Day 2 of practice and riders were really getting up to speed, Blake Nielsen charging.
Another day of practice here in Bright, instead of a full day free for all today was separated into open practice early and then group A and B practice later on. No major incidents to report, a few riders said hello to the ground and some lost the air pressure in their wheels but it is a fairly technical track so this is to be expected.
Troy Brosnan sorting lines out, part of the game today was watching out for other slower riders on the track.Some riders were struggling to see the wood from the trees today!It is hard to convey just how steep the track is in parts, you just have to ride it (or try and walk down it!).Mayhem Dave, say no more!The biggest team on the circuit, we are sure of it, Giant Australia were looking good all day.Braaapppp Andrew Crimmins coming into the steep chute section!Connor Fearon was jumping sections higher than anyone else, most weren’t even getting air.Tracey Hannah going sans gloves!Riders had to deal with coming from bright wide open sections straight into dark forested areas at high speed.Goggle choice was a key decision today, not just aesthetically!Wide open, flat corners are a plenty here this weekend!Dust was hanging around in the forest sections, just in case you needed more of a challenge!Only a few riders were gapping down into this chute.Steep corners are Champery-ish in an Australian kind of way.Graeme Mudd getting airborne!
Saturday will see riders seed late in the day, this will be the first real indication of who is on it and who still needs to do some work.
Well at least the view is great if nothing else but fortunately everything else is pretty good, riders are loving the track!
Day 1 and this meant an early start for the track walk followed by all day practice. If you don’t know Bright is one of the best tracks on the circuit with riders loving the steep hill which means the track is a ‘real’ track, rocky, steep, loose, these are all words that can describe it. Check out these images from day 1:
Blue skies and sunny conditions meant everyone was happy.There’s a fair chance this family could take the win in the mens and womens!No time to stop and smell the flowers, David McMillan was flying, practice winner? Quite possibly…Riders don’t get too many opportunities but the view was great!Fast and looking comfortable after day 1, Tracey Hannah is hot favorite for the win.Luke Ellison looking fast, taking a high line here coming into this chute, a tight corner at the bottom was catching a lot of riders out.Connor Fearon smashed out a few runs, we often lost him in the dust or he snuck up on us,we will get you Mr Worldwide!Close! David McMillan getting close to the bunting, pin it to win it!Up to speed and smashing out runs, we lost how many times we saw Mic Hannah today!
Check back after tomorrow’s practice for more action!
Bright MTB Festival – one of the biggest events of the year! With a huge amount of disciplines there was something for everyone.
The second round of the Alpine Gravity Enduro Series saw us arriving in the picturesque Bright, not only for the enduro, but for the Bright MTB Festival. This saw a slopestyle event, cross country, downhill and enduro races all held over the course of the weekend!
Steep and loose, just what riders wanted and living up to the reputation that Bright has for being one of the premier race destinations in Australia.
For the enduro the weather was on our side with warm sunshine beaming down. On initial inspection the track lived up to its reputation from last year and from the start gate it was steep and loose with plenty of fun turns. After a few riders the track started to get loose and the dust started to fly! Riders were flowing down the track with smiles from ear to ear on everything from 29er hardtails to full-fledged DH bikes. When one bike was shining the other would lose out and the track became equally fair to everyone.
Caption options A) Bulldozing down the track! B) The grade was awesome! C) Everyone brought out their best machinery for the weekend. There you go pick your story!The sun was out and shining, well for most of the weekend anyway!
As the first run rolled around there were so many riders the times fell slightly behind, but everything continued to keep up and run smoothly. As rider after rider pounded the corners the looseness escalated quickly, with many being caught out by dust piles looking like berms, and front wheel washing out.
Front wheel washouts and flat outs wiped the smile off the faces of many riders but only temporarily of course!Rider after rider hit the track churning it up but that’s pretty standard and you get use to that with the Australian climate and soil conditions!Check out the crowd and the stoke clearly evident on Lucy Crundwell’s face! Doesn’t it make you smile?!Staying with the Crundwell clan but this time Ben pinning it and duly rewarded with 5th for his efforts!More stoke! Love that crowd.
The second runs began seamlessly and riders again flowed down the track but soon the clouds rolled in. By the time Elite Women were racing there was a sizable thunderstorm making its way over the race, many women finishing claimed to be hailed on either at the top of the track or mid-way down! As the storm escalated and the lightning grew closer and closer, the decision was made to cancel the Elite Mena��s second run due to dangers with the lightning and storms. This meant a hectic mass downhill start for all the boys resulting in plenty of fun being had down the track, it did however mean the first runs standings were the final results. Chris Panozzo took the victory with a healthy margin of overA�9 seconds in what was a pretty stacked field.A�What times riders would have done in their second run we will never know but we still got a result and fun was had, which is the main thing!
Elite Women:
1. Carrie McLachlan 8.30.22
2. Genevieve McKewA�8.34.10
3. Ronja Hill-Wright 8.38.36
4. Jpo Wall 8.44.25
5. Alyssa Lyons 8.52.44
Elite Men:
1. Chris Panozzo A�6.55.52
2. Jack Tattersall 7.04.58
3, Kaine Cannan 7.05.58
4. Jon Odams 7.08.09
5. Ben Crundwell 7.10.73
Watch that pedal! The fine line between an awesome run and telling all your mates in the car park ‘if only I had/hadn’t…’Bright MTB Festival done and dusted for another year, we will be back next year! Before then though we will be back to Bright over summer for some more racing!
Epic! Dust, light and track all combined for some banger shots!
Welcome to the final round of the Australian National Downhill Series! Nestled in the alpine country of Victoria there were hints this track would supply the goods. As competitors began showing up and walking the initial part of the track, from the bottom upwards, excitement grew and even grown men began to giggle with jitters of excitement as the track unfolded before their eyes.
There was no hiding it Hill was who everyone was watching but a strong field meant it was up in the air.
First practice opened and every rider was emerging over the finish line wide eyed and large mouthed. The track was certainly delivering everything that everyone was hoping for. While chatting with Sam Hill he described the track as ‘a mini Val Di Sole’ which we agreed with completely. So, what did that mean? We’re pretty sure it meant you better watch out, because we all know just how well Sam Hill and Val Di Sole go together. As the practice began flowing the track started to wear in, lines began to form, ruts were dug and the dust gathered. Come Friday evening there was so much chatter about the pits of just how fun the track was that no one was actually concentrating on just how to find a fast line yet.
Henry Blake didn’t quite have the weekend he was hoping for with a crash but he wasn’t the only one with plenty of riders over the weekend chasing five cent pieces!Jared Rando, the family man, may have retired from international competition but he still knows how to handle a bike!Another rider who didn’t have an ideal race run was Chris Kovarik but he still tore up the hill.
As the sun rose on Saturday and crowds gathered around the pits the first shuttles went up, the dust was un-settled and the racing began. Riders began picking lines, Sam was finding lines no one else could and everyone else had the joy of watching world class riders perform on a proper downhill track. As qualifying rolled around the clouds began to gather and the rain began to fall, would this affect qualifying? Would the dust become mud and turn this place into Sam Hills playground? The rain grew heavier, but the thick pine forest held back the moisture and after only a hand full of riders the dust kicked up yet again and the track seemed almost untouched by the heavy showers. Sam Hill appeared first as he held the no.1 plate, as he went past you could see that another gear had been engaged, could anyone catch Sam? Jack and Connor went past and the dust began to hang in the air, making it difficult to see much at all, would having an early qualifying run become an advantage due to visibility? Only time would tell. Troy having the number 32 came through much later in the field but looked just as quick with the visibility not seeming too much of an issue at all. As the final qualifier crossed the line it was pretty apparent that Sam Hill was in fact the man to catch on this track, Sam walked away Saturday with a commanding 9 second advantage over his closest rival; Jack Moir.
Another super strong race weekend for Jack Moir who keeps improving, we are excited to see what he can do as he heads overseas later this year.Was Jase standing with one foot lower than the other or was the track really that steep?! David McMillan had it covered ether way!
Race day arrived with a brisk and damp morning, but again after only a couple of riders the track was back at its dusty best. The track opened for practice and many did only one run to check the track for any new ruts that had been formed through the days earlier racing. As racing began riders began to tumble, bikes began to suffer and the course showed its teeth. Many riders were suffering mechanicals and coming off. It seemed if you could keep both wheels on the ground and stay upright there was a good chance you could walk away with the win. As the top ten began to traverse down the hill times began to tumble, as Troy passed the finish line he took the provisional hot seat with only Jack Moir and Sam Hill to come. Jack appeared around the corner and pedalled hard but couldn’t quite make up the time, this left only Sam Hill to come, the former team mates were in for a battle, would Sam keep it on the vertical and come down with a winning time? Sam appears around the corner pedalling hard, eyes flash from the clock to the track as we watch Sam manual over the line for the win by 1.10s.
Dean Lucas took the win in Under 19’s and was pretty excited to boot!Crouched and low, Kovarik looking good!It was good to see Troy Brosnan back and racing at Bright, in the end he was duelling with his former team mate for the victory, impressive for a comeback race!Finishing off the season as he started it, Sam Hill took the win.Both Sam and Claire took the race and the overall series, Claire with a big piece of foam attached to her hand to help reduce the vibrations to her injured hand.
This left Sam with a National Series white wash, claiming the fastest times at each round, not only for the finals, but also for qualifying and giving him a solid overall, a warning sign to competitors in the upcoming World Cup? There can only be one winner on the day, but as everyone walks away from the track there really are only smiles, this track had delivered some excellent racing and was a favorite track for many this National Series.
Make no mistake enduro downhill is here to stay, the format maybe massaged slightly but the discipline is going to blow up in the next few years!
Bright, Victoria played host to Round 2 of the Alpine Gravity Series, one of Australia’s only true enduro downhill races and series. With Elite Men taking overA�ten minutes to complete the course, there was some serious descending to be done!A�Sections of the BrightA�track would be considered just as technical as ‘traditional’ downhill races, in fact, after the first practice session many riders put their ‘all mountain’ style bikes backA�and brought out the full blown downhill rigs! The consensus being this track suited more technical style riders, as opposed to round 1 whichA�appeared toA�have favoured fitter riders more.
There was a wide range of bikes spotted under riders at this race, one area to pay attention to however, was bar width! Pine forest sections meant your standard 750mm style downhill bars could be a little tight in some sections!
Overall the event was run well, transport was ample, timing was spot on and of course the track was good! Around 100 racers enjoyed the day, the track started at the sameA�altitude hang gliders start their ride from and there was only one real big pedal slog at the bottom about 3 minutes. Results are as follows;
Elite Men:
1.A�Daniel Macmunn 10:02.37
2. Oliver Zwar 10:56.21 + 53.84
3. Tom Macmunn 10:59.13 +A�56.76A�
4. A�Ben Crundwell 11:23.17 + 1:20.80
5. Luke Dewar 11:30.47A�+ 1:28.10
Elite Women:
1. Jacqui Lovett 13:21.79
2. Lucy Brandon 16:23.19 +A�3:01.40
3. Amy Phillips 19:51.77 + 6:29.98
Event organiser, Ben Watkins, making his way down the track as a courier for the marshalls!
Continuing on with the enduro downhill focus, it has just been announced a World Enduro Series will start in 2013. Driven by Chris Ball, formerly of the UCI, he was one of the players that has lifted the World Cup Downhill series to where it is today. He is not going solo, rather,A�joining forces with organisers from events such as the Enduro Series in Europe and the Crankworx collective, they have created both a newA�series and a new association; The Enduro Mountain Bike Association. There is plenty of discussion going on within the mountain bike industry (and on the forums) whether the move away from the UCI is a good one. However, with the UCI not committing to one of the biggest growing areas within the gravityA�discipline, it was just a matter of time. Having done some riding with Chris Ball we can tell you the tracks he will select are going to be no walk in the park! Combine this with riders such as Dan Atherton and now Aussie Jared Graves, committing to the enduro format we areA�only going toA�hear more about enduro in the future, which is definitely not a bad thing!A�The race locations and final details of the new series haven’t been released yet but expect more details soon. What’s great is that events like the Alpine Gravity are already up and running here in Australia, getA�on board now and beat the bandwagon!
The new World Series is super exciting and with events already running here in OZ you have no excuse to not practice!
