For National Cross Country Champion, Chris Jongewaard the best part of this weekend’s race in Adelaide will be not travelling to another city. For the first time in his mountain bike career the 28 year old will race on his home turf at the new Eagle Mountain Bike Park.
“It’s going to be a different feeling waking up and heading to a race from your own home,” said Jongewaard.
“This is break through for Adelaide,” he said. “Every day it’s becoming a high class cycling city.”
Jongewaard recently returned to Australia after racing the World Cups, World Championships and the mountain bike test event in Beijing. HE is the highest ranked Australian in 26th position with 643 points.
Team mate, Sid Taberlay from Tasmania will also start his Australian series assault in Adelaide after winning the overall series last season. Lining up will be Canberra’s Dylan Cooper after claiming second in last year’s season and competing at the World Championships he could be a threat.
Adelaide’s Shaun Lewis will not compete this Saturday but instead is working to raise enough money for his overseas campaign for season. His counterpart with the same name from Canberra is on the start list and is expected to challenge the leaders.
Last season’s early leader, Aiden Lefmann is expected to put the pressure on early in the 6 or 7 lap race along with young under 23 series winner Cal Britten from Victoria.
The women’s race numbers have exceeded the men’s and means National Cross Country Champion, Tory Thomas from Victoria will have to get into the lead group early. A strong group of developing riders that are part of the “Dirt Roads to London” program including National Marathon Champion, Rowena Fry from Launceston could challenge Thomas’s domination of last year’s series.
The “Dirt Roads to London” initiative is in its second year and already the selected riders have shown massive improvement. One such rider, Terri Rhodes from Adelaide is elated to have the event in the Adelaide hills.
“I can’t wait to show my coach how much I’ve improved,” she said. “The majority of the course is single track which I like. The climbs are technical and single track climbs which I like as well.”
For Rhodes who rode her first mountain bike at the first testing session for the program knows her skills have improved dramatically since then.
“I showed a bit of potential but in terms of mountain bike specific skills I didn’t have any,” she admitted.
“I want to show my coach how much I’ve improved. I know this track so that will help.”
Last year’s first series race winner, Zoe King from Manly, also has podium potential on this course.
Women’s cross country gets underway at 11:00 am on Saturday and the men’s cross country to start at 1 pm. According to the Olympic format the men’s race should take approximately two hours with the women’s just under the two hour mark.
Downhill practice will be run on Friday and Saturday. Racing starts at 1 pm on Sunday.
Sharon Payne
Media Manager
Mountain Bike Australia
“It’s going to be a different feeling waking up and heading to a race from your own home,” said Jongewaard.
“This is break through for Adelaide,” he said. “Every day it’s becoming a high class cycling city.”
Jongewaard recently returned to Australia after racing the World Cups, World Championships and the mountain bike test event in Beijing. HE is the highest ranked Australian in 26th position with 643 points.
Team mate, Sid Taberlay from Tasmania will also start his Australian series assault in Adelaide after winning the overall series last season. Lining up will be Canberra’s Dylan Cooper after claiming second in last year’s season and competing at the World Championships he could be a threat.
Adelaide’s Shaun Lewis will not compete this Saturday but instead is working to raise enough money for his overseas campaign for season. His counterpart with the same name from Canberra is on the start list and is expected to challenge the leaders.
Last season’s early leader, Aiden Lefmann is expected to put the pressure on early in the 6 or 7 lap race along with young under 23 series winner Cal Britten from Victoria.
The women’s race numbers have exceeded the men’s and means National Cross Country Champion, Tory Thomas from Victoria will have to get into the lead group early. A strong group of developing riders that are part of the “Dirt Roads to London” program including National Marathon Champion, Rowena Fry from Launceston could challenge Thomas’s domination of last year’s series.
The “Dirt Roads to London” initiative is in its second year and already the selected riders have shown massive improvement. One such rider, Terri Rhodes from Adelaide is elated to have the event in the Adelaide hills.
“I can’t wait to show my coach how much I’ve improved,” she said. “The majority of the course is single track which I like. The climbs are technical and single track climbs which I like as well.”
For Rhodes who rode her first mountain bike at the first testing session for the program knows her skills have improved dramatically since then.
“I showed a bit of potential but in terms of mountain bike specific skills I didn’t have any,” she admitted.
“I want to show my coach how much I’ve improved. I know this track so that will help.”
Last year’s first series race winner, Zoe King from Manly, also has podium potential on this course.
Women’s cross country gets underway at 11:00 am on Saturday and the men’s cross country to start at 1 pm. According to the Olympic format the men’s race should take approximately two hours with the women’s just under the two hour mark.
Downhill practice will be run on Friday and Saturday. Racing starts at 1 pm on Sunday.
Sharon Payne
Media Manager
Mountain Bike Australia