Jongewaard and Henderson open weekend with wins

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Chris Jongewaard and Bec Henderson won the elite categories in the super D race in round 3 of the Real Insurance All Mountain Cup on Friday afternoon in the ACT. Racing took place at Stromlo Forest Park, the iconic venue of the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.

Race conditions changed significantly for the riders just minutes before the scheduled start as torrential rain and hail battered the venue. With the elite fields already at the top of the course, riders did not have the chance to make tyre changes to respond the vastly different conditions.

Jongewaard made his first racing appearance in the Australian MTB Series after spending time working and then training throughout the early races. A four-time national champion in the Olympic cross country format and a regular Australian representative internationally, Jongewaard came down the field mid-pack to set a time that would never be bettered.

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Jongewaard said of the conditions, "There were a few puddles out there. It was hard to know which were deep, shallow or slippery. I had a few sketchy moments, but I did my best to get down as fast as possible."

Jongewaard is known for excellent performance in all cross country disciplines as well as on the road, and he was happy with the race today to start the year. "It's always good to get a win on the board early in the season, whether it's cross country, duper D or short track".

Joshua Carlson came into today's race undefeated in super D in the season, and he finished second by only 3.8 seconds to Jongewaard. With plans to race the super D format in some of the biggest races in the US in 2012, a strong performance was expected. He spoke of the challenges of the Stromlo super D course "There are so many corners, you have to be nice and sharp". Speaking of his race, and judging by his own high standards, "I had a pretty ordinary run, I had no snap today, it just wasn't my day".

Third-placed powerhouse Paul Van De Ploeg had some bad luck with two flat tyres in the super D in Mt Buller but had a much better experience today. "The course was very wet, a lot of puddles, but I pulled my run together towards the end," said Van De Ploeg.

For local Bec Henderson, Stromlo is her home track, and she takes pride in performances on it. Henderson won today's race with a time 11 seconds in front of the field. "I'm stoked with that, I did a practice run earlier and I wasn't happy with the way I was riding - the course was so slick," she said. Henderson spoke of the rain actually helping her performance. "After the rain I felt comfortable on the track, and with a bit of moisture it was so fun to ride."

Looking ahead to the Olympic year with riders vying for a potential place, Henderson kept her focus short-term for now. "It's a big year ahead for us. I'm having fun and racing well. I'd really like to give Jenni (King) a run in for her money in the cross country tomorrow."

King took second place in the women's event. She had started the day undefeated in all events across the season and will be one to watch in Saturday's cross country. Tory Thomas was in third.

In the U23 men's category, Kyle Ward took the win from Jack Haig and Trenton Day. Like Henderson, Ward also spoke of the rain helping his race. "It was fun, the rain kept the track a little bit tacky and I could drift a little bit more." Ward finished in an outstanding time that would have placed him fourth in the elite field.

Amy Austin won the women's U23 race ahead of Jacinta Aitken.

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