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Crocodile Trophy - NE
Australia, October 18-30, 2005
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Stage 12 - October 29: Cooktown - Daintree, 139 km
Italian Champion Bettin wins epic Daintree Forest stage
By John-Michael Flynn at Daintree Township, Far North Queensland Australia
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It's a stage which has become part of Crocodile Trophy tradition. A 135 kilometre journey from Cooktown to Daintree township along the magnificent C.R.E.B track, traversing the steep mountains of Far North Queensland's World Heritage Listed rainforest. Today Italy's Mauro Bettin provided a place for himself in that developing race folklore with a display of pure cross-country mountain biking which his rivals could only marvel at.
It is worth noting that but for a multiple flat tyre mishap in stage four of this year's Crocodile Trophy, Bettin could easily have been in the position Australian Adam Hansen finds himself in now, at the head of the overall race standings. Taking nothing away from Hansen though, Bettin, the leader of the Felt-Shimano Dream Team, showed today why his is the best cross-country mountain biker in this year's race, with climbing skills at least the equal of Hansen and descending skills superior to any of his rivals.
It took five hours, 45 minutes and 43 seconds for Bettin to reach the finish of today's epic penultimate stage over the steep ranges of the Daintree. In doing so, the Italian took over second place on the overall standings from Heinz Zorweg of Austria, but fell short of his goal for this race, to win the overall crown.
"I'm happy because today I am winner," Bettin said as he reached Daintree township. Bu he lamented his misfortune in stage 4, saying, "If I had no flat tyre (during stage 4) maybe I could win the crocodile...maybe the next year."
Celebrations for Hansen
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For Australia's Adam Hansen, the index finger raised in the air as he crossed the finish line in a time of 5.53.44 (8.01 behind Bettin), was an acknowledgement of what his rivals in the Crocodile Trophy already know.
Over twelve gruelling stages the leader of the Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort Team has proven himself the strongest and best prepared rider of the event. With only a 30 kilometre criterium on the beach at Port Douglas victory is now a formality. When the times were calculated at the end of today's stage, Hansen remained 17 minutes ahead of Bettin on G.C. and a second Crocodile Trophy is in his keeping.
"This means heaps; I had a lot of mental problems during the season and everyone was pushing that I was weaker and weaker," an emotional Hansen said after receiving congratulatory hugs from his mother. "I had my own team here and I can do what I want and I just want to prove everyone wrong, and definitely I'm stronger than last year."
How it unfolded
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Today's stage began in the picture postcard surrounds of the Endeavour River mouth at Cooktown as the protagonists in the race called a brief halt to on-course hostilities, while they rolled out of the historic town.
Beyond the spectacular basalt rock structures of Black Mountain, the peloton headed towards the World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest and the notorious C.R.E.B track, the entrance of which was 75 kilometres into the stage. On the first climb (a serious climb to match category one climbs in Grand Tours - only on dirt) the real contenders emerged and again it was the familiar four, Bettin, Stevens, Hansen and Zorweg who shot off the front.
Today, however, the Austrian Zorweg, a powerhouse who has ridden without the support of his rivals, couldn't hold on as Stevens, Hansen and Bettin fought it out on the steep climbs and hairy descents of the 50 kilometre long C.R.E.B track. Half way along the iconic trail, Stevens began to tire, and Hansen suffered mechanical problems, with his small chain ring failing under pressure on one of the punishing ascents.
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"I wanted to win today and my little chain ring broke and I couldn't ride up those hills and Bettin got away," Hansen revealed of the mishap which could have cost him more dearly. "Once that happened I thought oh well, I was risking a lot to stay with him at the start but without the chain ring I couldn't keep up in the hills, so I just brought it home."
With a series of technical climbs and descents at the end of the C.R.E.B, Bettin found himself in his element. That was until he reached the crocodile inhabited Daintree River crossing, where the Felt-Shimano Dream Team leader was on guard. With a flat run to home over the next 10 kilometres, the stage result was no longer in doubt.
Bettin recording yet another stage win for this edition of the Crocodile Trophy, with Stevens four minutes behind in second and Hansen eight minutes back in third.
One stage to go
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Officially at least, tomorrow's 30 kilometre criterium on Four Mile Beach in the resort haven of Port Douglas will count towards the General Classification, but in reality it's likely to make little difference to the overall standings.
Barring a croc attack (unlikely on these beaches), Adam Hansen is all but guaranteed to claim victory in the General Classification, with Bettin, who has already committed to returning for another Crocodile Trophy assault in 2006, destined to finish second. More importantly, the stage will be a reward for those riders who have completed this incredibly draining trek across the Australian Outback.
At the end of 1400 kilometres, bikes will surely be ditched in the sand and the azure tropical waters enjoyed by the cyclists who have partaken in one of mountain biking's great epic adventures.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Mark Watson/mwphotography.com.au
- Adam Hansen concentrates during stage 12
- Tracks in the rainforest... Adam Hansen rides to third place on the stage
- Adam Hansen knows he's won the 2005 Crocodile Trophy
- Adam Hansen gets through the water during stage 12
- A big hug from Mum for Adam Hansen at the end of stage 12
- Christophe Stevens finished second on stage 12
- Christophe Stevens worked hard for his second place on the stage
- Christophe Stevens looks composed
- Christophe Stevens pushes his bike through one of the many waterways...
- ...but he nails it through this one!
- Heinz Zorweg finshed fourth on stage 12
- Mauro Bettin showed his class on the technical stage 12
- Spot the rider through the lush undergrowth of the Daintree
- Bettin reveled in today's stage and it showed on the timesheet
- Bettin just made it through before the finish sign came down
- The peloton rides during stage 12
Results
(Provisional Top 20) 1 Mauro Bettin 5.45.43 2 Christophe Stevens 3.45 3 Adam Hansen 8.01 4 Heinz Zorweg 16.40 5 Radoslav Sibl 21.32 6 Matthias Buxhofer 21.33 7 Markus Eibegger 21.43 8 Kai Hundertmarck 30.44 9 Jens Zemke 10 Robert Vlug 33.13 11 Joe McDonnell 36.38 12 Stefan Rucker 37.15 13 Peter Stenico 45.19 14 Lars Erik Johnson 47.40 15 David Wood 49.33 16 Tim Northy 53.44 17 Struan Lamont 59.13 18 Loris Macor 1.00.31 19 Johannes Reiser 1.09.23 20 Mikkel Brinch Norgaard 1.27.22 General Classification after stage 12 1 Adam Hansen (Aus) 2 Mauro Bettin (Ita) 3 Heinz Zorweg 4 Christophe Stevens (Bel)
