For the competitors at Terra Australis, the stage 5 circumnavigation of Mount Buffalo is the queen stage. The stage where those in a competitive position either try to gain some valuable minutes or hold on and minimise their losses. 6-10 hours on the bike allows enough time for things to go wrong and for this year’s competitors the challenge increased when the rain started teeming down at 4am.
By the time the 8am start had rolled around every competitor was wet through and the rain did not ease until late morning. It is a fascinating stage and it is hard to work out who are the bravest, the guys and girls at the pointy end who go out and smash themselves or the battlers at the back who grind out 10 hours on wet, muddy, mountainous trails.
There were tales from every section of the field today. After stage victories in stage 1 and 3 at this year’s Terra, Jason McAvoy and Andrew Hall returned to the podium with an inspiring stage victory. Inspiring, because McAvoy took a tumble at the 70km mark and rode the next 35km with no seat including the descent from the top of the Buffalo Gap. McAvoy and Hall led in the evergreen Super Masters team of Roger Cull and Rodney Hart followed by another Super Masters team of Rob Watson and Gwyn Taverner-Smith. Watson appeared seriously injured before the stage but was adamant that he felt great on the bike, but not so good off it.
The weather created havoc throughout the field with a number of DNF’s and a steady stream of mechanical issues. The Torq 2 pairing of Dean Clark and Becky Mates crossed the line with a tyre full of used gel wrappers to keep the air in the tyre.
The Terra now moves to the historic town of Beechworth. The riders will tackle two climbs on their way to Beechworth after their departure from Bright. The course takes in Mount Porepunkah and a climb up to the small mountain hamlet of Stanley.
For full results including GC stage and category winners as well as overall standings please visit the event website.