All Mountain Cup - Round Three: Bright

Stage One – Cross Country Eliminator

With the amazing venue of Bright to hold the last round of the All Mountain Cup, it was going to be a great weekend of mountain biking. Stage one was to be held in the riverside park incorporating some of Bright’s beautiful scenery. A lap of the course would take between a minute and a half to two minutes, I was ready for what would be a fast race. My qualifying time was a minute and 36 seconds, just not fast enough to qualify for the final rounds of the eliminator but meant I was able to enjoy watching the other boys flying round the track and rest up for day two.

Stage Two – Olympic Distance Cross Country

The course was made up of 300 metres of vertical climbing each lap incorporating the pine forests surrounding Bright, with hard switchback climbs and descents. It was definitely the best track of the series. A mass start of Elite, U/23 and U/19 riders meant that a good start was crucial to success. With the first climb straight out of the start, I moved through the Elite field in good time. By the second lap I was running top five on course lapping with Paul Van Der Ploeg, with Chris Jongewaard just ahead of us. Cameron Ivory was hot on my tail, chasing about 30 seconds behind, so it was full gas all day. At the end of the fourth lap I caught Chris Jongewaard on the climb but on the final descent to the finish he pulled away. I crossed the line first in the U/23 category with Cameron Ivory coming in second position 30 seconds behind, followed by Ben Forbes and Alex Meyland. This was my second Cross Country win of the series and one of the best races I’ve experienced

Stage Three – Point to Point

Following yesterday’s epic Olympic distance cross country race, the legs and bodies of the riders were feeling a little worse for wear. The point to point was approximately 26km long and showed off some of Bright’s best single track that it has to offer. Stage three was another mass start however this time leading into a flat start loop before heading into single track up the hill, making it easier to move up positions. Myself and Cameron Ivory rode away from the U/23 field making it a two man race from the start. With neither of us being able to get away from the other, it looked like it would be down to a sprint. However I decided to have a lay down across a narrow bridge, dislocating my thumb in the process. Cameron took this opportunity to make a break and was able to hold it to the finish. I crossed the line in second, 50 seconds behind Cameron.

This being the last race of the series, it was time for the final presentations. Ben Forbes held onto the overall series win, with myself and Cameron Ivory tying in second place. A great end, to a great series. Looking forward to Oceanias in Hobart in two weeks’ time.