10th Crocodile Trophy - NE

Australia, October 16-31, 2004

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Stage 4 - October 21: Borroloola - Robinson River, 110 km

Playing For Sheep Stations in The Australian Outback

The Crocodile Trophy Rivalry Builds

By John-Michael Flynn at Robinson River, Northern Territory Australia

Race leader Adam Hansen
Photo ©: Mark Watson

Australians call it 'playing for sheep stations'. The reference is an Aussie slang term to describe the mentality of 'winning at all costs'. It's a mindset which comes naturally to Alberto Elli and his team of seasoned European professionals whose clash with 'the coconuts' as they've come to be known has come to embody the Crocodile Trophy of 2004.

"It's a war now, me against the coconut resort," Elli stated during a brief truce in hostilities between himself and the team which has proven a thorn in his side during the world's toughest mountain bike race. His comments came at the end of a day which brought revenge for the Gatorade Team, or to be more correct the sole Gatorade Team Rider left contesting the General Classification of mountain biking's Grand Tour.

Tonight, for a pleasant change, there were plenty of laughs as members of the Gatorade 'Dream Team' and the Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort team gathered at the Crocodile Trophy's Mobile Media Centre at the remote Robinson River, to view photographs of the day's events. And while it has to be said that some of the still photo images were less than savoury as finger gestures were traded and insults hurled in various languages, in reality it was all part of a race which so far has been contested at elevated intensity, in the elevated temperatures of Australia's remote outback.

How The Cards Were Played

You're in croc country now!
Photo ©: Mark Watson

Stage four of the Crocodile Trophy between Borroloola and Robinson River in Australia's Northern Territory was the shortest so far of this year's event. The 108 kilometre journey began with a short five kilometre section of bitumen, before the Trophy returned to its more familiar surface of dusty dirt roads and deep corrugations on the road East through Australia's Gulf Savannah.

Letting off some steam after yesterday's controversial stage, Italian Alberto Elli attacked from the gun, with two Australian riders Adam Hansen and James Grant jumping on his wheel. When the early battle of bravado settled, a pack of eight riders formed, including all of the main G.C. contenders, most notably, Hansen, Elli and Czech rider Ondrej Fojtik.

At half way, that group was reduced to three. Elli attacked coming out of one of the many magnificent river crossings on today's course, Hansen and Fojtik bridging the gap as the rest of the pack was left eating dust.

The fall of the cards left Hansen in a precarious situation. What he didn't know at the time was that Elli had 'done a deal' with the Czech while the race leader was at the front. It was caught on camera, the pair agreeing not to chase down each other's attacks. It was a fact the Italian later confessed to openly, saying no money changed hands with both riders desperate to beat the Australian. Either way, the local rider who so far has dominated this tour was far from impressed.

"I do have some experience racing against Italians and just can't believe them most of the time," Hansen said. "They'll do anything to win, people like him have got all the tricks in the bag and he's pulled them all out." According to Hansen, he was less interested today in taking the stage from Elli and more interested in putting more time into the Czech rider ranked second on G.C. A move by the Australian one kilometre from the finish added another minute to his overall lead which sits comfortably over the half hour mark.

But in the end Elli won fair and square when the two riders reached the crocodile inhabited Robinson River which sat between them and victory."Sort of went in together and he got off the bike, once he got off the bike he was a lot quicker than what I was," Hansen said. "He got me on the line, put his fingers up in the air which is fair enough for him he wanted the win more than me, I was just trying to get a few seconds on the Czech guy."

Elli's capers at the finish line, his finger gestures and bad language, earned another fine from the Race Director, it's not expected to be the last handed out in an emotional Crocodile Trophy.

Business As Usual .. Not For The Coconut Boys

Temper tantrums, bad language, rude gestures, it's all in a day's work on the pro cycling scene in Europe. So the question has to asked how are the Aussie boys, the so-called 'Coconuts' from Cairns coping as they attempt the unthinkable of winning the Crocodile Trophy and toppling the European big guns?

James Grant, who was captured on film today giving 'the bird' to a Tour de France veteran never thought he'd behave in such a way. But the Queenslander has grown tired it seems of Elli's antics, not that he has really been listening anyway.

"I can't really understand what he says because it's half in Italian and half in English and I'm listening to music at the same time," he quipped. It has been a baptism of fire for the local lads, who've come to learn very quickly that in pro cycling you have to give as good as you get to earn respect. Team-mate Dave Woods isn't all wrapped up with the idea of playing for sheep stations, even if he is in the right place to do it, but he's not backing down against the Gatorade 'dream team', which has been reduced to a one man show.

"No this is pretty cool like I'm loving doing the professional race scene, like never experienced it before," Woods said. "To see all the politics and stuff involved is like, yeah I don't really know if I wanna do the professional riding thing."

The final word on the subject perhaps best belonging to the race leader when he was questioned about his chances of blasting Alberto Elli out of the race. "Feeling quite confident I know he can't ride away from me and our team has destroyed his team, he's the only rider left and we've got all our riders."

Busted Ass Bike Race

Ask around the Crocodile Trophy camp at Robinson River and you'll hear a common theme. This has become, for want of a less revealing term, a 'busted ass bike race'. Australian Kim Proctor came here to be competitive in the 1700 kilometre epic, his race now is effectively over, following a crash in stage one which split his helmet and the after effects of three days on corrugated roads.

"Buggered my hands up a little bit other than that you know I'm patched up," Proctor said. "I've now got a sore bum to contend with. Took me to the first stop today and I had to pull out." Perhaps it comes down to Dirty Harry's famous quote, " A man just has to know his limitations." But Proctor is the first to admit, this race was beyond his limits.

"I underestimated it, underestimated a lot, didn't prepare myself anywhere near enough," a weary Proctor admitted as he scoffed down dinner at tonight's campsite. "To do it, make it easy on yourself is to get support, make it a bit more comfortable when you get off the bike because the last thing you want to do is get all your gear out of the truck and undo your tent."

Darren O'Grady, Stuart O'Grady's older brother is another who experienced the situation first hand today. He came here as mechanic for the Gatorade Dream Team, but today found himself riding after most of his high profile team members were forced out of the race with bruised and bleeding backsides.

"My seat's like a roadie seat, a euro roadie seat and my ass just went to sleep," a giggling O'Grady said. "There was like no circulation down to my thighs, they started to cramp up, so I started to stand up and ride, great fun though."

Austrian Assault

The other success story emerging from this race so far has been the Austrian Skinfit team and its rider Anita Waib, the sole female entrant in the event. Anita and her team-mates have finished every stage and today's effort too was impressive. It's taken five days in the Australian Outback, but it seems the Europeans are finally acclimatising and getting stronger.

Team member Andreas Muhlbacher is happy with the effort so far, paying tribute to Anita's efforts. "She try very good, we have one problem but I think all people from Europe have the same problem it is the weather it's very hot, I look to my temperature today we have forty five degrees!"

More Media Awards

It has been said more than once that the Crocodile Trophy Media team should be "Officially Certified." And it would seem a week of heat stress has taken its toll on the creative capacity of the team members.

TV Producer Dave McGrath, whose program on the Crocodile Trophy will air on Network Ten early in the new year has taken the second media award for the tour. His up close and personal encounter with the Media Mascot earning the gong for 'Most Contrived Croc Attack'. Great work Dave .. it's up there with the author's effort of almost bringing down the main bunch when he crashed doing a u-turn on the bike in soft sand while setting up a helmet cam sequence. It's a long story!

Photography

Images by Mark Watson/mwphotography.com.au

Race leader Adam Hansen leads the early break of eight past a abandoned Ford Fairline.
You're in croc country now!

Results

1 Alberto Elli (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1                    3.48.56
2 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort                0.02
3 Ondrej Fojtik (Cze)                                            1.08
4 Martin Kiechle (Ger)                                          11.34
5 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Team Sport Nora                           11.42
6 James Grant (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort               11.58
7 Robert Hotter (Aut) Team Sport Nora                           18.35
8 Gerhard Gulewicz (Aut) bikestation-salinenimmobiloen.com      21.06
9 Perry Moerman (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 2                     27.37
10 Tilo Koch (Ger)                                              33.55
11 David Woods (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort              33.56
12 Mario Amann (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1                        33.57
13 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Gatorade Dream Team 2                33.58
14 Adam Socha (Aus)                                             34.00
15 Andrew Wegener (Aus)                                              
16 Andreas Dünn (Ger) Baier-Qantas-German A.                    34.03
17 Salvatore Paolo Albano (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano               34.04
18 Willi Wagner (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1                          34.19
19 Peter Dammerer (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1                        34.21
20 Loris Macor (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano                          48.36
21 Thomas Moderbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA                55.45
22 Thomas Pichler (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1                        55.49
23 Jochen Doll (Ger)                                          1.03.11
24 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA                      1.06.06
25 Andreas Mühlbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA              1.06.08
26 Stephan Adelsmayr (Aut) Drahteselklinik                    1.21.07
27 Giancarlo Schoemberg (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano               1.26.33
28 Wolfgang Kristinus (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1               1.30.29
29 Hans Weber (Aut) Team Fluxus                               1.31.03
30 Peter Raymann (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 2                              
31 Toru Watanabe (Jpn) Team Sport Nora                        1.41.52
32 Marzio Deho (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1                           
33 Jurgen Van de Walle (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 1                   
34 Robert Dold (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1                             
35 Christophe Stevens (Bel)                                          
36 Wilhelm Stapper (Ger) Baustoff + Metall 2                         
37 Kim Proctor (Aus) SOHO                                            
38 Manuel Pino (Spa)                                                 
39 Charles Blanc (Fra)                                               
 
Women
1 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA                       4.55.02