English extends lead with a stage victory

Day two saw the riders going through some spectacular scenery in almost perfect weather for the 80km Mountain Traverse. The morning started with a sedate cruise to Ski Tube for the ride through the mountain to Perisher ski resort and then it was serious business with the Mountain Traverse stage.

Climbing up from Perisher towards Guthega, riders got to take in the expansive views of the Main Range, Australia's highest mountains. Riders then followed fire trails and dirt road to the Snowy River and across the vast Snowy Plains, keeping a wary eye out for Brumbies and then up Nimmo Hill and down to the shores of Lake Eucumbene to Buckenderra Resort.

The scenery obviously wasn't a distraction for 24hr Solo World Champion, Jason English, who beat Andy Blair by six minutes, pulling away in the last 20km. English completed the 80km course in 3:14:53 to Blair's 3:20:54. Andrew Fellows was a further four minutes and 10 seconds behind finishing in 3:25:04.

Today's win sees English's overall lead increase to seven minutes at 5:03:28. Blair is in second place overall on 5:10:37 with Fellows in third place, four minutes behind.

New Zealander Megan Dimozantos continued her winning streak in the open women's race, beating Belinda Porter by more than six and half minutes in 4:33:35. Porter finished in 4:40:11, 18 minutes ahead of Clare Lonergan on 4:58:56.
Dimozantos' lead has been extended to 11:28 overall. She's completed the first six stages in 6:57:03, with Belinda finishing in 7:08:31. Clare Lonergan retains third overall at 7:28:56, 20 minutes behind.

After the long stage today, riders will be up very early tomorrow for the Dawn Raid. Starting at 5:15 am, riders will complete two laps of a course around Buckenderra Resort in a 26km lakeside race into the sunrise. After a well earned breakfast, riders will cruise into Cooma for an early stop before tackling the Big Day Out on Thursday 130km down to Bermagui.

Full Results