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The FELT - Shimano Dream Team diary 2006
What do an Australian MTB Champion, an environmental engineer and an Austrian World Champion endurance cyclist have in common? They all ride for the FELT - Shimano Dream Team. Oh, and they are crazy for tackling the world's toughest MTB endurance race - Australia's Crocodile Trophy.
As Darren O'Grady, David Wood & Valentine Zeller battle through the bush from the Northern Territory into Far-North-Queensland, team manager Christi Valentine-Anderson will keep us up-to-date on the boys' progress.
FELT - Shimano Dream Team Diaries, October 24, 2006
Dream Team takes on time trial
By Christi Valentine-Anderson
Stage Eight: Chillagoe (time trial), 30 km
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CSC Director Ole Egeblad gave the Dream Team a hiding in the 30km individual time trial, at least all but O'Grady who finished one place in front of the Dane. Darren O'Grady openly commented, "I don't want to be passed and I can't let Egeblad beat me either, so I'll be going fairly hard in this stage."
The FELT Shimano Dream Team's Zeller did what he could to maintain his position in the general classification. Zeller simply is a long haul rider and the short sharp 30km time trial was not his cup of tea.
The Dream Team's downhiller, David Wood, put his head down and moved up one place on the general classification. Wood is targeting the Daintree stage where he can use his superior technical skills combined with his good form to take a stage for himself. Ideally, the Dream Team would like to take a stage for every rider, the overall team classification, and place all the boys in the top ten overall. We think this is eminently doable.
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Generally the "rest" day saw the team lounging, washing, and tweaking bikes, cave exploring, and swimming in the Bilabong. The same Bilabong that Kai Hundertmarck injured himself at 2005 Crocodile Trophy. Hundertmarck had failed to let go of the rope swing and sustained a rather nasty ankle injury last year.
I went for a 15km run on the par cours and for the first time, I experienced the nauseating sensation of drinking a hot red bull while dying of thirst in the hot Australian Outback… I'll never ask my riders to drink that stuff hot again!
