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10th Crocodile Trophy - NE
Australia, October 16-31, 2004
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Stage 2 - October 19: Roper Bar - Nathan River, 196 km
Hail Hansen: Two from two
Searing heat takes its toll
By John-Michael Flynn at Nathan River, Northern Territory, Australia
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Ten years ago, the organisers of the Crocodile Trophy set themselves an objective to create the toughest mountain bike stage race on the planet.
Today it was mission accomplished as race leader, Australia's Adam Hansen, collapsed deliriously at the finish line upon claiming a second successive stage victory, then bathed his weary dust encrusted body in the cleansing waters of an outback billabong.
After smashing the field yesterday to claim stage one of the 2004 Crocodile Trophy, Hansen (Cairns Coconut Village Team) emptied the tank in the brutal 196 kilometre second stage, contested in searing heat along endless miles of corrugated, dusty dirt roads.
It was a stage contested in the most remote region of the Australia's aptly named 'never never'. Today's parcours traversing a baked landscape, which millions of years ago formed the floor of a vast inland sea.
"It was corrugation or sand, you had two choices and no-one wants either of those," a breathless Hansen said as he cooled down in the magnificent Butterfly Spring.
The rest well earned after extending his lead in the general classification to 22 minutes and 37 seconds, over the man who has emerged from the pack as Hansen's main rival, Belgian Jurgen Van de Walle of Team Gatorade. If Hansen's bravery today was commendable, both he and Van der Walle were deserving of the Crocodile Trophy's gutsiest rider tag following an epic duel on the most epic of mountainbike stages.
How it unfolded
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While it was never Hansen's plan to make a move today, especially following his sterling solo effort to claim yesterday's 182 kilometre stage, the native North Queenslander chose to go with the moves of the big name Gatorade team and defend his lead at all costs. The decision, perhaps all the more bold, given his team-mates had chosen to stay with the pack and rest, after setting up the stage one win.
Stage two turned out to be the ultimate race of attrition, competitors dropping off one by one, including the man considered to be Hansen's major threat in this year's event, eleven time Tour de France veteran Alberto Elli.
Suffering terribly from the after effects of a crash in Saturday's opening prologue, Elli drifted in the standings, to finish more than one hour and eighteen minutes behind the race leader.
His team-mate Van der Walle fared much better, creating one of the moments of the Crocodile Trophy so far when he fought back gallantly to briefly lead the stage after being dropped by the Australian forty kilometres from the finish.
"Yeah, that was a surprise," Hansen said. "I got a time check and thought he was finished for the race, he was gone, and then he just came from nowhere, he must have recovered."
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Relaxing alongside Hansen in the Butterfly Spring as the two riders compared battle stories, Van Der Walle revealed the secret behind his recovery was all about learning to cope with the stifling heat of Australia's remote outback.
"It was completely over so I started going at my own speed," Van der Walle said. "Trying to keep as much water with me, keeping it over my head, every creek I saw, just putting my head in."
But up against a rider who lives and trains in the extremes of Northern Australia, inevitably the Gatorade team rider couldn't hold onto Hansen, who won the stage by 4 minutes and 44 seconds. Van de Walle, along with Gatorade team-mate Marzio Deho who finished third today, still very much in contention for overall race honours despite now being 22 minutes and 37 seconds behind Hansen in the general classification. "I hate tomorrow - it's so long again," the Belgian said as he contemplated the Crocodile Trophy's third consecutive epic stage of 180 kilometres between Butterfly Springs and Borroloola.
"The stages 100k should be ok because I feel 100k goes but after that in this heat you really start boiling. That's my problem - I'm from Belgium, so for the moment, it's 10 or 15 degrees there, I'm not used to riding in 40 degrees."
The ultimate endurance test
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Today's race results, just two days into the 13 stage 1700 kilometre epic race read as an epitaph for many riders who'll continue on their outback adventure, though effectively eliminated from the general Classification.
Only 24 of the 40 riders contesting the Crocodile Trophy finished today's gruelling stage, bodies and bikes wasted at the side of the bumpy bush track, much like the Holden car wrecks which sit rusting by the roadside in the remote outback scrub.
Belgian pro road cyclist Christophe Stevens was rated a contender in this year's trophy, yet his campaign ended this morning when his heart rate hit 115 at the start line. An overnight hangover perhaps from a dose of heatstroke on day one.
"I was with 10 guys in front and I just punctured before the first depot and I thought this must be a sign. I wasn't feeling too good."
His description of the Crocodile Trophy remarkably lucid for one dealing with the effects of a mind-altering day on the road.
"It's not human," Stevens said. "And there are some others coming, I think with two hours to go, it's a bit too long this stage."
Too long perhaps, but for those who enter the Crocodile Trophy with the personal objective of finishing, time is immaterial. That's just as well for Japanese rider Toru Watanabe, who with light fading and his fellow competitors sitting down to dinner among the eucalyptus trees, crossed the line in near darkness 10 hours and 55 minutes after he began.
The sole woman in this year's Crocodile Trophy, Austrian Anita Waib completed today's epic ride in just over 10 hours and seven minutes. Her male companions from the Austrian Skin Fit team riding shotgun, on a day many riders would like two, but simply won't be able to forget.
"Very hot and long distance, last stage two hundred kilometres and this day two hundred kilometres, very hard," said Anita.
Stage three reduced after toughest-ever Crocodile Trophy Stage
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Riders in the Crocodile Trophy woke this morning to another hot, humid day in Australia's Tropics and as they emerged from their tents for breakfast, race director Gerhard Schoenbacher made an announcement popular with the Europeans, but not so the Australians.
The distance of stage three reduced by forty kilometres due largely to fatigue setting in among the visiting cyclists.
"Well because the conditions are very harsh, actually harder than we expected," Schoenbacher said. "After first very hard day a lot of head wind and more than forty degrees in temperature we decided there is a limit for every rider, even the good ones, so we cut the race today from 180 to 140km."
The race director adding what most of the forty riders competing in the Crocodile Trophy already knew. "It was definitely the hardest start of the crocodile trophy ... plus the heat."
Red Bull rescue
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The Crocodile Trophy Media Team (some would say circus) has begun issuing awards of its own for the 2004 event, a task brought on no doubt by hours spent baking in the Northern Territory sun.
For her efforts in keeping the riders hydrated both with gallons of water and the sponsors product, Jascinta, the Red Bull promotions girl, was handed the illustrious (some would say dubious) honour of being crowned Miss Crocodile Trophy.
Watch out for the awards for worst driver, most impressive damage to a hire vehicle, most days without a shower, and best bush dreadlocks!
Photography
Images by Mark Watson/mwphotography.com.au
- Stage winner Adam Hansen (Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort) douses himself with water after a brutal 196 kilometre stage.
- This race hurts!
- It can get lonely out here...
- Well, hello there... a less fearsome outback creature.
- Lars Erik Johnson (Gatorade Dream Team) finished in 17th place.
- No time to take a dip.
- The winding trail to Nathan River.
Results
1 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 7.35.20 2 Jurgen Van de Walle (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 1 4.39 3 Marzio Deho (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 6.17 4 Ondrej Fojtik (Cze) 21.45 5 Martin Kiechle BRD 33.50 6 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Team Sport Nora 33.51 7 Gerhard Gulewicz (Aut) bikestation-salinenimmobiloen.com 59.34 8 Elli Alberto (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 1.01.02 9 Andreas Dünn BRD Baier-Qantas-German A. 1.24.00 10 Tilo Koch BRD 1.24.02 11 David Woods (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 1.33.43 12 Mario Amann (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 1.37.39 13 Adam Socha (Aus) 1.53.50 13 Andrew Wegener (Aus) 15 Robert Hotter (Aut) Team Sport Nora 1.56.35 16 James Grant (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 2.12.15 17 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Gatorade Dream Team 2 2.21.34 18 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 2.32.37 19 Willi Wagner (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 2.32.38 20 Peter Dammerer (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 2.32.41 21 Thomas Moderbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 2.32.42 22 Hans Weber (Aut) Team Fluxus 3.02.56 23 Toru Watanabe (Jpn) Team Sport Nora 3.19.46 24 Andreas Mühlbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 4.19.46 24 Giancarlo Schoemberg (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 24 Loris Macor (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 24 Salvatore Paolo Albano (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 24 Robert Dold (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 24 Wolfgang Kristinus (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 24 Thomas Pichler (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 24 Christophe Stevens (Bel) 24 Stephan Adelsmayr (Aut) Drahteselklinik 24 Peter Raymann (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 2 24 Wilhelm Stapper BRD Baustoff + Metall 2 24 Jochen Doll BRD 24 Kim Proctor (Aus) SOHO 24 Manuel Pino (Spa) 24 Charles Blanc (Fra) 24 Perry Moerman (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 2 Fastest woman 1 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 10.07.57 General classification after stage 2 1 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 13.10.37 2 Jurgen Van de Walle (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 1 22.37 3 Marzio Deho (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 36.48 4 Ondrej Fojtik (Cze) 40.32 5 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Team Sport Nora 45.08 6 Martin Kiechle BRD 45.16 7 Elli Alberto (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 1.18.14 8 Andreas Dünn BRD Baier-Qantas-German A. 1.45.46 9 Tilo Koch BRD 1.53.13 10 David Woods (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 2.02.07 11 Gerhard Gulewicz (Aut) bikestation-salinenimmobiloen.com 2.22.10 12 Robert Hotter (Aut) Team Sport Nora 2.24.40 13 Mario Amann (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 2.48.11 14 James Grant (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 2.53.11 15 Adam Socha (Aus) 2.59.35 16 Andrew Wegener (Aus) 2.59.36 17 Willi Wagner (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 3.01.15 18 Lars Erik Johnson (USA) Gatorade Dream Team 2 3.18.11 19 Thomas Moderbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 3.19.03 20 Peter Dammerer (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 3.31.36 21 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 4.19.35 22 Hans Weber (Aut) Team Fluxus 4.49.58 23 Salvatore Paolo Albano (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 4.57.15 24 Kim Proctor (Aus) SOHO 5.06.18 25 Loris Macor (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 5.19.26 26 Christophe Stevens (Bel) 5.42.33 27 Toru Watanabe (Jpn) Team Sport Nora 5.57.41 28 Andreas Mühlbacher (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 6.06.46 29 Jochen Doll BRD 6.06.49 30 Thomas Pichler (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 1 6.26.16 31 Peter Raymann (Aut) Team Hervis NÖ 2 6.43.06 32 Giancarlo Schoemberg (Ita) Pedale Tarvisiano 6.48.02 33 Perry Moerman (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 2 6.52.39 34 Wilhelm Stapper BRD Baustoff + Metall 2 7.42.51 35 Robert Dold (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 8.14.17 36 Wolfgang Kristinus (Aut) Baustoff + Metall 1 8.29.29 37 Stephan Adelsmayr (Aut) Drahteselklinik 38 Manuel Pino (Spa) 39 Charles Blanc (Fra) Fastest woman classification 1 Anita Waiß (Aut) skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 17.30.12 Points classification 1 Adam Hansen (Aus) Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 40 pts 2 Sibl Radoslav (Cze) Team Sport Nora 17 3 Martin Kiechle BRD 15 4 Elli Alberto (Ita) Gatorade Dream Team 1 12 5 Jurgen Van de Walle (Bel) Gatorade Dream Team 1 10 Teams classification 1 Gatorade Dream Team 1 41.49.45 2 Cairns Coconut Caravan Resort 2.37.54 3 Team Sport Nora 6.49.45 4 Team Hervis NÖ 1 10.41.13 5 skinfit TEAM AUSTRIA 11.27.30 6 Pedale Tarvisiano 14.46.49 7 Baustoff + Metall 1 17.14.03
