3:56.65. World Cup veteran Tracy Moseley was in a league of her own with a 4:11.41, qualifying over 40 seconds clear of 2nd placed Leonie Picton.
In the other classes, the deciding factor seemed to be who could stay upright - nearly everyone in Expert reported tasting dirt at least once during their qualifying runs, highlighting the difficulty of getting down such a tiring, technical track at speed. Some issues with class spacing became apparent when one of the U13s riders was caught and overtaken by the entirety of both the Veterans and Masters classes, with numerous riders expressing their discontent with the situation, however this is an issue that will no doubt be taken care of at future events.
Race run results worth of mention included Ash Parry dominating the hardtail class (again) by over 20 seconds with a totally insane time of 4:17, Masters pinner Tony Pincan setting the pace with a 4:19 including a decent crash, and former Elite rider "Timbo Jaxx" dropping back to Expert to take the win by 3 seconds with the only Expert time that would have qualified in Elite. It was nice however to see no sandbaggers in Sport class, and some tight racing ensuing as a result, with Luke Garside narrowly edging out Gareth Tyler for the win.
Finals for the Elite Women pulled no punches, with Moseley again showing her absolute dominance, pulling a 4:07.50 to win by over 50 seconds over 2nd placed Picton. U19s saw a repeat of qualifying, with Barrett tearing the course to shreds in a 3:54.83 ahead of DH Direct pedal-maniac and owner of the world's dirtiest mullet, Dave Habicht. The Elite Men put everything on the line, but a more torn up course meant the times didn't improve much, with Scott rider Breese taking the win with a 3:48.08, ahead of DH Direct's Lincoln Verass and American Turner/ODI/Southridge rider Brad Oien.
Full results can be found here, with many thanks to Mt Buller and http://www.mtbpicsonline.com
Unofficial practice Friday saw plenty of keen riders out and about, scoping new lines and assessing them based on the "pin it or bin it" criteria. Some riders were more innovative than others, with the likes of Ben Watkins spending half his time trying to find lines closer to the moon than the worn track. Saturday brought another wave of riders to the mountain, and a track that became more and more blown out as time wore on.
Come race day, it was apparent that fitness was going to play a major role in the results. Pinning sections one by one was something plenty of riders were capable of, but holding it all together after spending the first 25 seconds of the track pedalling hard would prove to separate the boys from the men.
Elite men's qualifying brought no major surprises, with Jarah Breese topping the board with a 3:50.79, 2 seconds clear of Brendan "Woody" Wood. U19s ripper Ben Barrett was the only rider in his class to crack 4 minutes in his qualifying run, with a flying 3:56.65. World Cup veteran Tracy Moseley was in a league of her own with a 4:11.41, qualifying over 40 seconds clear of 2nd placed Leonie Picton.
In the other classes, the deciding factor seemed to be who could stay upright - nearly everyone in Expert reported tasting dirt at least once during their qualifying runs, highlighting the difficulty of getting down such a tiring, technical track at speed. Some issues with class spacing became apparent when one of the U13s riders was caught and overtaken by the entirety of both the Veterans and Masters classes, with numerous riders expressing their discontent with the situation, however this is an issue that will no doubt be taken care of at future events.
Race run results worth of mention included Ash Parry dominating the hardtail class (again) by over 20 seconds with a totally insane time of 4:17, Masters pinner Tony Pincan setting the pace with a 4:19 including a decent crash, and former Elite rider "Timbo Jaxx" dropping back to Expert to take the win by 3 seconds with the only Expert time that would have qualified in Elite. It was nice however to see no sandbaggers in Sport class, and some tight racing ensuing as a result, with Luke Garside narrowly edging out Gareth Tyler for the win.
Finals for the Elite Women pulled no punches, with Moseley again showing her absolute dominance, pulling a 4:07.50 to win by over 50 seconds over 2nd placed Picton. U19s saw a repeat of qualifying, with Barrett tearing the course to shreds in a 3:54.83 ahead of DH Direct pedal-maniac and owner of the world's dirtiest mullet, Dave Habicht. The Elite Men put everything on the line, but a more torn up course meant the times didn't improve much, with Scott rider Breese taking the win with a 3:48.08, ahead of DH Direct's Lincoln Verass and American Turner/ODI/Southridge rider Brad Oien.
Full results can be found here, with many thanks to Mt Buller and http://www.mtbpicsonline.com
