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10th Crocodile Trophy - NE
Australia, October 16-31, 2004
Main Page Results Gatorade Dream Team diary Previous Stage Next Stage
Stage 1 - October 18: Mataranka - Roper Bar, 182 km
Aussie underdogs triumph
Hansen blows away Gatorade Dream Team
By John-Michael Flynn in Roper River, Northern Territory Australia
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In boxing parlance it's akin to the long shot contender landing a haymaker on the heavyweight champion in the first round of a title fight, while in cycling parlance it's virtually unheard of.
Today, amid the searing heat of Australia's Outback in the heart of the Northern Territory, a team of battling underdogs from the tropical city of Cairns in Far North Queensland, overcame both the odds and a Gatorade Dream team packed with seasoned European professionals to win stage one of the Crocodile Trophy.
In the end it was a most emphatic victory for the Cairns Coconut Village Team, led by twenty three year old Australian rider Adam Hansen, who today, perhaps more than any other race in his career, signaled he has what it takes to make it in the competitive world of professional cycling.
Hansen's win, set up by his team-mates but finished off with a solo move which, figuratively speaking, blew the doors off the opposition, ended in grand fashion when he crossed a picturesque causeway on the crocodile-infested Roper River to win the marathon 180km stage by nearly eleven minutes.
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The opening stage of mountain biking's grand tour was undertaken in oppressively hot, yet not unexpected conditions for this time of year in Australia's remote heart.
And while the Europeans who have come from temperatures in the vicinity of 10 degrees Celsius all but melted in the steamy outback, the team of local riders Hansen, Dave Woods and James Grant who live and train in these conditions, looked just as much at home as the venomous snakes and goanna lizards which call the desolate country between Mataranka Springs and Roper River home.
"Perfect day for our team, that was totally unreal," an ecstatic Hansen said shortly before cooling down with a swim in the deceptively charming waters of the Roper River.
Looking remarkably sharp after completing the 182 kilometre stage, Hansen was quick to pay tribute to his team-mates, who despite being relative novices, managed to upstage the Gatorade Dream Team which boasts, among others, an eleven time Tour de France veteran in Alberto Elli.
How it unfolded
The foundation for Hansen's victory was laid when team-mate James Grant selflessly launched himself off the front of the peloton in the opening kilometres of today's stage.
Knowing the conditions and paying close attention to hydration, Grant was given strong support by Austrian Robert Hotter of the Sport Nora team, their break at one stage stretching to almost five minutes and playing into the hands of the local boys.
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"James took off at the start and he got away without a Gatorade rider, that put the pressure on them and Dave and I were just blocking," Hansen said. "But by the time they caught them half the Gatorade guys were finished and we started a breakaway,(75k to go) working together I was pushing it a bit."
Among the casualties from the Crocodile Trophy's Gatorade Dream Team were Saturday's prologue winner Italian Marzio Deho, whose face showed the anguish as he fell victim to the stressing heat and was dropped by the peloton.
Belgian Jurgen Van De Walle, arguably the best of the Gatorade riders for most of today's stage, also looked as parched as the surrounding landscape when he reached the finish line at the Aboriginal Community of Roper River. Last year's winner of four stages Alberto Elli, the best placed of the Crocodile Trophy's most fancied team, getting home in fourth.
"I am not in condition as last year but I try," said a weary Elli. "I am old rider I am not explosive I am on the long distance."
The veteran professional was quick to hand the race favourite tag over to the young Australian who today impressed many well credentialled judges.
"I think Adam can win the race, the Crocodile overall this year." Elli hinted. "There aren't many technical stages, he's very strong, I think he will be the winner of the race."
Hansen landed the knockout punch in today's stage when the race left the bitumen at the one hundred and forty kilometre mark. It was there the native North Australian put some serious distance between himself and the European chase pack which included Czech Sibl Radoslav (2nd) and Dane Martin Kiechle (3rd).
Speaking through an interpreter an exhausted Kiechle told how he had trouble coping with the oppressive heat which pushed many of the 49 man field into the danger zone of dehydration.
"It was a really hard race, I run out of water the last forty kilometres on the gravel pit. "Tomorrow if I have more to drink I can handle it."
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On Hansen's performance Kiechle was full of praise. "Hansen was the one in the eight man group who had the most pressure, just before he went on the gravel he raised pressure, in the end he just went away and he did a really great race."
Aussie underdogs
Success may last a day, a week or perhaps for the entire Crocodile Trophy, but for now at least the two Aussie battlers who assisted Adam Hansen's stage win are living every cyclist's dream.
James Grant, a marine technician with the Royal Australian Navy, who competes alongside team-mate Dave Woods at the Cairns Mountainbike Club and also road races with the Cairns Cycling Club perhaps summed it up best with his take on the days proceedings, made from the comfort of the cooling waters of the Roper River.
"Dave and I are untried, we're just local boys, we haven't raced against anyone big you know. Here we are against Tour de France riders and I think we're doing pretty well."
Incredibly, Grant spent the past three months at sea on the Naval vessel HMAS Melville and completed his arduous Crocodile Trophy training regimen on an indoor trainer, while conducting survey operations off the Northern Territory Coast.
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Still suffering sporadic cramps following his one hundred kilometre breakaway effort, the larrikin Grant used the local Australian vernacular to assess what went on, in what many Europeans described in various languages as a 'stage from hell'.
"Bloody oath, I went out hard to try and make the other team work so Adam could have as much of a rest as possible," Grant quipped.
"It worked for him, but I'm stuffed."
Woods, who comes from a background of mountain bike and more recently adventure racing wasn't having anything of talk that the little known Cairns Coconut Village team was now the one to watch in the world's toughest mountain bike race and hence under pressure.
"No no the pressure's on everyone else now, they've gotta chase, we've just gotta cover the attacks, Adam's in a different league."
Photography
Images by Mark Watson/mwphotography.com.au
- The peloton drafts a road train - these huge trucks are one of the more unusual hazards of Outback Australia
- Adam Hansen (Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort) powers to a fine win in stage 1
- James Grant (Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort) worked hard for team leader Hansen
- James Grant gives a thumbs up on the way to Roper Bar
- Team Gatorade leads the chase
- Alberto Elli (Team Gatorade) cools off after a hard 182km
- Charles Blanc - the only French competitor met his Waterloo on stage 1, finishing outside the time limit
- Adam Hansen meets some local kids in the river at Roper Bar
Results
1 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 5.35.47 2 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Team Sport Nora 10.57 3 Martin Kiechle (Ger) 11.01 4 Alberto Elli (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 16.42 5 Jurgen Van de Walle (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 1 17.38 6 Ondrej Fojtik (Cze) 18.17 7 Andreas Dünn (Ger) Baier-Qantas-German A. 21.16 8 Robert Hotter (Aut) Team Sport Nora 27.35 9 David Woods (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 27.54 10 Willi Wagner (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 28.07 11 Tilo Koch (Ger) 28.41 12 Marzio Deho (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 30.06 13 Salvatore Paolo Albano (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 36.59 14 James Grant (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 40.26 15 Thomas Moderbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 45.51 16 Kim Proctor (Aus) SOHO 46.02 17 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Gatorade Dream Team 2 56.07 18 Peter Dammerer (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 58.25 19 Loris Macor (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 59.10 20 Adam Socha (Aus) 1.05.15 21 Andrew Wegener (Aus) 1.05.16 22 Mario Amann (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 1.10.02 23 Gerhard Gulewicz (Aut) bikestation-salinenimmobiloen.com 1.22.06 24 Christophe Stevens (Bel) 1.22.17 25 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 1.46.28 26 Andreas Mühlbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 1.46.30 27 Hans Weber (Aut) Team Fluxus 1.46.32 28 Jochen Doll (Ger) 1.46.33 29 Thomas Pichler (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 2.06.00 30 Peter Raymann (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 2 2.22.50 31 Giancarlo Schoemberg (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 2.27.46 32 Perry Moerman (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 2 2.32.23 33 Toru Watanabe (Jpn) Team Sport Nora 2.37.25 34 Wilhelm Stapper (Ger) Baustoff + Metall 2 3.22.35 35 Robert Dold (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 3.54.01 36 Wolfgang Kristinus (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 4.09.13 36 Stephan Adelsmayr (Aut) Drahteselklinik 36 Manuel Pino (Spa) 36 Charles Blanc (Fra) Fastest woman 1 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 7.22.15 General classification after stage 1 1 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 5.35.47 2 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Team Sport Nora 10.57 3 Martin Kiechle (Ger) 11.01 4 Alberto Elli (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 16.42 5 Jurgen Van de Walle (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 1 17.38 6 Ondrej Fojtik (Cze) 18.17 7 Andreas Dünn (Ger) Baier-Qantas-German A. 21.16 8 Robert Hotter (Aut) Team Sport Nora 27.35 9 David Woods (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 27.54 10 Willi Wagner (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 28.07 11 Tilo Koch (Ger) 28.41 12 Marzio Deho (Aus) Gatorade Dream Team 1 30.06 13 Salvatore Paolo Albano (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 36.59 14 James Grant (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 40.26 15 Thomas Moderbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 45.51 16 Kim Proctor (Aus) SOHO 46.02 17 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Gatorade Dream Team 2 56.07 18 Peter Dammerer (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 58.25 19 Loris Macor (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 59.10 20 Adam Socha (Aus) 1.05.15 21 Andrew Wegener (Aus) 1.05.16 22 Mario Amann (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 1.10.02 23 Gerhard Gulewicz (Aut) bikestation-salinenimmobiloen.com 1.22.06 24 Christophe Stevens (Bel) 1.22.17 25 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 1.46.28 26 Andreas Mühlbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 1.46.30 27 Hans Weber (Aut) Team Fluxus 1.46.32 28 Jochen Doll (Ger) 1.46.33 29 Thomas Pichler (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 2.06.00 30 Peter Raymann (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 2 2.22.50 31 Giancarlo Schoemberg (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 2.27.46 32 Perry Moerman (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 2 2.32.23 33 Toru Watanabe (Jpn) Team Sport Nora 2.37.25 34 Wilhelm Stapper (Ger) Baustoff + Metall 2 3.22.35 35 Robert Dold (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 3.54.01 36 Wolfgang Kristinus (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 4.09.13 37 Stephan Adelsmayr (Aut) Drahteselklinik 38 Manuel Pino (Spa) 39 Charles Blanc (Fra) Fastest woman classification 1 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 7.22.15 Points classification 1 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 20 pts 2 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Team Sport Nora 15 3 Martin Kiechle (Ger) 10 4 Alberto Elli (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 5 5 Jurgen Van de Walle (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 1 2 Teams classification 1 Gatorade Dream Team 1 17.51.47 2 Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 3.54 3 Team Sport Nora 2.11.31 4 Team Hervis NÖ 1 2.28.06 5 Pedale Tarvisiano 2.59.29 6 skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 3.14.23 7 Baustoff + Metall 1 8.08.50
