Chris Jongewaard on his way to winning the 2011 Australian Cross Country National Championship.
(Image credit: Chameleon Photography / www.chameleonphotography.com.au)
Under 23 racer Paul Van Der Ploeg (Felt Bicycles) and Shaun Lewis
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Andrew Blair (Swell Redshift MTB Team)
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Elite men's cross country podium at the Australian national championship
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Elite men's cross country podium
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Eventual fourth place finisher Andrew Blair (Swell Redshift MTB Team)
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Ben Henderson (Torq/Anytime Fitness) racing after an early tangle with eventual winner Chris Jongewaard.
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Chris Jongewaard rides to victory
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Elite men's winner Chris Jongewaard (Merida Flight Centre)
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Aiden Lefmann rides to a bronze medal
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Shaun Lewis races to a top five finish.
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Lachlan Norris would finish second.
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Jarrod Rando
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Paul Van Der Ploeg (Felt Bicycles) on his way to claiming the Under 23 Australian national cross country title
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
An under 23 cross country racer
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
Luke Fetch (Search2Retain - Felt) on his way to second in the U23 race.
(Image credit: Russell Baker)
3rd place getter Aiden Lefmann happy to cross the line.
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Chris Jongerwaard talks to media before the start of the Mens Elite XC.
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Sid Taberlay keeps cool and hydrated before the start.
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Cool, clam and collected Chris Jongerwaard.
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Hydrating in the heat is lachlan Norris.
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Jongerwaard eases past rivals on the first climb.
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Eventual 3rd place getter in U23 males is Trenton Day
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Paul Van Der Ploeg round the switchbacks on his way to victory in the U23 Mens.
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Jongerwaard smashing the top section and putting time into everyone
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Norris chasing down Jongerwaard
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Winner of U23 Mens XC Paul Van Der Ploeg
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Heat exhausted after the race, Van Der Ploeg
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
U23 Mens XC 2nd place getter Luke Fetch
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Trenton Day finshes strong in 3rd for Mens U23 XC
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Jongerwaard even after a flat tyre shows why he is the Elite Mens National Champion.
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
A pumped Jongerwaard crosses for 1st place in the Elite Mens XC
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
So close, an exhausted Lachlan Norris finishes in 2nd in the Elite Mens XC
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Jongerwaard and Norris exchange after the finish
(Image credit: Dan Peters)
Current national series leader Chris Jongewaard survived a flat tyre and a rider protest to win his fifth national cross country championship at the 2011 Australian Mountain Bike Championships in Adelaide on Friday.
And in the elite women's event, a surprise upset saw an emotional Katherine O'Shea take a huge step up to claim her first national title.
Off to a flying start, Jongewaard posted a 30-second lead on the rest of the field after just one lap, doubling his lead by the second. He hit trouble on the next lap with the 32-year-old suffering a flat tyre which pushed him back to third in the field.
After a similar mishap at the Mt Buller national series event earlier this month, Jongewaard showed his dominance of Australian cross country racing, recovering for the second time this season to take out the event in one hour, 43 minutes and 20 seconds.
In a second hiccup for the hometown hero, Jongewaard faced a rider protest at the conclusion of the event after a clash with eighth placed Ben Henderson from Canberra on the first lap.
UCI commissaries upheld the protest, hitting Jongewaard with a fine and 30-second penalty to take the South Australian to an official time of 1:43:50, but it was not enough to relegate him from the gold medal position. Victoria's Lachlan Norris (1:44:01) finished 10 seconds behind Jongewaard after the time penalty whilst Queensland's Aiden Lefmann (1:48:59) rounded up the minor placings.
After a turbulent two years, Jongewaard was pleased to be back in the Australian champion jersey just two months after his return to elite mountain bike competition.
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"It hasn't quite sunk in. Honestly, I thought there was one more lap," a surprised Jongewaard said.
"It was pretty hot out there today and things went wrong. My rear tyre went flat, and I had some problems at the start and I just tried to block it out.
"Having a year off in the prime of your career is never a good thing for any athlete but it's how you deal with the situation and try to make it a positive return.
"For me, I owe it to a lot of people who have got me through the tough times. I owe this race and my career to them. It's been a pretty rocky road but I am enjoying my return and enjoying the sport so hopefully it's not too late to salvage something."
In other results, Paul Van Der Ploeg (1:34:34) took out the men's under 23 race.
The 2011 Australian Mountain Bike Championships will wrap up on Saturday with the cross country short track and downhill competitions. Cross country champion Chris Jongewaard will return to the track for the men's short track whilst Tasmanian Rowena Fry will also return in the women's event. Queensland's Michael Hannah will start as the fastest qualifier for the elite men's downhill whilst world under 19 champion Troy Brosnan has some work to do after seeding third behind fellow South Australian Connor Fearon. West Australian Holly Baarspul is the fastest Australian qualifier in the elite women's event, behind Canadian Clare Buchar.
