Urs Huber once again is able to break-away from the lead group towards the end of today’s race, taking his fifth consecutive stage win this year. Soren Nissen (DEN) is second, Brendan Johnston (AUS) comes in third and the Austrians Islitzer and Grick are fourth and fifth, respectively.
Start line-up at Irvinebank (l-r): Brendan Johnston (AUS), Urs Huber (SUI), Sarah White (AUS), Milton Ramos (ESP) and Jiri Krivanek (CZE). Photos: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy
Urs Huber defends his overall leader jersey in a race time of 4h07:20. With Nicholas Pettina (ITA) dropping off the lead group due to a mechanical today, Huber increases his overall lead to +16:26 minutes to the new runner-up, Sören Nissen from Denmark, who finished with a gap of 2:01 min to the Swiss stage winner today.
Bad luck for Nicholas Pettina (ITA): flat tire, looses time, drops from 2nd to fourth position overall. Photos: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy
Today’s temperatures delivered everything our riders had expected from racing in the Outback and the event’s UCI Chief Commissaire had an additional feedzone installed approximately 12 km before the finish to assist riders struggling with the oppressive heat. Riders called it an “old school” Crocodile Trophy stage with wide open Outback fire trails through rough mining country in and around Irvinebank.
Today’s race was a marathon in the Irvinebank mining region with views of the spectacular Outback – Urs Huber left, Soren Nissen right. Photos: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy
Australia’s Brendan Johnston said of today’s stage that it had been the toughest day on a mountain bike in his career, “[I raced] 115km as hard as I could go and in 35 degree heat […] positive was that I finished 3rd on the stage and I moved into 3rd in the overall with 3 stages to go.”
Johnston has now a gap of just over half an hour to Urs Huber. Behind him in fourth in the general classification is Nicholas Pettina (ITA), who lost a lot of time due to his mechanical – his gap is now +34:42 to the leader and Lukas Islitzer from Austria moves into fifth position overall.
Sarah White, the strong elite women draws from here ultra-marathon running experience in the tough conditions. Here with A3 rider Dirk Carpentier (BEL). Photos: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy
Tomorrow’s stage destination: tropical Skybury Coffee Plantation
After two hot and dusty days in the Outback, stage 7 will take our Crocodile Trophy racers north to the tropical haven that is Skybury Coffee Plantation and closer to the coast again. With 127 km the longest stage this year, our racers can treat themselves to a strengthening cup of coffee or two and enjoy the fresh bananas and sweet red papayas grown on the farm. Racers are expected to arrive at Skybury by midday.
STAGE 6: TOP RESULTS ELITE MEN:
1. Urs Huber (SUI) #3 // Team Bulls // 4h07:20
2. Sören Nissen (DEN) #8 // Stevens Racing Team // 4h09:21 +2:01 min
3. Brendan Johnston (AUS) #4 // Trek Racing Australia // 4h15:31 +8:11 min
4. Lukas Islitzer (AUT) #20 // CRAFT – Rocky Mountain Team // 4h18:41 +11:21 min
5. Matthias Grick (AUT) #14 // KTM RAD.SPORT.SZENE Auseerland // 4h19:59 +12:39 min
STAGE 6: TOP RESULTS ELITE WOMEN:
1. Sarah White (AUS) #114 // Astute Financial Racing // 5h35:52
OVERALL: TOP RESULTS ELITE MEN:
1. Urs Huber (SUI) #3 // Team Bulls // 18h16:06
2. Sören Nissen (DEN) #8 // Stevens Racing Team // 18h32:32 +16:26 min
3. Brendan Johnston (AUS) #4 // Trek Racing Australia // 18h47:02 +30:56 min
4. Nicholas Pettina (ITA) #7 // Gruppo Sportivo Forestale // 18h50:48 +34:42 min
5. Lukas Islitzer (AUT) #20 // CRAFT – Rocky Mountain Team // 19h07:41 +51:35 min
OVERALL: TOP RESULTS ELITE WOMEN:
1. Sarah White (AUS) #114 // Astute Financial Racing // 25h56:18