Australian National MTB Championships - CN

Mount Stromlo, Australia, January 25-28, 2008

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Race 7 - January 27: XC: Elite/U23 Women

Dellys Starr
Photo ©: Evan Jeffery

Dellys Starr stomped home in the women's race at Stromlo Forest Park in Canberra. With the UCI recently announcing Australia as having one spot for female Olympic competition in 2008, Australia's elite women are stepping up for a battle.

Melbourne's Commonwealth Games representative Starr proved she was in a league of her own. Starr moved away from National Road Champion Oenone Wood in the start lap and retained her lead for four laps of the 8.3 km circuit. Although not a selection race, Starr has now been placed in the shadow team.

Australia's newly appointed cross country coach Neil Ross was impressed with Starr's performance.

U23 women's winner
Photo ©: Evan Jeffery

"With the World Cup season still ahead there remains other opportunities for women to achieve shadow squad qualification. If no one else qualifies then the only athlete on the shadow squad, Dellys, is first in line for the Olympic nomination," said Ross. Starr was leaving nothing to chance and made a break to finish the four laps in one hour 54 minutes and 56 seconds.

"It's impossible to take it easy if you take it easy you loose your spot and it's so much harder to gain that back," said Starr. "It definitely wasn't an easy race I was pushed the whole way and I was really impressed with the depth of the field."

Quietly confident, Starr was not expecting her final placing. "You can never expect anything. I knew I had good legs but once again I didn't know whether they were good enough," she added.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Evan Jeffery/www.evanjeffery.com.au

The start of the women's race.
Dellys Starr out on her own.
Zoe King with a charging Emma Colson on her tail.
A jubilant Dellys Starr at the finish.
Dellys Starr with proud father Kahn Franke.
Rowena Fry warming up before the race.
Oenone Wood having a dabble with mountain biking.
Niki Fisher looking calm on the start line.
U23 women's winner Linsay Gorrell.
Emma Colson having a fantastic race to finish second.
Niki Fisher performed well on home soil.
Dellys Starr with the Stromlo observatory in the background.

Results

Elite women

1 Dellys Starr (Spot Brand Bicycles)                            1.54.47
2 Emma Colson (Topbike Tours, Specialized, Total Rush)             1.46
3 Niki Fisher (Assos-Swell Design Group, Dragon)                   2.57
4 Zoe King (Cannondale Sram Team, Kom Cyclery, )                   3.07
5 Tory Thomas (Torq, Vis, Sram)                                    3.55
6 Rowena Fry (Orbea Bicycles, Catlike Helmets, )                   4.47
7 Joanna Wall (A&I Helicopter Services, Moronis Bikes, )           5.25
8 Joanna Harrington (Gary Fisher Bikes Fineline Bike Shop, )       6.06
9 Kate Potter (Cotic Bontrager Race Team, Torq, )                  6.13
10 Oenone Wood (Team High Roadgiant)                               6.18
11 Katherine Oõshea (Fitzroy Cycles, Michelin Tyres )              6.55
12 Jodie Willett (Ediscovery Tools, River City Cycles)             8.12
13 Jaci Low                                                        9.35
14 Rosemary Barnes (Giant Bicycles)                               10.04
15 Julie Blake (Bike Central)                                     10.16
16 Katrin Van Der Spiegel (Trek, Clarence Street Cyclery)         11.13
17 Jenni King (Spoke'n')                                          12.26
18 Claire Haugh (Torq)                                            14.21
19 Jessica Douglas (Torquay Cycling Factory, Sram)                15.27
20 Kimberley Fleming (Clarence Street Cyclery)                    17.13
21 Bronwyn Ryan                                                   19.08
22 Maria Papadopoulos (Clarence Street Cyclery )                  19.40
23 Bianca Mauch (Tlc Cycles, Token)                               21.05
24 Kathryn Bicknell (Nzo, Merida, Onya Bike Tuggeranong)          22.22
25 Philippa Rostan                                                34.35
26 Abbey Fielding (Qsp Security/Bikeman/Fasta Pasta)              46.38
DNF Trudy Nicholas                                                     
DNF Kelly Bartlett                                                     
DNS Rebecca Armstrong (Cyclemania, North Perth)                        
 
U23 Women

1 Lindsay Gorrell (Clarence St Cyclery, Trek, )                 2.05.34
2 Gracie Elvin (Orbea Bicycles, Catlike Helmets)                   3.49
3 Therese Rhodes                                                   8.20
4 Anna Beck (King Of The Mountain Cyclery)                        21.25