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10th Crocodile Trophy - NE
Australia, October 16-31, 2004
Main Page Results Gatorade Dream Team diary Previous Stage Next Stage
Stage 10 - October 28: Moya - Laura, 158 km
Fourth stage win For Elli
Aussie and Italian 'best of mates'
By John-Michael Flynn at Laura, Queensland Australia.
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Who would have thought after ten days of toe to toe arguments, threats and counter threats, allegations of cheating, fines and bitter wrangling it would come to this. But today it actually happened: Australia's Adam Hansen (Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort) and Italian Alberto Elli (Gatorade Dream Team) working together to secure a stage win for the leader of the Gatorade Dream Team.
Maybe it was the peaceful influence of the Quinkan country, home to some of Australia's most spectacular Aboriginal rock art which provided the calming influence. More likely it is true in bike racing that rivalries alter from one day to the next, fair weather friends disappear off the back of the bunch and respect is earned in volumes of sweat.
Had the cards fallen differently, stage ten of the Crocodile Trophy, a one hundred and forty two kilometre journey from Imooya to Laura in Outback Australia could easily have been race defining.
In a sense it was, not in terms of significant changes to the general classification, but in terms of a new rivalry developing in the lead bunch and a gentleman's agreement forged between the Trophy's two prize fighters.
"Haven't you heard Elli and I are mates now," a cheeky Adam Hansen quipped after accepting second place in today's stage.
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The Australian claimed to have offered Elli the opportunity to go up the road on several occasions in the dying stages of today's race, if only to make Czech rider Ondrej Fojtik (Hansen's major threat on G.C.) work harder for his bread and dripping.
Whatever the terms of 'the deal', it resulted in the predictably unpredictable Italian claiming his fourth stage win for the Crocodile Trophy of 2004, matching his feat of last year when he also won four stages.
"I offered to let him go at 20k's, 15k's, 10k's and 5k's," race leader Hansen said of Elli's move. The Italian eventually launched himself up the road with one kilometre to go, beating Hansen by 7 seconds with Fojtik a further 15 seconds in arrears.
How it unfolded
The first thirty kilometres of today's stage were played out on the same decomposed 'sandy' granite as the previous day, before the road opened out into a flat and fast drag strip.
Sketchy in places early on, with corridors of sand and cattle crossing over, today's parcours made for more interesting riding compared with previous days.
Leading the way, the group containing the three G.C. contenders Hansen, Elli and Fojtik, was joined by two riders out of contention for the major prize in Marzio Deho and Christophe Stevens.
The latter pair were under constant watch from race commissaire's who'd issued strict instructions that riders no longer competing in the battle for overall honours could not assist team-mates.
Stevens, who'd failed to finish any stage of the Crocodile Trophy stayed on the pace with the lead riders, while Deho was also on song.
Angered by Fojtik's attacking move following his crash yesterday, Elli appeard on a mission to hurt the Czech rider by attacking sensibly and strong, trying to take Hansen with him.
Once the race reached the hard packed dirt road to Laura, it became clear no ground was to be made in the race for overall honours.
When Elli finally attacked with one kilometre to go and Hansen chose not to respond, the stage was all but decided.
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Laura would toast Elli and Hansen would maintain a solid race lead (47.50) over Fojtik, a gap sizeable enough 'perhaps' to claim overall race honours should he avoid any major incidents.
Bulldust, Cooktown, CREB track
Heading into the final two stages of the Crocodile Trophy, race leader Adam Hansen is confident yet extremely cautious about his chances of winning the event.
Tomorrow's 142km stage from Laura to Cooktown via the 'Battlecamp Road' is one which Hansen fears.
Last year he struggled in the deep bulldust holes after the race start and is acutely aware several riders may try to make a move.
"I think only today I finally learnt to ride in sand," Hansen said.
Cooktown will be the final stopover for the Crocodile Trophy Caravan before it heads into the Daintree Rainforest and the final stage along the infamous CREB track.
A combination of steep hills and technical descents awaits the riders, who will need to take chances to make up time on a track which is notorious for destroying bikes.
Photography
Images by Mark Watson/mwphotography.com.au
- Martin Kiechle collapses sweating and exhausted at the end of the 142 km Stage 10 of the 2004 Crocodile Trophy
- A traffic jam in the outback for the lead riders at the 2004 Crocodile Trophy
- The leading peloton take it easy in the early stages of the 142 km Stage 10 of the 2004 Crocodile Trophy in inland Queensland
Results
1 Alberto Elli (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 5.37.59 2 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 0.07 3 Ondrej Fojtik (Cze) 0.22 4 Martin Kiechle (Ger) 16.55 5 Gerhard Gulewicz (Aut) bikestation-salinenimmobiloen.com 22.36 6 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Team Sport Nora 31.35 7 Adam Socha (Aus) 53.14 8 James Grant (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 55.46 9 Andreas Dünn (Ger) Baier-Qantas-German A. 58.48 10 Tilo Koch (Ger) 1.00.22 11 Robert Hotter (Aut) Team Sport Nora 1.00.23 12 Thomas Moderbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 1.08.54 13 David Woods (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 1.12.24 14 Andrew Wegener (Aus) 1.27.39 15 Perry Moerman (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 2 1.27.45 16 Salvatore Paolo Albano (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 1.28.29 17 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Gatorade Dream Team 2 1.32.39 18 Willi Wagner (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 1.46.30 19 Peter Dammerer (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 1.46.31 20 Peter Raymann (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 2 2.06.46 21 Loris Macor (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 2.08.37 22 Stephan Adelsmayr (Aut) Drahteselklinik 2.24.57 23 Hans Weber (Aut) Team Fluxus 2.27.16 24 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 2.35.42 25 Andreas Mühlbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 26 Toru Watanabe (Jpn) Team Sport Nora 3.02.02 Fastest Woman 1 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 8.13.41 Category B 1 Marzio Deho (Aus) Gatorade Dream Team 1 5.38.22 2 Christophe Stevens (Bel) 0.59 3 Thomas Pichler (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 1.46.09 4 Kim Proctor (Aus) SOHO 2.06.50 5 Charles Blanc (Fra) 2.09.22 General classification after stage 10 1 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 48.17.26 2 Ondrej Fojtik (Cze) 47.50 3 Alberto Elli (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 1.28.52 4 Martin Kiechle (Ger) 2.12.26 5 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Team Sport Nora 2.50.51 6 Gerhard Gulewicz (Aut) bikestation-salinenimmobiloen.com 4.47.24 7 Robert Hotter (Aut) Team Sport Nora 5.36.58 8 Andreas Dünn (Ger) Baier-Qantas-German A. 6.06.31 9 Tilo Koch (Ger) 6.16.13 10 James Grant (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 6.56.16 11 Adam Socha (Aus) 8.16.10 12 Andrew Wegener (Aus) 8.17.23 13 David Woods (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 8.32.21 14 Salvatore Paolo Albano (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 9.27.01 15 Thomas Moderbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 9.42.53 16 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Gatorade Dream Team 2 11.01.36 17 Peter Dammerer (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 12.17.59 18 Willi Wagner (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 13.11.10 19 Perry Moerman (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 2 13.41.28 20 Loris Macor (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 16.00.05 21 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 16.44.35 22 Hans Weber (Aut) Team Fluxus 18.15.11 23 Andreas Mühlbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 18.23.11 24 Peter Raymann (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 2 19.41.32 25 Toru Watanabe (Jpn) Team Sport Nora 21.04.29 26 Stephan Adelsmayr (Aut) Drahteselklinik 21.44.18 Fastest Woman 1 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 65.02.01 Over 40 classification 1 Alberto Elli (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 49.48.22 2 Salvatore Paolo Albano (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 7.56.05 3 Willi Wagner (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 11.40.14 4 Perry Moerman (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 2 12.10.32 5 Peter Raymann (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 2 18.10.36 6 Stephan Adelsmayr (Aut) Drahteselklinik 20.13.22 Category B classification 1 Thomas Pichler (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 15.01.59 2 Kim Proctor (Aus) SOHO 1.05.48 3 Marzio Deho (Aus) Gatorade Dream Team 1 2.43.17 4 Christophe Stevens (Bel) 2.44.16 5 Charles Blanc (Fra) 4.52.39 Points classification 1 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 135 pts 2 Alberto Elli (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 120 3 Ondrej Fojtik (Cze) 95 4 Martin Kiechle (Ger) 56 5 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Team Sport Nora 31 6 Robert Hotter (Aut) Team Sport Nora 20 7 Jurgen Van de Wale (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 1 17 8 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Gatorade Dream Team 2 15 8 Mario Amann (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 15 10 Marzio Deho (Aus) Gatorade Dream Team 1 10 11 Gerhard Gulewicz (Aut) bikestation-salinenimmobiloen.com 4 12 Perry Moerman (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 2 2 Teams classification 1 Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 161.22.25 2 Team Sport Nora 13.02.36 3 skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 28.20.32
