Kovarik and Buchar claim downhill victories
By Cycling News published
Husband and wife's downhill dream win
On a testing downhill course that saw three ambulances come to the assistance of riders during the practice sessions at the Australian Mountain Bike Series in Shepparton, Chris Kovarik was the best of the men and his Canadian wife Claire Buchar was too good for the Australian women.
Just one week after claiming his fourth Australian downhill title, Kovarik was the fastest in qualifying and head and shoulders above his nearest rival in the final, finishing more than four seconds clear of Shaun O'Connor. Third place went to Amiel Cavalier.
With both of them racing in the Chain Reaction colours, Kovarik said it made it extra special taking the win with his wife doing the same in the women's race.
"One of the little strategies we do is talk about the track and what's working and what's not and it definitely helps," Kovarik said of the benefits of putting his head together with his wife.
"This is the first time in a few years that I've done the national series, and it's good to be back here mixing it up with the young guys who are getting closer and closer. It was a good atmosphere out here and it's good to see so many people still in it."
In his assessment of the drama that unfolded on the course through the practice sessions Kovarik said, "It's a short and sweet track but it claimed a few bodies over the weekend. It's quite technical and hard with lots of off camber corners."
In the women's race, Canadian Claire Buchar, who finished eighth in the 2009 season long world cup, was a cut above her rivals almost 12 seconds fastest than Sarsha Huntington.
Third place went to another Canadian, Leigh Douglas, who was just 0.48 of a second behind Huntington.
For Buchar it was another successful outing as she enjoys the Australian summer away from the cold of a Canadian winter.
"This race is a totally different mindset because it [the course] is so sketchy and you can't ride scared," Buchar said. "You've just got to be really aggressive and get used to being on the edge and just don't be a perfectionist because you're not going to have a perfect run.
"All the girls are riding strong. I'm impressed because this track is not easy and everyone kept a really good attitude. I love the fact that my team wants some more exposure out here and I'm getting to ride in all these different places in Australia and see the country."
Looking to the future of Australian mountain biking yet another impressive performance was put in by South Australia's Troy Brosnan who, at just 16-years-of-age, won the Under 19 category in a time that was good enough for fifth in the elite event.
With an equally bright future the winner of the Under 17 category, Canberra's Connor Fearon, recorded a time that would have placed in sixth in the elite race.
Among the women, one of the highlights came from the Under 19 race where Holly Baarspul set a time that was five seconds faster than the second placed elite woman. On the back of the West Australian's third place finish at the 2009 junior world championships, she has marked herself as one to watch this year.
Lloyd Mancs, from Kyabram, was the only local rider in the downhill event and finished fifth in the men's expert category.
The husband and wife downhill combination of Kovarik and Buchar will both go to the final two rounds of the Australian Mountain Bike Series with round three in Thredbo, February 13-14, and the final round in Canberra, March 13-14.
Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Chris Kovarik (Chain reaction Cycles) | 0:01:52.73 |
2 | Shaun O'Connor (Specialized) | 0:00:04.15 |
3 | Amiel Cavalier (Giant Bicycles) | 0:00:04.61 |
4 | Rhys Atkinson (Specialized) | 0:00:04.69 |
5 | Rick Boyer | 0:00:06.30 |
6 | Tom Patton (Fox Clothing) | 0:00:10.00 |
7 | Kaine Cannan (4 Shaw Agencies) | 0:00:10.19 |
8 | Alex Swann (Yarra Valley Cycles) | 0:00:11.95 |
9 | Grant Jones | 0:00:12.61 |
10 | Dylan Prohm | 0:00:12.70 |
11 | Jarrah Davies | 0:00:12.86 |
12 | Adam Smithson (Specialized) | 0:00:13.00 |
13 | Graeme Pitts (Team Geronimo Racing) | 0:00:13.17 |
14 | Cillian Kennedy | 0:00:13.57 |
15 | Camilo Sanchez | 0:00:13.75 |
16 | Jesse Beare | 0:00:14.43 |
17 | Simon French | 0:00:14.58 |
18 | Brendan Moon | 0:00:14.63 |
19 | Ricky Lee | 0:00:14.91 |
20 | Matthew Vincent | 0:00:15.84 |
21 | Bryce Stirling | 0:00:19.79 |
22 | James Hunt | 0:00:20.30 |
23 | Laurie Dinham (Suspension Center) | 0:00:22.04 |
24 | Ryan De La Rue (Berettas Bike Hub ) | 0:00:22.22 |
25 | Dean White | 0:00:22.91 |
26 | Steven Gebert (KONA factory team) | 0:00:24.52 |
27 | Brendan Kovarik (Morayfield Road Super Cycles) | 0:00:25.31 |
28 | Tim Harrington | 0:00:25.56 |
29 | Rodney Day | 0:00:27.33 |
30 | Charlton Durie | 0:00:30.59 |
31 | Josh McDonald | 0:00:32.48 |
32 | Matt Everett | 0:00:36.88 |
33 | Jeremy Powell (Onya Bike Civic Belconnen) | 0:00:41.76 |
34 | Joshua Button | 0:08:39.18 |
35 | Cody Eichhorn | |
36 | Mitchell Fletcher | |
37 | Jacob Reeves (pedal power plus) | |
DNS | William Rischbieth (Aldgate Bike Shop, Drizabone Aus Giant Bikes) | |
DNS | Karl Peel (Tekin Suspension) | |
DNS | Dean Davies | |
DNS | Nicholas Bailly | |
DNS | Ben Goff (Santa Cruz) | |
DNS | David Hetherington | |
DNS | Jamie Le Feuvre | |
DNS | Benjamin Fairbanks | |
DNS | Ryan Meader | |
DNS | Kye Hore (Wreckage Clothing) |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Claire Buchar (Chain Reaction Cycles) | 0:02:19.36 |
2 | Sarsha Huntington (For the Riders.com) | 0:00:11.69 |
3 | Leigh Douglas | 0:00:12.17 |
4 | Shelley Kamevaar | 0:00:19.88 |
5 | Sarah Booth (Kona, Adidas Eyewear) | 0:00:20.10 |
6 | Emma Lewis (Cyclingo) | 0:00:39.09 |
7 | Shannon Chugg | |
DNS | Shelly Flood |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Troy Brosnan (Adidas eyewear) | 0:01:57.79 |
2 | Aden Wyber | 0:00:02.35 |
3 | Brandon Yrttiaho (Fortheriders.com) | 0:00:02.56 |
4 | Phillip Piazza (Mal Ajusted) | 0:00:04.05 |
5 | Jake Newell | 0:00:04.07 |
6 | Ben Barrett | 0:00:04.30 |
7 | Marcus Fairbanks | 0:00:06.06 |
8 | Sean Heywood-smith (Cue Power Billiards) | 0:00:07.09 |
9 | James Shepherd (Crime Cycles) | 0:00:09.10 |
10 | Ben Power (Team Banshee Australia ) | 0:00:09.25 |
11 | Andrew Shannon | 0:00:09.28 |
12 | Selby Press (Cyclingo) | 0:00:10.66 |
13 | Grant Womersley | 0:00:11.28 |
14 | Lewis Winton | 0:00:11.48 |
15 | Daniel Lavis (Giant Bikes) | 0:00:11.60 |
16 | Blake Nielson | 0:00:11.71 |
17 | Dean Evans | 0:00:11.80 |
18 | Clint Merrin | 0:00:12.31 |
19 | James Wilson (Anaconda-Mile End Dad Maxxis) | 0:00:14.64 |
20 | Justin Gray | 0:00:14.85 |
21 | James Green (Downhill Direct) | 0:00:17.13 |
22 | Aaron Oates | 0:00:17.31 |
23 | Adam Flower | 0:00:18.82 |
24 | Flinders Johnston | 0:00:21.84 |
25 | Michael Dargan | 0:00:24.79 |
26 | Michael Bourne | 0:00:25.18 |
27 | Joel Cotton | 0:00:26.82 |
28 | Tim Abbott | 0:00:27.28 |
29 | Kieran Reinboth | 0:00:28.02 |
30 | Sean Fitzpatrick | 0:00:33.21 |
31 | Andrew Meagher | 0:00:35.59 |
32 | Jack Waite | 0:00:35.98 |
33 | Campbell McIver | 0:00:36.52 |
34 | Toby Saunders | 0:00:37.15 |
35 | Ben Hefferan | 0:00:46.00 |
36 | Matthew Mullins | 0:00:59.39 |
37 | Tom Wyatt | |
38 | Luke Adams (Zumbi Cycles Standish Cycles) | |
39 | Kieran Thompson (The Bike Shed Mortdale) | |
DNS | Antony Moore (venture cycles, fitness plus) |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Holly Baarspul (Kona Bicycles) | 0:02:26.88 |
2 | Emily Hockey | 0:00:19.70 |
3 | Katelyn Humphris (Yarravalley Cycles ) | 0:00:20.09 |
4 | Christie Batt | 0:00:36.21 |
5 | Bec Kirss | 0:00:39.52 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Tegan Molloy | 0:03:36.63 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Jillian Brady | 0:05:55.18 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Connor Fearon (Cove Bikes Bicycle ) | 0:01:59.48 |
2 | Thomas Crimmins (The Sacred Ride) | 0:00:04.03 |
3 | David McMillan (OnyaBike Civic) | 0:00:05.78 |
4 | Max Hughes | 0:00:13.78 |
5 | Henry Blake | 0:00:17.14 |
6 | Dion Thomas | 0:00:20.09 |
7 | Wade Budden (Drift Bikes) | 0:00:20.41 |
8 | Spencer Morris | 0:00:21.56 |
9 | Kaine Trevor | 0:00:21.74 |
10 | Conor Bullard | 0:00:22.16 |
11 | Daniel Bender (Insane Cycles) | 0:00:22.52 |
12 | Mac West-moore | 0:00:23.19 |
13 | Brent Smith | 0:00:23.77 |
14 | Lyndon Nugent (Insane Cycles) | 0:00:25.06 |
15 | Joe Vejvoda | 0:00:25.35 |
16 | Max Nielsen (Adelaide Hills Cycles) | 0:00:25.70 |
17 | Jasper Harkness Dunne (FreeStyleHub.com) | 0:00:25.91 |
18 | Mitchell Kristiansen | 0:00:26.13 |
19 | Angus Jackson (Bike Barn) | 0:00:27.22 |
20 | Alex Shannon (Berettas Bike Hub) | 0:00:27.42 |
21 | Bill McEvoy | 0:00:29.64 |
22 | Jake Adams (Zumbi Cycles Standish Cycles) | 0:00:29.87 |
23 | Matthew Smith (Murrays Australia, SERAS) | 0:00:30.24 |
24 | Justin Backhouse | 0:00:32.48 |
25 | Mathew Dwyer (Rock'n'Road Cycles TESTEL) | 0:00:32.77 |
26 | Sam Keogh | 0:00:35.37 |
27 | Luke Ellison | 0:00:37.14 |
28 | Thomas Penman | 0:00:37.33 |
29 | Clarence Bowman (Adam Flower Inc) | 0:00:37.71 |
30 | Nelson Kreilis | 0:00:39.33 |
31 | Remy Adderton | 0:00:42.44 |
32 | Scott Weber | 0:00:45.68 |
33 | Elijah Marinov | 0:00:48.36 |
34 | Josef Neubauer | 0:00:54.03 |
35 | Liam Towers | 0:00:55.87 |
36 | Jake Sanders | 0:01:03.17 |
37 | Alexander McKinlay | 0:01:13.32 |
38 | Lawrence Jacobsen | 0:01:47.45 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Andrew Crimmins (The Sacred Ride) | 0:02:13.97 |
2 | Ben Hill | 0:00:08.01 |
3 | Darcy Reynolds (Bike Culture ACT) | 0:00:16.23 |
4 | David Maggs | 0:00:17.77 |
5 | Matthew McCorkell (Quattro Consulting) | 0:00:20.04 |
6 | Benjamin Dengate (Dh Direct) | 0:00:26.31 |
7 | Jackson Frew | 0:00:42.13 |
8 | Damon Higgs | 0:01:25.01 |
9 | Luke Shannon | 0:01:53.41 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Joshua Webster (mallard Cycles racing) | 0:02:16.59 |
2 | Brad Arden (Kona Bikes) | 0:00:00.03 |
3 | Tyson Schmidt | 0:00:02.70 |
4 | Roshin Sidhu | 0:00:02.83 |
5 | Lloyd Manks | 0:00:03.31 |
6 | Clint White | 0:00:03.56 |
7 | Steven Charnock | 0:00:03.85 |
8 | Adam Ugrinov | 0:00:07.60 |
9 | Christopher Hetherington | 0:00:10.76 |
10 | Brett Slater (Kona, Crime Cycles) | 0:00:11.00 |
11 | William Brook | 0:00:19.35 |
12 | Takaki Adachi | 0:00:44.53 |
13 | Callum McCartney (CRIME Cycles, RT Health & Fitness) | 0:01:13.77 |
14 | Jake Royce (Kona, Evolution Sports group) | 0:02:20.39 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Darren Hobby | 0:02:10.86 |
2 | Stuart Keep | 0:00:01.78 |
3 | Jarrod Zdrzaalka (Torquay Cyclinf Factory) | 0:00:12.79 |
4 | John Petersen (Borsari Cycles) | 0:00:18.76 |
5 | Andrew Peterson | 0:00:31.02 |
6 | Glenn Fairweather | 0:00:44.65 |
7 | Jason Stalker | 0:01:39.76 |
8 | Peter Miller | 0:02:37.03 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Steven Bullard | 0:02:35.09 |
2 | Justin Barnes | 0:00:15.14 |
3 | Kym Boxall | 0:00:21.18 |
4 | Wayne Hepburn | 0:00:43.36 |
5 | Scott Kindred | 0:00:47.82 |
6 | Michael Hefferan | 0:00:49.72 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Geoff Lovie | 0:02:53.83 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Zach Smith | 0:02:45.18 |
2 | Cameron Ryan | 0:00:06.41 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Max Janes | 0:02:20.24 |
2 | John Hunter | 0:00:15.73 |
3 | Travis Cryer | 0:00:23.74 |
4 | Aaron Atkinson | 0:00:39.17 |
5 | Cale Anderson | 0:00:46.69 |
6 | Joel Brady | 0:01:47.29 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Alyssa Lyons | 0:02:59.02 |
2 | Tracey Whittaker (Yarra Valley Cycles) | 0:00:19.45 |

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