Ben Mather has taken out Round 2 of the Real Insurance XCM Series at the Dirt Works 100km NSW.
An exciting start saw a strong group consisting of Mather, Matthew Fleming, Shaun Lewis, Jason English and Anthony Shippard lead out the main pack, with MarathonMTB.com rider Justin Morris also in the mix.
Mather, Fleming and Shippard were too strong however for English, Morris and Lewis, leaving them behind as they fought to win the King of the Mountain Title.
At the 15km KOM section it was Mather who crossed the line first ahead of Fleming and Shippard respectively.
However this was just the beginning of Mathers reign, as he dropped Fleming at the70km mark, home of the Dirt Works 100km NSW legendary floating bridge. The pace was high, with Fleming admitting he needed to sit up a bit after the first 45km.
A 5 minute lead from the 70km point meant Mather was able to stay clear of the other riders for the last 30km and take the win.
Fleming crossed the line 3 minutes in front of Lewis (3rd), English (4th) and Shippard (5th).
Ben Mather is now the Real Insurance XCM Series Leader and shares the King of the Mountain Title with Dylan Cooper.
In the womens category, Real Insurance XCM Series Leader Jenny Fay was unable to take the start after breaking her collarbone on Saturday. The race was open, with Vanina Vergoz victorious.
The 50km event was a close battle between XC stalwart Perren Delacour and Garry Millburn. Garry got the favourable line into the finish, taking the win.
Stay tuned for an indepth race report, interviews, and rider reports from Graeme Arnott and Justin Morris.