Episode 7 follows the Trail Mix Procon Racing Team headed off to Mt Stromlo in Canberra for the 3rd round of the MTBA Gravity Cup of 11/12.
Round 3 of the Australian Gravity Cup was held in the Nations capital of Canberra, ACT. Mt Stromlo was the host for a round of the 2008 UCI World Cup, and the 2009 World Championships, the same track that Peaty broke his World Championships title drought on!
The weekend certainly entertained with a variety of track changes, as well as consistently bipolar weather! Once again the countries best riders were in attendance and the Trailmix-Procon Racing team were out to impress!
Friday practice was a soggy affair with rain coming down all day on the exposed hillside track. The team hit the track early in a bid to get a few practice runs underway and become familiar with course changes up the top half. With an estimated 40 riders on course on Friday, the course was slick, and multiple crashes were had by the team, resulting in a few sore bodies and mechanical issues. After a few hours of dealing with the rain we called it a day and headed back to our accommodation.
Waking up on Saturday morning was a completely different affair to Friday. The sun was out, and with temperatures nearing 30 degrees (Celsius) the track was drying out quickly! Group B practice was first on Saturday morning so the guys got a well-earned sleep in, before trundling along to the track just prior to lunch. With the better weather came more riders and when Group A practice got underway at 12.30pm everybody headed up on course to watch the likes of Troy Brosnan and Sam Hill hit features such as the infamous Triple Treat, and the redesigned top half of the course. With big doubles, big pedally sections and tough rock gardens, it was going to be evident who had been putting in the hard yards during the off season.
Sunday morning came around and as expected, Andy Crimmins took the win in the Group B premier class of U/17s. The track was running a few seconds faster than Saturdays seeding and once final practice and racing got underway, the times were falling rapidly! Crossing the line in U/19 Men for Trailmix-Procon Racing was Jai Motherwell in 14th, and Olly Zwar in 17th, neither completely happy with their race runs. In Elite Men, Lewis Winton finished in 21st, and after seeding in 12th place on the Saturday, Ricky Clarke crashed in the new top section in his race run to cross the line disappointed in 24th.
The team now has a few weekends off before our final long stint in the road, with Australian National Champs, the final round of the Gravity Cup series, and Oceania Championships in NZ all being back to back! We couldn’t do this without the support of our awesome sponsors, so please make the time to check out Trailmix, Procon Group, Specialized Australia, SRAM Australia, Anthem Industries, Narimba Fitness, Natural Swim Ponds Australia, Adidas Eyewear and Alpinestars. For more information on the team you can find us at www.facebook.com/trailmixproconracing, and to check out more awesome photos from our photographer, as well as reviews from the Australian MTB scene, check out http://theroostmag.com.au/
