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Crocodile Trophy - NE
Australia, October 18-30, 2005
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Stage 2 - October 19: Kirkland Downs – Paluma Dam, 112 km
Hansen wins as contenders emerge
By John-Michael Flynn in Paluma, North Queensland
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It took only one serious dirt road stage for the imposters to disappear off the back of the bunch today as defending champion Adam Hansen claimed his first stage victory of the 2005 Crocodile Trophy. After nearly four hours in the saddle, the 24 year old Australian emerged from the clouds on the misty mountaintop of the Paluma Range, triumphant and very much on track with his campaign for back-to-back victories.
But the pain of the final climb to the highest point of this year's Crocodile Trophy was clearly evident as the Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort team leader collapsed in a daze after pushing his body to the absolute limit, or perhaps beyond it?
"I blew up, it was a lot harder than I thought," Hansen told Cyclingnews after finally regaining his composure. I just hit the wall a lot harder than I thought."
Hansen's condition was in clear contrast to that of the Felt-Shimano Dream Team's Mauro Bettin, who looked relatively at ease when he crossed the line today in second place, just under two minutes behind the Australian.
"Today was a little bit good but I am tired, tired, tired," The UCI Marathon Mountain bike World Champion said upon completing the Crocodile Trophy's second stage.
How it unfolded
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Following on from yesterday's punishing opening prologue in soft sand at Rowes Bay in Townsville, stage two of the Crocodile Trophy took protagonists through some of the greatest diversity of terrain of any bike race on the planet. Beginning in the dusty outback surrounds of Kirkland Downs, riders hit the corrugated dirt roads synonymous with this event for the first time. And for those who had been there before and failed, like Englishman Paul West who suffered dreadfully in the Aussie Outback two years ago, there was immediate apprehension.
"I just want to make sure that I put it right," The Brit affirmed as he cast his eyes on the barren outback surrounds. "I just want it to go to plan this time and I get a result."
The race had barely begun when one of the main contenders for podium honours suffered a major setback. Czech cyclist Sibl "Radick" Radoslav received a flat tyre, but in a display of mental and physical toughness, rode himself back onto the main group over the next fifty kilometres, before finishing the day in fourth place.
"I was very happy that the first group didn't ride so fast," Radick said of his early mishap. "After 50 kilometres I rode to them and I know that its possible to ride to them."
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As the race developed, a mid-race breakaway involving American Lars Eric Johnson (Felt-Shimano Dream Team) and Stefan Rucker (Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort) was kept in check , with the major moves of the stage yet to come.
Along the way the terrain was constantly changing. Heading on a North-East course, the road to Paluma transformed in a matter of minutes from dry outback to open forest country. Then in the approach to the final climb of the day, competitors were surrounded by rainforest as the road turned upwards into the majestic Wet Tropics. It was at the seventy five kilometre mark, shortly after the final feed station, when reigning champion Adam Hansen called on his fellow riders to share the workload on a 3 kilometre climb, but when no-one wanted to contribute, the Australian took the initiative.
"Basically on that hill, we went up it and then we got to the top and I stood up and waited for them," Hansen revealed of his breakaway effort. "They weren't interested in working and then I just took off."
It was a bold decision from the local cyclist who still needed to conquer the final 11.5 kilometre climb to the summit of the Paluma Range. Behind him, Bettin faced a decision whether to stay with the chasing group of 5 riders, or join Hansen up the road. The Italian's decision not to join the attack, sensible perhaps, given the World Cup Champion is still acclimatizing to Australian conditions, with a long way to go yet in this most epic of races.
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While Hansen rode to victory, the question remains as to how much petrol the defending Crocodile Trophy champion has burned on his way to snatching the lead in the General Classification. The best summation perhaps lies with the rider who worked hardest today to stay in contention at the Crocodile Trophy. 'Radick' Sibl claiming "Bettin and Adam are only the people."
The Czech's summation was backed by today's results sheet, which showed several of the riders tipped to do well at the 2005 Crocodile Trophy, Germany's Kai Hundertmarck among them, are well off the pace. It was a tough day at the office also for the winner of yesterday's prologue Belgian Christophe Stevens, who still looked strong but lost valuable time against the likes of Hansen and Bettin.
Time and perhaps the punishment of tomorrow's 161 kilometre longest stage of the 2005 Crocodile Trophy will provide a better form guide for the overall outcome of this year's race.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Mark Watson/mwphotography.com.au
- The peloton followed by a truck early on in the stage
- The second stage took the riders through some of Australia's northern rainforests
- Cow alert!
- One of the many obstacles in the way of the riders: a cattle grid
- A dusty Adam Hansen
- Mauro Bettin (Dream Team 1) rode into second place
- Sibl Radoslav (Cze) in action during the second stage
- Czech rider Sibl Radoslav suffered a puncture shortly after the start but came back to eventually finish fourth
- Astrid Boehm (Team ACM) rides during stage 2
- Adam Hansen (Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1) en route to winning the stage
- Adam Hansen (Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1) collapses after winning the stage
Results
Provisional 1 Adam Hansen (Aus) 3.51.15 2 Mauro Bettin (Ita) 1.51 3 Heinz Zorweg (Aut) 4.21 4 Radoslav Sibl (Cze) 3.26 5 Matthias Buxhoffer (Aut) 3.38 6 Stefan Rucker (Aut) 11.00 7 Christophe Stevens (Bel) 11.35 8 Lars Eric Johnson (USA) 18.15 9 Jens Zemke (Ger) 10 Kai Hundertmark (Ger) 18.26
