Norris continues winning short track ways at Mt. Buller

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In the morning, cross country riders returned to compete in the short track event, and they once again faced adverse conditions as the temperature gauge struggled to reach one degree and snow began to fall.

In the elite men's race of 20 minutes plus three laps, reigning national series champion Lachlan Norris claimed his first win of the current series in a time of 22:33. He defeated Peter Hatton by eight seconds and Matthew Fleming by 11 seconds.

A determined Norris went out hard and opened up a 20-metre advantage early. Fleming and Hatton worked hard to bridge the gap, and at the 10-minute mark Fleming hit the front. With five laps remaining, Norris made his move on the outside, pulling away to a 10-metre lead which he held to the end.

"It was a tough day today, but definitely good to get one on the board and start the year off with a win," Norris said. "Yesterday was a bit disappointing for me, so today I was keen to have a win. The conditions don't suit anyone, so you just have to grit your teeth and just get out there and have a crack.

"The theory was to get some clear track and take it at my own pace and put some pressure on the guys back behind me. I did expect them to come across but I knew that I had that extra kick when I needed it, and I guess it went right to plan."

In the women's event of 10 minutes plus one lap, Rowena Fry clocked 11:13 for the victory. She led from start to finish to hold on for a 13-second victory over Katherine O'Shea. Rebecca Henderson followed in third 50 seconds behind Fry in the taxing conditions.

"It was absolutely freezing," Fry said. "That was probably the coldest racing I've ever done. The longer the race went, the colder I got. I couldn't change gears, I couldn't brake, it was painful. It's been a tough weekend."

The final round of the 2010-2011 Jayco Australian Mountain Bike Series will be held in conjunction with the 2011 Oceania Championships to be staged in Shepparton from March 18 to 20.

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