2015-16 National Cross Country Series Wrap up

National Rounds 1 & 2, Mt Taylor & Canberra

I won’t go into detail, as I have already reported on these races. Let’s just say, I had a perfect start to the Season with 2 wins from 2 races J

National Rounds 3 & 4, Pemberton, WA

The trip to Pemberton WA is an epic that’s for sure, with a 4hr flight plus 4hr drive. The travel is definitely worth it though, not only for the awesome trails to race on but it is also such a beautiful part of Australia. This year MTBA held both Round’s 3 and 4 over there, making the trip even more worthwhile.

I always seem to struggle with the time zone over in WA and this trip was no exception. Waking at 2am each morning was not ideal; however I did manage to grab a ‘nanna nap’ when I faded in the afternoons.

Saturday’s race was fast and furious from the get-go with Karen Hill leading us out into the start loop. Bec Henderson quickly gained control of the race heading into lap 1, with NZ rider Somara Sheppard on her wheel. I felt quite sluggish and it took me a while to move from 5^th wheel up into 3^rd on the first main climb. I then had quite a battle with Somara over the next few laps while Bec steadily rode away from us. The last lap involved a fair bit of cramping as Somara seemed to get her second-wind. I decided to roll in and not waste too much energy given we had to back up the next day. I was happy enough to take 3^rd place.

Sunday I felt a lot better, although the pace at the start was notably slower given the weary legs of all the girls!  It was actually quite nice to ease into the race. Late in the 1^st lap we entered the infamous ‘wall ride’ section. This entailed 2 wooden berms with the first one seemingly at right angles. It was actually a little scary to ride, but once you got over the initial shock and “g forces” it was so much fun. This was where I kind of accidentally made a pass on Somara while on a wooden berm. Lucky for me, she kindly hit the brakes a little otherwise we may well have locked bars!  Again I had to settle for bronze medal, but it was a much better race for me.

The ‘Wall Ride’ passing maneuver

Photo sequence courtesy of Rus Baker

National Round 5, Thredbo, NSW

I have to say, that I really was not a great fan of the Thredbo race track. It felt a little like a well-used bike path with nothing technical apart from some fast berms and couple of jumps and a few sketchy switch-backs on grass. It was definitely a track that would test the fitness of riders rather than technical skills. I was also disappointed that the Cross Country start/finish had been pushed to one side of Thredbo village, while the downhillers and main event hub were way over the other side. There was definitely a lack of atmosphere as we lined up to tackle 6 laps of the physically demanding course.

Thredbo ended up being my worst race of the Season. I had one of those days where the legs simply would not respond and it was all I could do just to keep them ticking over to the finish. Still, I was happy enough to push through regardless and come home in 4^th position and still on the podium. The highlight of my Thredbo trip was getting to stay with an old friend of mine from uni, and of course experiencing the beautiful surrounds of the Snowy Mountains!

National Series Final, Toowoomba, QLD

Coming into this final Round of the Series I was still Series leader; however I would need to finish either ahead of Bec Henderson or in 2^nd place. I had freshened up a little more this race, knowing I had to have a good one to take out the Series.

Quite often you can tell what sort of race is install while warming up. My legs felt like they were on a good day and energy levels high, so I was looking forward to racing!  Somara Sheppard started hard, but it wasn’t long before Bec took charge halfway into the first lap. I trailed Somara by around 15sec going into the 2^nd lap, but I was starting to feel good and soon was on Somara’s wheel. I went on past Somara just before heading into the technical uphill section and opened a small gap, only to then clip a tree and lose my advantage while I straightened the handlebars. It took me another half a lap to once again make a pass on Somara and then continued to gain time mid-way into the race. Halfway into the 2nd last lap I went around a corner and stood up to put the power down, only to hear the dreaded “pop” and looked down to find my chain snapped in half. Just like that, my race was over and Series win lost! A real bugger to lose the series that way, but as all mtbikers know mechanicals are unfortunately a part of our sport.

I was quite nervous on the start line at Toowoomba, with the Series Championship up for grabs

National XCO Championship, Bright, VIC

The Cross Country National Championship is probably the most hotly contested races in Australia. This year was no exception, with all the big names making an appearance. Being an Olympic Year this race was certainly an important one for those aimed at qualification. While I have no intentions of chasing Olympic berth, I did want to put together a “perfect race” to finish off the Cross Country Season.

While I think I could have done a few little things differently, I was happy with how I rode on race day and certainly laid it all out on the track with nothing left in the tank at the finish. The pace was on from the start with Peta Mullens glued to Bec Henderson’s wheel, myself and then Karen Hill right on my wheel. I was struggling a little with the pace through the flatter single track and let a small gap go through the first half a lap. Once the climbing started I did manage to reel Peta in and we then rode together for the next couple of laps. We swapped lead for a little while until she seemingly found her rhythm and took off on the 3^rd lap. I kept a good pace going and put everything I had into the last lap and was really quite pleased to finish with a bronze medal.

Awesome to finish the 2016 XCO Championship with a bronze medal

Now that the Cross Country Season has come to a close I will concentrate on the upcoming National Marathon Championship with the aim of qualification into the World Championship to be held in France later this year.

Thanks once again to my wonderful sponsors who continue to provide so much support. I really couldn’t do it without you guys!

SRAM Australia, CANYON, YAKIMA, SHOTZ NUTRITION, ADIDAS EYEWEAR, EIGHTYONE SPICES, STABLEBASE, 4SHAW