Crocodile Trophy - NE

Australia, October 18-30, 2005

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Stage 8 - October 25: Chillagoe Time trial, 30 km

Hansen wins time trial and extends lead

Australian still 'the rider most likely' in Crocodile Trophy

By John-Michael Flynn at Chillagoe - Outback Far North Queensland

Adam Hansen rode well
Photo ©: Mark Watson

Averaging a sizzling 38.38 km/h on a 30 kilometre course of mostly hard-packed dirt road, Australian Adam Hansen consolidated his race lead in the Crocodile Trophy by taking out today's eighth stage time trial.

Realising the time trial was a "very important stage" the leader of the Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort team turned up ready to race, knowing there was an opportunity to take time out of his main rivals, MTB Marathon World Cup Champion Mauro Bettin and Austria's Heinz Zorweg.

"Two years ago I did this time trial in Chillagoe and finished second to Bettin," Hansen said. "I think I'm a little stronger than Bettin now and Zorweg has been getting weaker the last two stages." Finishing the 30 kilometres in a time of 46.44, Hansen surged a further 1 minute, 40 seconds ahead of Bettin overall and 2.57 ahead of Zorweg.

Overall, the Australian leads the Crocodile Trophy standings with a margin of 9.29 over Austrian rider Zorweg and 25.22 over Bettin, but will need to hold a gap of at least that size given the superior mountain bike skills of his rivals, which will come into their own on the notorious CREB track through the Daintree Rainforest later in the race. "Ideally I'd like to lead by 30 minutes going into the Daintree," Hansen said after today's stage. "But there is a long way to go before there and anything can happen."

German Jens Zemke of the Felt-Shimano Dream Team rounded out the podium placings in today's time trial and at one stage looked the goods for a stage win after charging off the start line and quickly rounding up his minute man. But Hansen's go-steady approach to the race brought the ultimate result today with his second stage victory of the race and more valuable seconds added to his overall lead.

What lies ahead

Mauro Bettin had to work hard
Photo ©: Mark Watson

Today is as close as the riders will get to a rest day at the Crocodile Trophy and while many of the key protagonists spent the afternoon cooling down in a local Billabong (Aboriginal word meaning water hole), there will be no respite tomorrow when the race caravan hits the dusty dirt roads of Cape York, bound for Mount Mulgrave.

The shortest distance for riders in the next four stages of the Crocodile Trophy is 135 kilometres, and much of that will be on rutted dirt roads and sandy leg sapping tracks. The stages from Mount Mulgrave to Laura and Laura to Cooktown in particular are expected to be incredibly demanding and that's before the riders reach the Daintree where they will confront one of the hardest and certainly most iconic stages of the race.

The fight for the general classification now appears to be a race of three, after Belgian Christophe Stevens, who badly bruised his wrist overnight backed off in today's time trial, but vowed to continue in the race. "There is no point going hard," Stevens said. "Bettin, Hansen and Zorweg are a long way ahead."

The sole female competitor in the event, Danish woman Astrid Boehm, also continued her brave ride through the Aussie Outback. The 30-year-old triathlete, who had never ridden a mountain bike before this race continued with the plan of grinding it out at her own slow and steady pace. "I can race hard when I go home," Astrid said with authority. "For now I race to survive."

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Mark Watson/mwphotography.com.au

Adam Hansen is congratulated after a strong ride in the time trial
Adam Hansen rode well to take victory in stage 8
Astrid Boehm is 'riding to survive'
Kim Proctor cuts a lonely figure during stage 8 of the Croc Trophy
Riders faced s shorter day with more amazing landscapes in the outback
Mauro Bettin had to work hard to make up some of the time he lost three days ago

Results

1 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1           46.54
2 Mauro Bettin (Ita) Dream Team 1                               1.40
3 Jens Zemke (Ger) Dream Team 1                                 1.45
4 Matthias Buxhofer (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl       2.17
5 Heinz Zörweg (Aut) ARBÖ Wienstrom Lamster Fadewa              2.57
6 Johannes Huber (Ger) Team Huber                               3.48
7 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Dream Team 2                          5.30
8 Struan Lomont (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2          5.51
9 Salvatore P. Albano (Ita) Team Bike Tarvisio 2005                 
10 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Favorit Brno - Bikezone                  6.18
11 Guido Van Olffen (Ned) GTI team                              6.30
12 Stefan Rucker (Aut) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1         6.31
13 Robert Vlug (Ned) team.hollandonline.nl                      6.47
14 Tim Northy (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2            6.59
15 Kai Hundertmarck (Ger) Dream Team 1                          7.20
16 Christophe Stevens (Bel)                                     8.32
17 Mikkel Brinch Norgaard (Den) Team ACM                        8.37
18 Macor Loris (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano                          8.51
19 David Wood (Aus) Dream Team 2                                9.01
20 Beat Lustenberger (Swi) Trek-VC Züri 2                       9.25
21 Johannes Reiser (Aut) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1       9.31
22 Harry Ensink (Ned) GTI team                                  9.33
22 Peter Stenico (Aut) Peto                                     9.59
24 Günter Rafeiner (Aut) Sport Nora                            10.27
25 Kim Proctor (Aus)                                           10.43
26 Bart Machiels (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 2              11.33
27 Markus Eibegger (Aut) Team Rapso                            12.32
28 Knud Juul-Jensen (Irl) Team ACM 2                           12.39
29 Cristophe Desimpelaere (Bel) Team ACM                       13.19
30 Joe McDonnell (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2        13.45
31 Han Vaalt (Ned) GTI team                                    13.57
32 Eric Paquay (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1                15.23
33 Giancarlo Schönberg (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano                 17.05
34 Jos Kerkhofs (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1               17.55
35 Karl Frank (Aut) SV Panaceo Post                            18.17
36 Paul West (GBr) Endura/Shred                                19.15
39 Claude Dabaliz (NZl)                                        19.21
37 Ejnar Fausing (Den) Team ACM 2                              21.39
38 Astrid Boehm (Den) Team ACM                                 25.05
Out Rudi Donckers (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1                  
Out Reinhard Hörmann (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl          
 
Women
 
1 Astrid Boehm (Den) Team ACM                                1.11.59
 
General classification after stage 8
 
1 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1        27.27.17
2 Heinz Zörweg (Aut) ARBÖ Wienstrom Lamster Fadewa              9.29
3 Mauro Bettin (Ita) Dream Team 1                              25.22
4 Christophe Stevens (Bel)                                     36.14
5 Matthias Buxhofer (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl      49.59
6 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Favorit Brno - Bikezone                1.23.07
7 Jens Zemke (Ger) Dream Team 1                              2.02.43
8 Markus Eibegger (Aut) Team Rapso                           2.28.24
9 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Dream Team 2                       2.32.23
10 Kai Hundertmarck (Ger) Dream Team 1                       2.39.42
11 Salvatore P. Albano (Ita) Team Bike Tarvisio 2005         2.47.01
12 Robert Vlug (Ned) team.hollandonline.nl                   3.07.23
13 Tim Northy (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2         3.10.38
14 Stefan Rucker (Aut) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1      3.28.00
15 Johannes Huber (Ger) Team Huber                           3.45.25
16 Joe McDonnell (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2      4.18.13
17 Johannes Reiser (Aut) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1    4.43.00
18 Struan Lomont (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2      4.50.24
19 David Wood (Aus) Dream Team 2                             5.01.01
20 Guido Van Olffen (Ned) GTI team                           5.24.26
21 Macor Loris (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano                       5.33.42
22 Peter Stenico (Aut) Peto                                  5.39.22
23 Mikkel Brinch Norgaard (Den) Team ACM                     6.23.18
24 Harry Ensink (Ned) GTI team                               7.13.30
25 Kim Proctor (Aus)                                         7.49.54
26 Bart Machiels (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 2            8.16.28
27 Knud Juul-Jensen (Irl) Team ACM 2                         8.22.55
28 Cristophe Desimpelaere (Bel) Team ACM                     8.32.44
29 Beat Lustenberger (Swi) Trek-VC Züri 2                    8.38.38
30 Jos Kerkhofs (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1            10.51.05
31 Karl Frank (Aut) SV Panaceo Post                         10.57.34
32 Eric Paquay (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1             11.50.38
33 Han Vaalt (Ned) GTI team                                 12.00.41
34 Giancarlo Schönberg (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano              12.39.51
35 Paul West (GBr) Endura/Shred                             15.57.20
36 Claude Dabaliz (NZl)                                     16.58.24
37 Günter Rafeiner (Aut) Sport Nora                         17.13.22
38 Astrid Boehm (Den) Team ACM                              20.23.55
39 Ejnar Fausing (Den) Team ACM 2                           21.52.00
40 Rudi Donckers (Bel) Belgium Bikers Marathons 1                   
41 Reinhard Hörmann (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl           
 
Women
 
1 Astrid Boehm (Den) Team ACM                               47.51.12
 
Points classification
 
1 Mauro Bettin (Ita) Dream Team 1                                100 pts
2 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1              92
3 Christophe Stevens (Bel)                                        62
4 Heinz Zörweg (Aut) ARBÖ Wienstrom Lamster Fadewa                46
5 Markus Eibegger (Aut) Team Rapso                                30
6 Matthias Buxhofer (Aut) VAV-Versicherung R. u. R. Völkl         29
7 Kai Hundertmarck (Ger) Dream Team 1                             25
8 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Favorit Brno - Bikezone                     12
9 Jens Zemke (Ger) Dream Team 1                                   10
 
Team classification
 
1 Dream Team 1                                              87.29.55
2 Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 1                           3.03.11
3 Cairns Coconut Caravan Simplon 2                           7.11.11
4 GTI team                                                  19.30.33
5 Team ACM                                                  30.11.53