Crocodile Trophy - NE

Australia, October 21-November 2, 2003

Main Page Results Previous Stage

Stage 13 - November 2: Cairns - Cairns 20 km

Bettin finishes on top

By Christi Valentine-Anderson

Red Bull's Mauro Bettin demonstrated his total dominance in the sands of Cairns by winning the final stage ahead of Roland Stauder and Jaap Viergever. Bettin therefore secured his second place overall behind his Red Bull teammate Stauder, the pair having led the race since day 1.

Between the wooden bridge and the 400 meters of deep soft sand it was a bit of 'three ring' criterium, as commented Dream Team's Phil Anderson who is still sporting a broken rib. Anderson was only too happy to be lapped and allowed to stop riding today.

Most of the field was lapped with two laps remaining and it was looking like a sprint finish between Bettin, Stauder and Viergever. So it became "Pay back time." Bettin and Stauder worked Viergever over easily as they referenced Viergever's attacking when Bettin broke his chain in the lava rocks six stages prior. What goes around comes around, resulting in not one stage victory for former winner Jaap Viergever.

Bettin rode across the line on his back wheel with Stauder giving a big victory salute right behind him. They took the overall, the points and the first two places on the podium. That's about all that can be done by two men in the Crocodile Trophy.

The Dream Team has signed Bettin for next year.

Adam Hansen took the best Australian result with a large margin to Philip Anderson who was chasing Hansen in earnest. Hansen has improved technically over the 13 stages and doesn't even look tired! Ahh to be 22 yrs old again! With his constant attacking and irreverence for protocol, the young Australian is very much like the Phil Anderson of the early 80's. We can only hope he will find a pro contract soon.

Rosi King came through the world's most gruelling mountain bike event smiling. She had a few (very few) difficult moments over the two weeks, but she always arrived at dinner cheerful and relaxed. Rosi gave several of her stage win boomerangs to people who helped her along the way.

In the end there were plenty of smiling faces, possibly because the torture had finished, but also because they had completed the world's most difficult adventure on mountain bikes.

Next year the organiser would ideally have 75-90 starters and a few more teams for the tenth anniversary of the Crocodile Trophy. We will have race route and dates on the site in two weeks: www.crocodile-trophy.com.

Results

1 Mauro Bettin (Ita) Red Bull                  29.01
2 Roland Stauder (Ita) Red Bull                 0.05
3 Jaap Viergever (Ned) TTTSW                    0.17
4 Alberto Elli (Ita) Dream Team                 0.42
5 Bart Bosmans (Bel) Tom Taylor Team            0.44
6 Adam Hansen (Aus)                             1.24
7 Tim Vincent (NZl)                             1.42
8 Robert Hotter (Aut) Team Sport Nora           2.25
9 Dennis Teeuwen (Ned) TTTSW                    3.13
9 Adrian Laing (Aus) TTTSW                          
9 Phil Anderson (Aus) Dream Team                    
9 Perry Moermann (Blz) Dream Team                   
9 Oyvind Aas (Nor) Dream Team                       
9 Manfred Liszt (Aut)                               
9 Peter Paelinck (Bel) www.reevax.be                
9 Dominiek Sacre (Bel) www.reevax.be                
9 Charles Blanc (Fra)                               
9 Michael Bösiger (Chi)                             
9 Reinhard Desmedt (Bel)                            
9 Mark Fraeyman (Aut)                               
9 Rainer Rosenberger (Aut)                          
9 Frans Verbeeck (Bel)                              
9 Toru Watanabe (Jpn)                               
9 André Vögele (Aus)                                
9 Lisi Hager (Aut) MBR 2radChaoten SWAT             
9 Rosi King (Aus)                                   
 
Women
 
1 Rosi King (Aus)                              32.14
2 Lisi Hager (Aut) MBR 2radChaoten SWAT             
 
Light
 
1 Kel Boers (Aus)                              32.13
2 Karl Arnold (Chi) Arnold                      0.01
3 Gerard Looijstyn (Ned) TTTSW                      
 
Final general classification
 
1 Roland Stauder (Ita) Red Bull             56.41.51
2 Mauro Bettin (Ita) Red Bull                   2.14
3 Jaap Viergever (Ned) TTTSW                   56.23
4 Alberto Elli (Ita) Dream Team              1.19.20
5 Tim Vincent (NZl)                          1.22.47
6 Adam Hansen (Aus)                          2.28.43
7 Phil Anderson (Aus) Dream Team             2.57.30
8 Robert Hotter (Aut) Team Sport Nora        3.32.46
9 Bart Bosmans (Bel) Tom Taylor Team         3.36.23
10 Oyvind Aas (Nor) Dream Team               4.53.36
11 Adrian Laing (Aus) TTTSW                  6.26.14
12 Peter Paelinck (Bel) www.reevax.be        7.37.53
13 Reinhard Desmedt (Bel)                    8.18.50
14 Michael Bösiger (Chi)                     8.50.51
15 Dennis Teeuwen (Ned) TTTSW                9.13.26
16 Dominiek Sacre (Bel) www.reevax.be       10.08.17
17 Frans Verbeeck (Bel)                     12.17.52
18 Rainer Rosenberger (Aut)                 16.07.38
19 Perry Moermann (Blz) Dream Team          16.53.44
20 Rosi King (Aus)                          17.40.48
21 Manfred Liszt (Aut)                      19.05.33
22 Mark Fraeyman (Aut)                      21.34.35
23 André Vögele (Aus)                       21.49.38
24 Charles Blanc (Fra)                      25.33.15
25 Lisi Hager (Aut) MBR 2radChaoten SWAT    25.42.50
26 Toru Watanabe (Jpn)                      35.41.25
 
Women classification
 
1 Rosi King (Aus)                           67.16.25
2 Lisi Hager (Aut) MBR 2radChaoten SWAT      6.18.36
3 Debra Eason (Aus) Eason                           
 
Light classification
 
1 Karl Arnold (Chi) Arnold                  24.38.38
2 Kel Boers (Aus)                            3.22.36
3 Gerard Looijstyn (Ned) TTTSW               5.57.07
 
Points classification
 
1 Mauro Bettin (Ita) Red Bull                    171 pts
2 Roland Stauder (Ita) Red Bull                  120
3 Jaap Viergever (Ned) TTTSW                     100
4 Alberto Elli (Ita) Dream Team                   99
4 Adam Hansen (Aus)                               71
6 Tim Vincent (NZl)                               52
7 Robert Hotter (Aut) Team Sport Nora             30
8 Phil Anderson (Aus) Dream Team                  26
9 Bart Bosmans (Bel) Tom Taylor Team               7