2014 YAKIMA SUNSHINE SERIES - DOWNHILL ROUND 3

Round 3 of the 2014 Yakima Sunshine Series - Downhill moved to a new venue at Boomerang Farm, Mudgeeraba (Gold Coast) last weekend. The track is new and whilst it did not really suit big travel bikes it was a fun track to ride. Hats off to new Club, ORA for accepting the challenge to Host the event when Gold Coast MTB Club could not continue with it as originally planned. The event was held on Sunday/Monday of the Queens Birthday long weekend and limited practice was available to get lines dialled or more accurately, to understand the track itself! I managed to get enough runs in on Sunday to be prepared for racing on Monday and whilst I knew it would be difficult to post a winning time on the V10, I decided to run clip pedals to give myself every chance! Racing on Monday got underway with Seeding in the late morning and I managed to seed in 5th place but with a lot of mid travel bikes competing I knew my chances of holding that in finals would be hard. Race time came around and I just gave it everything I had and ended up in 7th place with a time slower than my Seeding run which was disappointing because I felt my race run was the better of both? Just goes to prove that you cannot be a 'fair weather' racer and must accept all track conditions presented on the day including track style and weather!! Once again, a big shout out to my Supporters who keep me and the Santa Cruz V10 running to compete in these events including Power Racing, NS Dynamics, Santa Cruz Bikes, ForTheRiders, KWT-Maxxis, Brisbane Mountain Bike Shuttles (BMS), Mavic and Paul Dymalla (Wheels and general all-round mechanicals)!!

2014 YAKIMA SUNSHINE SERIES DOWNHILL - ROUND 2 - TOOWOOMBA

The Yakima Sunshine Series moved to Toowoomba's famed Frenzy track on 24/25 May for Round 2 Downhill. Most people were holding their breath to see if the rain would come as has happened so many times in past years however; it failed to eventuate and great weather was experienced over the weekend. Practice on Saturday was really good and I managed to get in at least 7-8 good runs and sorted my lines in preparation for the next days racing. Sunday arrived with fantastic weather conditions which promised to set up some close racing in an Elite Male field featuring the majority of Queenslands top riders. Shuttles were a bit slower on Sunday but I still managed to get in two practice runs before heading up for Qualifying (ended up being Seeding). I hit the start line and let the Santa Cruz v10 Carbon roll at close to top speed and enjoyed a good run down Frenzy to pick up No. 1 spot for the race later in the day. Race time came and as the top qualifier, I was last over the start line. My race run was a blur but I remember coming through the Rock Garden faster than ever before which was a bit scary!! I held my nerve and kept the v10 at full pace to come over the finish line and claim 1st place which was my Maiden (and very satisfying) win in Elite category by just over 0.05 seconds from Lindsay Klein with Max Warshawsky in 3rd. Once again, I would like to thank my Supporters, Power Racing, NSDynamics, Santa Cruz Bikes, ForTheRiders, Brisbane Mountain Bike Shuttles (BMS), KWT Maxxis and Paul Dymalla who builds the wheels I wreck!! Photo credits to Matt Rex Photography.

2014 QUEENSLAND SUNSHINE SERIES DOWNHILL ROUND 1 - CEDAR CREEK

The 2014 Queensland Sunshine Series Downhill kicked off last weekend with Round 1 at Cedar Creek in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. With the threat of rain hanging over our heads all week, Saturday arrived with a mostly sunny day although there were some small showers during the day but this just made the track better with moisture causing the normally loose and dusty dirt to tack up nicely.

Practice on Saturday went smoothly and I got in at least 8-10 full runs thanks to my Supporter, Brisbane Mountain Bike Shuttles (BMS - Mick Dopson) who moved me and the Santa Cruz v10 to the start line in comfort and without any drama's! I decided to call it mid afternoon because the v10 was dialled and along with me was performing really good.

Sunday and race day arrived with a couple of early morning showers but nothing to cause concern. I managed a couple of practice runs before heading up for Qualifying late morning. I had a clean run in Qualifying but kept a bit in reserve and managed to cross the line and qualify in 3rd place. By race time later in the afternoon, the weather had cooled and was ideal for racing. I had another great run down a steep, loose and technical track to take over the Hot Seat for a short while before the last rider, Chris Kovarik came down the hill and knocked my off by 2 seconds but hey, I managed to get onto the Podium in 2nd place which is a great start to the Series.

A shout out to my Supporters for keeping me and the v10 running smoothly - Power Racing, NS Dynamics.com.au, Santa Cruz Bikes, ForTheRiders, Brisbane Mountain Bike Shuttles - BMS, KWT-Maxxis, Mavic Equipment and Chunked.com.au - thanks again for your continuing support!

UCI WORLD CUP - DOWNHILL ROUND 2 - CAIRNS QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA

As most people associated with mountain biking would know.7 the UCI World Cup came to Cairns in North Queensland, Australia for Round 2, Downhill over the weekend 24-26 April 2014. Unfortunately, this also coincided with final burst of the Monsoonal wet season and the heavens opened up on Wed 23 April and continued through until Sat 26 April. With the Worlds best downhill riders assembled for the event, there was tacit agreement between all that the conditions prevailing for Qualifying on Friday and the race final on Sunday were some of the worst they had ever experienced! The volcanic rich red soil of Smithfield National Park turned to a sloppy, gooey and disgusting bog which resembled peanut butter at its worst! However; all riders were faced with the same conditions so it really meant that those who thought it out and held their nerve - prevailed. Practice on Thursday was limited however; I managed to get in 5 good runs without any major issues but the worst was yet to come! Thursday night saw the heavens really open up and torrential rain was the order of the entire night leading into Friday. We arrived at the track early Friday morning to be greeted by more rain, mud and slop before heading up for practice. I managed 3 runs during our allocated practice time and lost count of how many crashes I sustained during this time but at best guess, I would have to say I crashed at least 10 times. I had come to Cairns with only dry weather tyres (Maxxis Minion 2.7 so I had picked the biggest tread pattern which just was not working in these conditions! Thanks to the generosity of Tony & Jacko (Swell Specialized Team) Davis who gave me a set of Specialized Storm's (wet weather spikes) I at least had a wet weather tyre to race Qualifying later on Friday afternoon. With some great advice from Chris Kovarik, Dad set about cutting the spikes on the rear tyre before I headed up for qualifying which saw the top 80 riders from a field of 124 Elite Male progress to the Final the following day. I put together a good race run in Quali's and managed to place 65th which saw me progress to the Final the following day. We awoke on Saturday to sun and blue skies but the damage had already been done and there was not a lot to salvage from a muddy and sodden track! My 2 practice runs were without incident and I am glad that I asked Dad to cut the other spike because traction was just a whole lot better. Nerves were setting in as race time approached and I headed up to the start line with a lot of trepidation however; I was also relaxed in the knowledge that I had progressed to the final and could finish no worse than position 80!! My race time arrived and I was determined to get in a clean run and keep the Santa Cruz v10 Carbon upright during the race! I managed to achieve this and to great relief, crossed the finish line to eventually finish in 53rd place which makes me more than happy considering the conditions and competition! As my second only World Cup event and first as an Elite level rider, I came away from Cairns determined to chase down more and better results both at home and overseas. At this stage I intend to visit Europe in July for a month or so and race some IXS Cups whilst based in Morzinne, France. Later in 2014 I may contest the Asia Pacific Downhill Challenge in Bali because it looks like a fun race event. I would like to thank all my supporters including NS Dynamics.com.au who provided Pits and race support in Cairns, Santa Cruz Bikes, ForTheRiders, Brisbane Mountain Bike Shuttles (BMS), Mavic Wheel Components, Ben Power Racing (Dad), JB Photomedia (Jamie Black) for the still photographs and good friend Paul Dymalla who builds all my wheels and provides technical assistance when required.

2014 NATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE SERIES INCLUDING NATIONAL DOWNHILL CHAMPS

The 2014 National Downhill Series has wrapped up after three rounds at Eagle Park Adelaide, Mt Buller Vic and Thredbo NSW. I didn't attend round 1 in Adelaide due to work commitments but managed to fit in rounds 2 & 3 at Mt Buller and Thredbo. My weekend at Mt Buller was pretty typical of all my visits to this venue - struggling! There is something about this track that I cannot get my head around and as a result I spent the weekend crashing my way down the track in both my qualifying and race runs to finish well out the back! A fortnight later I headed to Thredbo and had a better weekend of practice and racing although I still managed to lay the bike down a couple of times. I ended up placing 13th in this race which was not the best but still better than my efforts at Mt Buller. It was then time to head to Bright, Vic for the 2014 National Downhill Championships and whilst the track is probably the best in Australia by World Cup standards, it is a very steep, loose and technical one to ride. I managed to keep the bike upright all weekend during practice despite a number of my riding buddy's crashing out at one stage or another! Qualifying (seeding) took place on Saturday afternoon and I rode conservatively to ensure I did not crash and finished up in 9th place for the next days racing. The weather on Sunday was fine and after a couple of practice runs, I headed up Mystic Mountain for my race run. I had a good race run and felt fast in a lot of the track sections whilst managing to keep the V10 upright for the trip. I came across the line to finish in 9th place for the Championships which was a great result considering the 'hot' field which lined up to contest them. Once again my Supporters - NSDynamics.com.au, Santa Cruz Bikes, ForTheRiders.com, KWT Maxxis and Ben Power Racing kept me and my Santa Cruz v10 Carbon bike running in top condition over the past few months - thank you! It is now time to continue my training in the lead up to UCI World Cup DH Series round 2, Cairns which I look forward to racing on home soil.