Hogarth the hero on Anzac hill sprint
Holmes holds court
Day one of the Ingkerreke Commercial Mountain Bike Enduro wrapped up with an Alice Springs town centre hill sprint that drew crowds armed with ringing cowbells, all cheering on riders as they powered to the top of Anzac Hill, a 300-metre dash that burned legs and lungs to the core.
Following the morning's 42km cross country in which last year's champion Andy Blair took line honours, it was, by the yellow jersey wearer's own admission, always going to be a tough ask to back up when faced with the pure speed of the younger crowd on his heels.
Blair nominated Team Torq's young gun threesome in Robbie Hucker (second place in stage 1), Jack Haig (third), and Billie Sewell as the guys to watch on Anzac Hill, but it was a blistering 45-second sprint by Ben Hogarth, 10th after stage 1, that won out.
Hogarth had to sit back on the hot seat - literally a chair at the top of the mountain reserved for the fastest time of the moment - and sweat out a further nine challengers, including Hucker and Blair.
None could match up in the end, with Blair only just making the start line after forgetting his timing chip and having to race back to his hotel to retrieve it. He returned with only a minute and a half to spare before his allotted start time slot.
Team Torq's Billy Sewell forgot his time chip altogether, riding the hill without, resulting in organisers offering him a one-minute result, having witnessed his sprint up, which they judged most certainly quicker than 60 seconds; but he was penalised for the slip of mind.
Blair remained on podium and retained the yellow leaders' jersey with a 46-second run while third went to Robbie Hucker in 49 seconds.
Hogarth and Blair, whose efforts earn them a 20-second and 10-second time bonus respectively, were the only riders to tackle the hill with road slicks fitted to their mountain bikes - a legal choice that seems to have paid dividends.
In the women's race, Sarah Holmes showed anything the boys can do, the girls can do pretty much just as well, smashing home a blistering 46-second ride to easily take the female Queen of Anzac title. Holmes was fifth over the line in the day's earlier stage.
In her wake, stage 1 winner Melissa Anset took second place to maintain her overall lead with a 57-second ride up the hill with Naomi Hansen taking another third place, making it two for the day.
The average time on the 300m climb was 00:01:10. The fastest was 00:00:45 while the most relaxed was 00:02:14.
Brief Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team |
---|---|
1 | Ben Hogarth |
2 | Andy Blair |
3 | Robbie Hucker |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team |
---|---|
1 | Sarah Holmes |
2 | Melissa Anset |
3 | Naomi Hansen |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team |
---|---|
1 | Andy Blair |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team |
---|---|
1 | Melissa Anset |
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Dwars door Vlaanderen Men Live - Pedersen and Van Aert return to the cobbles
Peloton tackle 188.6km from Roeselare to Waregem in Tour of Flanders dress rehearsal -
Dwars door Vlaanderen Women Live - Classic stars prepare for Flanders
The peloton race seven cobblestone sections and nine climbs across 129.9km in Waregem -
Wout Poels reveals how Movistar punched and elbowed him at Volta a Catalunya
Dutch rider details acts of aggression from Iván García Cortina and Nairo Quintana -
Best cycling glasses of 2024: They're more than just sun protection
18 of the best cycling sunglasses for all conditions to keep you protected and looking stylish toos