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Crocodile Trophy - NE
Australia, October 18-30, 2005
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Race 1 - October 18: Townsville - Townsville, 70 km
Love Conquers All at Crocodile Trophy!
Belgian Christophe Stevens wins stage one
By John-Michael Flynn in Townsville, North Queensland
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In 2004, Belgian Christophe Stevens found love at the Crocodile Trophy, meeting his wife Anita, a Red Bull Promotional Girl. Today, the Flemish rider celebrated in style by taking out stage one of the World’s toughest mountain bike race, a punishing twenty five kilometre prologue on the beach in Australia’s tropical capital of Townsville.
The result was a major turnaround for Stevens, who struggled to complete most of the stages in the 2004 Crocodile Trophy, his first attempt at the race. Today riders had to contend with soft sand and strong winds, but fortunately no crocodiles on the shoreline at beautiful Rowes Bay.
"Yere I love this race, it’s an adventure like nothing else," Stevens said as he completed the opening stage, minutes ahead of his competitors. The 31 year-old Belgian Romeo will have to ride another thousand kilometres before meeting up with his new bride, who will join the race Caravan at Laura on Cape York.
But Stevens’ commitment, both to the race and to the girl of his dreams, is there for everyone to see, with the words "I married the Red Bull chick" embroidered on his jersey.
Second across the line in Townsville was another dark horse in the shape of current Austrian Under 23 National Champion Marcus Eibegger, while third place went to his countryman Matthias Buxhoffer.
Significant gaps already on General Classification
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The riders tipped as the major contenders today, UCI World Cup Champion Mauro Bettin of the Felt-Shimano Dream Team and Australia’s defending champion Adam Hansen were slightly off the pace this afternoon.
While it was meant to be a short prologue stage, the soft sand took a massive toll on the General Classification, with Hansen more than three minutes and forty seconds behind Stevens, and Bettin a massive ten minutes and twenty nine seconds in arrears of the race leader.
But the defending Crocodile Trophy champion didn’t appear too phased by the situation. "I’m happy with my day," Hansen told Cyclingnews. "I don’t know how much time I lost on the first few guys, they’re all dark horses so I think it’s a good day. All the guys I’m worried about finished behind and I hope I put some time into them."
The best of the finishers from the highly fancied Felt-Shimano Dream Team was German Jens Zemke, whose sixth place today still has him sitting more than ten minutes off the cracking pace set by the in-form Stevens. "Twenty five kilometres are done and another one thousand four hundred kilometres to go," a light hearted Jens joked post-stage. "We are not smiling but the race is not over."
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Less enthusiastic about the day’s proceeding’s was Felt-Shimano Dream Team leader Mauro Bettin. The newly crowned UCI Marathon World Cup Champion was clearly feeling the effects of his frantic dash across the world after finishing third in the final round of the World Cup series in France just three days ago. "I was not very happy today," Bettin admitted to Cyclingnews. "I am still tired from travel, I will take it easy for few days."
With the so-called ‘dark horses’ Stevens and Markus Eibegger leading the General Classification after stage one, the question is: can they build on their lead? Tomorrow the Crocodile Trophy heads into the mountains on a demanding 101 kilometre stage, and Eibegger, who earlier this year won Austria’s National Hill Climb Title (along with the road race and time trial) is considering an assault on the overall race lead.
"I will try as hard as possible but I’m not sure if my body can adjust to the heat," Eibegger said.
Long road ahead for Croc Trophy’s sole female entrant
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For the sole woman competing in the Crocodile Trophy of 2005, it looks like being a long slow road ahead. Thirty year-old Dane Astrid Boehm spent as much time off the bike as on it this afternoon, struggling to keep the pedals turning over in the soft sand of Rowes Bay beach. But the tough triathlete who has joined a large Danish contingent at this year’s Crocodile Trophy is determined to fight on.
"It is hot, I tried to take it a bit easy on the beach," Astrid told Cyclingnews. "I walk with the bike rather than struggling too much, try to save some energy so I do that again tomorrow. I must I will .. yes."
Perhaps the words of German Jens Zemke are best repeated again: "Twenty five kilometres down, one thousand four hundred to go!"
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Mark Watson/mwphotography.com.au
- Astrid Boehm (Team ACM) - once again only one woman has been game to tackle the Croc Trophy.
- The start of the 2005 Crocodile Trophy
- Riders cross Townsville beach in the prologue of the 2005 Crocodile Trophy.
- Christophe Stevens returned to Croc Trophy to take out the prologue.
- Adam Hansen (Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1) finds that life's not really a beach.
- Adam Hansen (Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1) is a little over three minutes down after the prologue - but there's a long, long way to go yet!
- A Red Bull promo girls hands up some refreshment
- Peter Stenico (Peto) tackles the sand the easy way.
- Karl Frank (SV Panaceo Post) on the way to 31st place.
- Astrid Boehm (Team ACM) follows the tyre tracks across Townsville beach.
- The podium - Markus Eibegger (Team Rapso), Christophe Stevens and first (and only) woman Astrid Boehm (Team ACM)
Results
1 Christophe Stevens (Bel) 55.16 2 Markus Eibegger (Aut) Team Rapso 0.19 3 Matthias Buxhofer (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl 2.17 4 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1 3.40 5 Heinz Zörweg (Aut) ARBÖ Wienstrom Lamster Fadewa 7.38 6 Jens Zemke (Ger) Dream Team 1 10.12 7 David Wood (Aus) Dream Team 2 10.18 8 Mauro Bettin (Ita) Dream Team 1 10.29 9 Radoslav Sibl (Cze) Favorit Brno - Bikezone 12.34 10 Kai Hundertmarck (Ger) Dream Team 1 12.43 11 Johannes Huber (Ger) Team Huber 14.07 12 Johannes Reiser (Aut) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1 14.54 13 Tim Northy (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2 15.36 14 Struan Lamont (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2 15.50 15 Robert Vlug (Ned) team.hollandonline.nl 16.00 16 Beat Lustenberger (Swi) Trek-VC Züri 2 16.13 17 Salvatore P. Albano (Ita) Team Bike Tarvisio 2005 16.20 18 Joe McDonnell (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2 17.06 19 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Dream Team 2 17.37 20 Loris Macor (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 17.55 21 Guido Van Olffen (Ned) GTI team 19.52 22 Stefan Rucker (Aut) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1 20.59 23 Knud Juul-Jensen (Irl) Team ACM 2 23.18 24 Han Vaalt (Ned) GTI team 33.03 25 Reinhard Hörmann (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl 35.59 26 Cristophe Desimpelaere (Bel) Team ACM 36.06 27 Bart Machiels (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 2 38.41 28 Mikkel Brinch Norgaard (Den) Team ACM 41.06 29 Peter Stenico (Aut) Peto 42.07 30 Harry Ensink (Ned) GTI team 42.52 31 Karl Frank (Aut) SV Panaceo Post 44.52 32 Kim Proctor (Aus) 46.51 33 Jos Kerkhofs (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1 47.10 34 Giancarlo Schönberg (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 49.09 35 Eric Paquay (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1 56.29 36 Paul West (UK) Endura/Shred 56.53 37 Astrid Boehm (Den) Team ACM 1.20.53 37 Ejnar Fausing (Den) Team ACM 2 37 Rudi Donckers (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1 37 Günter Rafeiner (Aut) Sport Nora 37 Claude Dabaliz (Nzl) Fastest Woman 1 Astrid Boehm (Den) Team ACM 2.16.09
