The first round of the 2014–15 National MTB Series started with a bang at the You Yang’s MTB Park on Saturday. As always the first round was a whirlpool of intrigue. Questions were raised about the form of each rider. Who was going to be the strongest so early in the season?
Dual Olympian Dan McConnell (ACT) went up against a fierce field of competitors, in a hot and windy six-lap race in the You Yangs. The race ended up being a lot longer than expected, and there was some criticism from riders that it did not match UCI standards.
Scott Bowden was on fire all weekend. Photo: Michael Jayne
My personal form, compared to the others, was something I was eager to find out. The course and conditions were certainly going to test all riders. Although not a lot of climbing, the course was subjected to a lot of wind off the coast as well as the searing heat from the sun. The climbs and parts of the descent were punctuated by tough rock gardens and rock rollovers. The dirt was another technical element, being loose gravel on hard pack and very slippery. I chose Maxxis Ikons front and rear, for their fast rolling but also predictable cornering characteristics.
Plenty of traction in the air. Photo: Michael Jayne
My start I would consider to be sub-optimal. I’m not entirely sure what happened but as we sped down the start road something hooked to the rear of my bike, taking it out from under me and throwing me to the ground.
The course was relatively fast, which made catching up hard, and I spent a lot of energy over the first few laps moving through the field. The pace was tough with the heat. My lack of racing caught up with me midway through the race, with cramping in both legs. I was close to pulling out until I realised that I could ride out of the seat without cramping. So begun, two very uncomfortable final laps!
Andrew Blair (ACT), Scott Bowden (TAS), Chris Hamilton (VIC), Adrian Jackson (VIC),Brendan Johnston (ACT) and McConnell finished the first lap within 1.9 seconds of each other, and stayed as a tight bunch for the first four of six laps. On lap five, McConnell succeeded in breaking away from the group by making a surprise move on a downhill section, converting the bunch of six into a lead pair with Bowden.
“On lap 5 I thought I better pick it up a little bit and try and thin them down and see who’s got some legs. Scotty (Bowden) was the only one who could come with me – he was riding really well and its really good to see some young guys like that coming up and giving it to the older boys.”
McConnell won in just under two hours, ahead of Bowden and Hamilton who finished in second and third place respectively. “I was a little bit worried about them but I was able to ride fairly smart and I think that helped me get the win today and just go to the front when the course suited me.”
Rebecca Henderson (ACT), the 2014 Commonwealth Games Bronze Medallist, battled against a strong and experienced field, including Commonwealth Games teammate Peta Mullens (VIC) and last year’s Series winner Jenni King (VIC). In her first UCI event since the World Championships in August, Henderson sat with Mullens and King for the first three laps before making a break in the fourth and developing a 14 second lead – one that couldn’t be closed. In the end, Mullens finished in second place with King in third.
Henderson said “I could see that Jenny was really enjoying a consistent pace and I knew that if I wanted to get away at any point I had to have the pace a little inconsistent. When it got technical I really gave it everything I had and hit it and I opened the gap up quite quickly and was just able to grovel around and hold that gap”.
The weekend was rounded out by the short course cross-country. The You Yang’s crew had built a great track with short climbs and technical rock gardens and jumps. All of this was within site of the event village, which made it great for spectators. I took it out hard from the gun, leading for the first few laps. The course was proving to be exciting to race on. I did fade a lot towards the end, but I was glad I had spiced things up at the front.
Scott Bowden – recovering from his effort. Photo: Michael Jayne
Next stop for the series is Pemberton in Western Australia, which should be another awesome event. Even if you aren’t racing in any of the rounds make sure you get down and have a look at the best riders in the nation battle it out!
Full results for all races can be viewed online.