Crocodile Trophy - NE

Australia, October 18-30, 2005

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Stage 9 - October 26: Chillagoe - Mt. Mulgrave, 125 km

Stifling heat takes its toll

By John-Michael Flynn at Mount Mulgrave Station, Outback Far North Queensland

The four leaders
Photo ©: Mark Watson

Racing in the hottest temperatures yet experienced in the Crocodile Trophy of 2005 as the mercury hit 42 degrees (with unconfirmed reports at some checkpoints as high as 50 degrees!), Belgian Christophe Stevens today out-survived his rivals to celebrate a second stage victory for the event.

The 31 year-old, who was almost forced to withdraw from the race two days ago with a severely bruised hand following a crash, showed few ill effects on today's stage. A result perhaps of his decision not to go all-out in yesterday's time trial.

"I tried my luck and I was gone," Stevens said of his stage victory. "It was an easy stage win."

Today, the heat and the suffering arrived in unison as the Crocodile Trophy lived up to its reputation as the world's toughest off-road cycling event. But it was those at the rear end of the field, not the front, whose stories told the tale.

Veteran Danish cyclist Ejnar Fausing, who has spent the past nine days providing support to the sole female competitor in the race, Astrid Boehm, was forced to retire after sustaining a suspected broken shoulder.

"We think the shoulder is broken," race doctor Stephan Prettin said. "We flew him to Bellevue Station, then we called the Queensland Emergency Services rescue team who flew him to Cairns."

Fausing's compatriot, who fought on gallantly to the finish line, in a time of 8 hours and 47 minutes was clearly shocked by the injury forced withdrawal of the teammate who has supported her all the way.

"A friend of mine crashed, broke his shoulder, so it has not been a good day," a devastated Astrid Boehm said. "But I made it to the finish line. I was racing, I stayed with him for forty five minutes, then after that I stayed with another guy who was not feeling very good. Maybe I've been out there for two many hours."

Paul West
Photo ©: Mark Watson

A little further up the road, Englishman Paul West was almost delirious when he reached the deep river crossing on the crocodile inhabited Mitchell River.

As the mid-afternoon sun beat down, the sunburned and dust encrusted Brit was paying the price for what happens to those of his kin - those 'mad dogs' who go out in the midday sun.

"It's an f***ing furnace," the Brit exclaimed, abandoning any sense of good manners. "It's just got fifty something in the last feed station and forty odd in the shade, you're pretty uncomfortable the whole time, there's no shade, the trees have got no leaves on them you can't stand behind a tree. It's just a nightmare."

How it unfolded

Mauro Bettin (Dream Team 1)
Photo ©: Mark Watson

Stage nine of the Crocodile Trophy took the 39 competitors still remaining in the event on a 136 kilometre journey across the outback of Far North Queensland between the town of Chillagoe and the remote cattle station of Mount Mulgrave. At first the pace was slow, with only Tim Northy of the Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort team making a bold move off the front from the gun.

When the race veered off the dirt road and onto a technical bush track for the next twenty five kilometres, the race contenders once again emerged, with the Felt-Shimano Dream Team's Mauro Bettin, Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort's Adam Hansen, Heinz Zörweg and Christophe Stevens continuing their battle at the front of the field.

"Very hot, very hard in the technical section, Christophe and me attacked," Bettin, the Marathon World Cup Champion revealed post-stage. "After the technical stage, Adam attacked, I controlled it, very difficult to win at the Crocodile Trophy."

With the sun beating down and the rugged outback feeling like a blast furnace, even the lead pack struggled to reach the finish, as water became precious. "Bettin and I ran out of water and then we were just hanging in there," Hansen said of his long day on the road. "We asked Heinz for some water, he had some, Christophe had some and we had a few attacks at the end. Christophe got away."

Zörweg, the Austrian racing without team-mates who remains very much a contender in this race was dropped in the final kilometre, but gave up only thirty seconds to his rivals.

He presently sits 9 minutes and 40 seconds behind Hansen on the General Classification and is within striking distance of the race leader.

"I feel good and tomorrow want to go with Hansen and Bettin and Stevens and the next day I will attack," Zörweg revealed about his race plan. "I have just a little bit of a chance if Bettin is more than fifteen minutes behind me and Hansen has a problem, maybe I can win."

Where are the crocs?

Kai Hundertmarck (Dream Team 1)
Photo ©: Mark Watson

Today the Crocodile Trophy entered real 'croc country' as the riders crossed the Crocodile inhabited Mitchell River, one of Australia's wildest waterways, which runs into the Gulf of Carpentaria. For the Europeans at the Crocodile Trophy, it was a unique experience.

Up to his neck in water as he battled the current, Germany's Kai Hundertmarck could still manage a smile. In fact, somehow, the former Team Telekom rider has always managed a smile during this mind bogglingly painful event. "Before I was worried about crocodiles, but then when I went into the water I was maybe more worried that I get washed away," Hundertmarck said. "Because it was quite a strong stream and I was just very happy when I finished on the other side of the river, it was really quite deep in the middle."

Stocking up on a feed of pasta post-stage, Countryman Jens Zemke, a fellow member of the Felt-Shimano Dream Team was continuing his love-hate relationship with the event. An experience he will never forget. "The crocodile trophy is more than a bike race," an exhausted Jens said. "I had a really hard day but I'm still here, I rank in the first ten, I think I'm seventh here and I keep going the last four stages and think I am finished."

Tomorrow cyclists embark on another difficult stage of 148 kilometres over corrugated dirt roads between Mount Mulgrave and Laura as the Crocodile Trophy heads into the mythical Quinkan Country on Cape York.

The heat and humidity is not expected to let up!

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Mark Watson/mwphotography.com.au

Mauro Bettin (Dream Team 1) had a good day to finish second
The four leaders try not to get eaten by crocodiles
Kai Hundertmarck (Dream Team 1) braves the crocs as he crosses the Mitchell River
Paul West suffers in the intense heat

Results

1 Christophe Stevens (Bel)                                   5.11.56
2 Mauro Bettin (Ita) Dream Team 1                               0.10
3 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1            0.11
4 Matthias Buxhofer (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl       0.18
5 Heinz Zörweg (Aut) ARBÖ Wienstrom Lamster Fadewa              0.20
6 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Favorit Brno - Bikezone                   0.47
7 Kai Hundertmarck (Ger) Dream Team 1                           3.31
8 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Dream Team 2                         18.14
9 Robert Vlug (Ned) team.hollandonline.nl                      18.20
10 Jens Zemke (Ger) Dream Team 1                               18.21
11 David Wood (Aus) Dream Team 2                               24.43
12 Tim Northy (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2           26.24
13 Salvatore P. Albano (Ita) Team Bike Tarvisio 2005           26.31
14 Macor Loris (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano                         26.52
15 Peter Stenico (Aut) Peto                                    28.06
16 Mikkel Brinch Norgaard (Den) Team ACM                       41.43
17 Harry Ensink (Ned) GTI team                                 44.20
18 Guido Van Olffen (Ned) GTI team                             44.21
19 Cristophe Desimpelaere (Bel) Team ACM                       47.32
20 Struan Lomont (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2        53.08
21 Johannes Reiser (Aut) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1      54.21
22 Stefan Rucker (Aut) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1        54.22
22 Markus Eibegger (Aut) Team Rapso                                 
24 Eric Paquay (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1                59.45
25 Kim Proctor (Aus)                                           59.47
26 Bart Machiels (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 2            1.01.35
27 Joe McDonnell (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2             
28 Knud Juul-Jensen (Irl) Team ACM 2                         1.09.07
29 Johannes Huber (Ger) Team Huber                           1.09.45
30 Beat Lustenberger (Swi) Trek-VC Züri 2                    1.11.17
31 Karl Frank (Aut) SV Panaceo Post                          1.13.04
32 Han Vaalt (Ned) GTI team                                  1.18.21
33 Günter Rafeiner (Aut) Sport Nora                          1.26.01
34 Jos Kerkhofs (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1             1.27.55
35 Giancarlo Schönberg (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano               1.40.09
36 Paul West (GBr) Endura/Shred                              3.20.48
39 Astrid Boehm (Den) Team ACM                               3.35.41
37 Claude Dabaliz (NZl)                                      4.05.33
Out Rudi Donckers (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1                  
Out Reinhard Hörmann (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl          
Out Ejnar Fausing (Den) Team ACM 2                                  
 
Women
 
1 Astrid Boehm (Den) Team ACM                                8.47.37
 
General classification after stage 9
 
1 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1        32.39.22
2 Heinz Zörweg (Aut) ARBÖ Wienstrom Lamster Fadewa              9.40
3 Mauro Bettin (Ita) Dream Team 1                              25.18
4 Christophe Stevens (Bel)                                     35.55
5 Matthias Buxhofer (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl      50.08
6 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Favorit Brno - Bikezone                1.23.45
7 Jens Zemke (Ger) Dream Team 1                              2.20.55
8 Kai Hundertmarck (Ger) Dream Team 1                        2.43.04
9 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Dream Team 2                       2.50.28
10 Salvatore P. Albano (Ita) Team Bike Tarvisio 2005         3.13.23
11 Markus Eibegger (Aut) Team Rapso                          3.22.37
12 Robert Vlug (Ned) team.hollandonline.nl                   3.25.34
13 Tim Northy (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2         3.36.53
14 Stefan Rucker (Aut) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1      4.22.13
15 Johannes Huber (Ger) Team Huber                           4.55.01
16 Joe McDonnell (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2      5.19.39
17 David Wood (Aus) Dream Team 2                             5.25.35
18 Johannes Reiser (Aut) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1    5.37.12
19 Struan Lomont (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2      5.43.23
20 Macor Loris (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano                       6.00.25
21 Peter Stenico (Aut) Peto                                  6.07.19
22 Guido Van Olffen (Ned) GTI team                           6.08.38
23 Mikkel Brinch Norgaard (Den) Team ACM                     7.04.52
24 Harry Ensink (Ned) GTI team                               7.57.41
25 Kim Proctor (Aus)                                         8.49.32
26 Bart Machiels (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 2            9.17.54
27 Cristophe Desimpelaere (Bel) Team ACM                     9.20.07
28 Knud Juul-Jensen (Irl) Team ACM 2                         9.31.53
29 Beat Lustenberger (Swi) Trek-VC Züri 2                    9.49.46
30 Karl Frank (Aut) SV Panaceo Post                         12.10.29
31 Jos Kerkhofs (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1            12.18.51
32 Eric Paquay (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1             12.50.14
33 Han Vaalt (Ned) GTI team                                 13.18.53
34 Giancarlo Schönberg (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano              14.19.51
35 Günter Rafeiner (Aut) Sport Nora                         18.39.14
36 Paul West (GBr) Endura/Shred                             19.17.59
37 Claude Dabaliz (NZl)                                     21.03.48
38 Astrid Boehm (Den) Team ACM                              23.59.27
39 Ejnar Fausing (Den) Team ACM 2                                   
40 Rudi Donckers (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1                   
41 Reinhard Hörmann (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl           
 
Women
 
1 Astrid Boehm (Den) Team ACM                               56.38.49
 
Points classification
 
1 Mauro Bettin (Ita) Dream Team 1                                115 pts
2 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1             102
3 Christophe Stevens (Bel)                                        82
4 Heinz Zörweg (Aut) ARBÖ Wienstrom Lamster Fadewa                48
5 Matthias Buxhofer (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl         34
6 Markus Eibegger (Aut) Team Rapso                                30
7 Kai Hundertmarck (Ger) Dream Team 1                             25
8 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Favorit Brno - Bikezone                     12
9 Jens Zemke (Ger) Dream Team 1                                   10
 
Team classification
 
1 Dream Team 1                                             103.27.45
2 Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1                           4.30.03
3 Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2                           9.10.16
4 GTI team                                                  21.55.33
5 Team ACM                                                  34.54.47