Leaders under water: Huber, Nissen, Pettina.
(Image credit: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy)
A welcome refreshment in the river for Brendan Johnston and Ondrej Fojtik at the river crossing.
(Image credit: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy)
Changing landscapes to Wetherby Station.
(Image credit: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy)
Amateur leader Christian Leschke (GER).
(Image credit: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy)
The Crocodile Trophy peloton leaves Skybury Coffee Plantation on the morning of stage eight.
(Image credit: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy)
Sometimes a crash can be refreshing.
(Image credit: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy)
The surrounds get more tropical - Sarah White at a river crossing today.
(Image credit: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy)
The unique landscape around Skybury Coffee Plantation.
(Image credit: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy)
Race leaders Urs Huber (SUI) and Sarah White (AUS) at Skybury Coffee Plantation - a well-deserved rest with delicious coffee after seven long days.
(Image credit: Regina Stanger / Crocodile Trophy)
The overall race leader Urs Huber wins again today, claiming his sixth stage victory at the 21st Crocodile Trophy at Wetherby Station ahead of Denmark’s Soren Nissen, Nicholas Pettina (Italy), Brendan Johnston (Australia) and Ondrej Fojtik (Czech Republic
Elite female Sarah White (Australia) and amateur woman Kristin Endres (Germany) ride together, still in the overall lead of their respective categories.
The penultimate stage of the Crocodile Trophy dished up a 101km marathon for the international rider field in Tropical North Queensland. It took the riders from the Skybury Coffee Plantation via undulating terrain to Wetherby Cattle Station, just up on the escarpment from tomorrow’s final stage destination in Port Douglas.
The overall race leader from Switzerland, Urs Huber, had said yesterday that he felt he had worked up quite a secure lead but today didn’t leave anything to chance.
Again a lead group formed with the so familiar, colourful jerseys of the top elites and Huber was able to break away from them on a fast descent ahead of the last feed zone with about 15km to go.
In 3h24:59.7 he took out stage eight with a gap of 49.9 seconds to overall runner-up Soren Nissen and Nicholas Pettina (+2:29.2 min). Brendan Johnston came in fourth (+7:52.7 min) and Ondrej Fojtik in fifth (+9:01.5 min).
Soren Nissen said that he crashed on the descent and lost Huber’s wheel and that he wasn’t able to catch up to the strong endurance rider from Switzerland any more.
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Brendan Johnston, who is expected to take third overall and the leader jersey for the best Australian finisher across the line in Port Douglas, commented on the strong European racers, saying that it had been an interesting and exciting experience to race and place well in such a high-profile field of athletes at this year’s event.
Last year’s Crocodile Trophy Champion, Greg Saw, also complimented the top riders in the field, “The quality of riders is very impressive at this year’s event, I tried very hard to crack into the top five and a lingering gastritis didn’t help."
