Urs Huber wins his fifth Crocodile Trophy Champion title today in Port Douglas after eight days and 27:38:30,7 of racing and sets a new record in the 24-year history of the event. Fellow Swiss racer Konny Looser wins today’s stage and finishes second overall, however, claiming the points classification. In third is the Luxemburg National Champion Soren Nissen ahead of the Austrian Matthias Grick and the Czech rider Milan Damek. Cairns racer Sarah White claims her second Crocodile Trophy victory in the women’s classification with 36:10:25,6 ahead of Lucy Coldwell (AUS) and Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL).
„I’m extremely happy about this victory and that I achieved what I set out to at the start of this race“, said Urs Huber of his record-breaking fifth victory today. He explained that this was his sixth participation in 10 years and that a lot had changed in the event. „It used to be a road racers competition with long Outback highways and is now an event where you need to be an all-rounder, however, what is still the same is the fierce competition at the front end. You need to be a good technical rider, but know how to ride a tactical race too“, he said and that he had gone up and succeeded against the likes of Olympic Champion Bart Brentjens from the Netherlands. This year had been tough as well with fellow Swiss racer Konny Looser a strong contender. „I went into this race fully focused, all that counted was the overall win“, he explained his strategy, which got him the win by one minute overall.
The experienced ultra-endurance racer Sarah White is the Elite Women’s winner by 32:34 minutes ahead of fellow Australian and ex road-pro Lucy Coldwell, finishing in 13th place outright. She said, „I really enjoyed this race, there was great competition among us women and a second Crocodile Trophy victory means a lot to me.“
The Crocodile Trophy took racers from 16 different nationalities including 18 Australians on a spectacular eight-day stage plan through Tropical North Queensland with almost 700 km and more than 15,000 meters of elevation. Last Saturday they had started with a marathon from Cairns to Lake Tinaroo and day two and three they spent in Herberton and the surrounding Herberton Range National Parks. For the 16th time the Crocodile Trophy made a stopover in Irvinebank before heading North to Skybury Coffee for two nights. Wetherby Station hosted the event yesterday and today was a 50km race to Port Douglas, finishing with a fast descent down the escarpment towards the coast on the infamous Bump Track.

All racers gathered after the official timing finish outside of town and rode towards the finish line on Four Mile Beach together in memoriam of the four-time Crocodile Trophy finisher and longtime mentor of the event, Greg Parr. The Cairns cycling icon passed away earlier this year and the Crocodile Trophy finished in his honour today. A multiple race finisher herself, Greg’s wife Sharmie led the riders along Four Mile Beach.
“Greg has been greatly missed by all this year, he was always there to help us when we needed him”, said Crocodile Trophy founder Gerhard Schönbacher today. “He would have loved seeing us all arrive at the finish line together and I am so proud of all our competitors and their efforts this year”, he concluded.
The Crocodile Trophy will return to Tropical North Queensland from 12 – 19th October 2019.
For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/
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“Greg Parr Wetherby to Port Douglas” Stage 8 | Results
Elite Men:
1. 3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 1:46:43 — 28.6 km/h Elite Men (1)
2. 1 Urs Huber (SUI) / Team Bulls / 1:46:53 +00:00:10 Elite Men (2)
3. 2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 1:47:55 +00:01:12 28.3 km/h Elite Men (3)
4. 4 Milan Damek (CZE) / Bike World / 1:57:00 +00:10:17 26.1 km/h Elite Men (4)
5. 6 Matthias Grick (AUT) / KTM – Wohbefinden Graz ARBÖ /1:57:43 +00:11:00 25.9 km/h Elite Men (4)
Elite Women:
1. 101 Sarah White (AUS) / Astute Financial Racing Team / 2:20:34 — 21.7 km/h
2. 102 Lucy Coldwell (AUS) / 2:27:08 +00:06:34 20.7 km/h Elite Women
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 2:36:13 +00:15:39 19.5 km/h

OVERALL Results after 8 Stages
Overall Men Result after 8 Stages:
1. #1 Urs Huber / 27:38:30,7 — Elite Men (1)
2. #3 Konny Looser / 1:46:43 27:39:31,0 +00:01:00 Elite Men (2)
3. #2 Sören Nissen / 28:34:48,2 +00:56:17 Elite Men (3)
4. #6 Matthias Grick / 29:52:52,3 +02:14:21 Elite Men (4)
5. #4 Milan Damek / 30:32:19,4 +02:53:48 Elite Men (5)

Overall Women Result after 8 Stages:
1. #101 Sarah White 36:10:25,6 — Elite Women (13th outright)
2. #102 Lucy Coldwell 36:42:59,6 +00:32:34 Elite Women (16th outright)
3. #103 Sjoukje Dufoer 41:25:16,2 +05:14:50.60 Elite Women (26th outright)

Fastest Amateur: #314 Michal Láník (CZE) / miomove / 32:12:45,7 +04:34:15 Amateur Men 3 (1)
Fastest Australian: #301 Bart Duraj (AUS) / Astute Financial Racing Team / 32:50:50,9 +05:12:20 Amateur Men 3 (2)
Fastest Austrian: #6 Matthias Grick (AUT) / KTM – Wohbefinden Graz ARBÖ / 29:52:52,3 +02:14:21 25.9 km/h Elite Men (4)

Overall Amateur Result after 8 stages:
Amateur Men 1 | 204 Martin Plank (AUT) 32:19:41,4
Amateur Men 2 | 250 Luke Zweers (AUS) 38:11:34,6
Amateur Men 3 | 314 Michal Láník (CZE) 32:12:45,7
Amateur Men 4 | 408 Graeme Young (AUS) 37:17:19,1
Amateur Men 5 | 504 Giovanni Colagiacomi Capponi (ITA) 42:38:06,1
Amateur Women | 125 Mona Van Nassauw (BEL) 43:06:09,7

Konny Looser wins today’s finish sprint by one meter against Urs Huber. The stage was a classic 102 km marathon from Skybury Coffee to Wetherby Station in Mount Molloy had started with a mellow 30 km to the first feed zone and then continued with countless steep pinch climbs that forced even the likes of race leader Huber off the bike. Soren Nissen finished eight minutes behind the inseparable Swiss duo ahead of Matthias Grick (+23min) and the Czech rider Milan Damek (+27:44min).

In the women’s Sarah White once again dominated on the hills during the second half of the stage and put 11:23min into Lucy Coldwell, defending and increasing her overall lead ahead to 26 minutes of tomorrow’s last stage to Port Douglas. Skoujke Dufoer finished in third today and has a 5 hour gap behind Sarah White overall.
Arrival in Port Douglas tomorrow Saturday, 20 October
For the last stage tomorrow, all eyes will be on Huber and Looser; with only 1:10min of a gap in the general classification after seven days and 650km of racing those two made sure this race remains a thrill until the very end. For Huber it would be his fifth Crocodile Trophy victory, which would set a new record in the 24-year history of the event and has been his ‘ultimate goal for this year’s race’.
The last stage will be a 50km race from Wetherby to Port Douglas. The timing finish line is located at the bottom of the infamous Bump Track and racers are expected to arrive there from 11:00am. The whole peloton will wait together there and then ride to the official finish on Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas where they are expected to arrive between 12:30-1pm. This will be the first mass arrival in the history of the Crocodile Trophy and will be in respectful and loving memory of local cycling icon, multiple race finisher and event official, Greg Parr from Cairns. “Greg and his wife Sharmie participated and finished the Crocodile Trophy four times. Greg supported us setting up our company World Wide Sports Agency in Cairns. He was always there to help us when we needed him”, said Founder Gerhard Schönbacher today. He added, “Greg will be greatly missed by all and the last stage of the Crocodile Trophy 2018 will be called the ‘Greg Parr Stage’ in his honour.”
The official winners ceremony will be held near the Surf Life Saving Club on the beach from 2pm.
For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/
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Top Results | Stage 7

Elite Men
1. 3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 03:45:45,1 — 27.1 km/h Elite Men (1)
2. 1 Urs Huber (SUI) / Team Bulls /03:45:45,2 +00:00:00 27.1 km/h Elite Men (2)
3. 2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 04:08:47,4 +00:08:09 26.1 km/h Elite Men (3)
4. 6 Matthias Grick (AUT) / KTM – Wohbefinden Graz ARBÖ / 04:39:49,1 +00:23:02 24.5 km/h Elite Men (4)
5. 4 Milan Damek (CZE) / Bike World / 04:13:29,9 +00:27:44 24.1 km/h Elite Men (5)
Elite Women
1. 101 Sarah White (AUS) / Astute Financial Racing Team / 04:47:30,4 +01:01:45 21.2 km/h (19th outright)
2. 102 Lucy Coldwell (AUS) 04:58:53,5 +00:11:23 20.4 km/h Elite Women (24th outright)
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 05:44:01,3 +00:56:29 17.7 km/h (35th outright)

OVERALL Standings after Stage 7:
Overall Men after 7 Stages:
1. # 1 Urs Huber 25:51:37,6 — Elite Men (1)
2. #3 Konny Looser 25:52:48,0 +00:01:10 Elite Men (2)
3. #2 Sören Nissen 26:46:52,7 +00:55:15 Elite Men (3)
4. #6 Matthias Grick 27:55:09,3 +02:03:31 Elite Men (4)
5. #4 Milan Damek 28:35:19,3 +02:43:41 Elite Men (5)

Overall Women after 6 Stages:
1. #101 Sarah White 33:49:51,3 — Elite Women (10th outright)
2. #102 Lucy Coldwell 34:15:51,1 +00:00:26 Elite Women (16th outright)
3. #103 Sjoukje Dufoer 38:49:03,0 +04:59:11 Elite Women (25th outright)

Overall Amateur standings after 6 stages
Amateur Men 1 | 204 Martin Plank (AUT) 30:14:08,6
Amateur Men 2 | 250 Dominic Kleijnen (BEL) 37:21:29,6
Amateur Men 3 | 314 Michal Láník (CZE) 30:03:25,0
Amateur Men 4 | 408 Graeme Young (AUS) 35:04:15,9
Amateur Women | 125 Mona Van Nassauw (BEL) 40:35:51,9

The Danish elite rider Sören Nissen who races for Luxemburg wins today’s stage in a furious sprint towards the line, winning just ahead of the Czech rider Milan Damek. Urs Huber and Konny Looser crossed the line right behind in third and fourth. Yesterday’s stage winner Matthias Grick was in fifth with a gap of about 16 minutes. Sjoukje Dufoer repeats women’s win ahead of Sarah White and Lucy Coldwell. With two stages still to go, the overall standings in elite men and women remain unchanged.

The Crocodile Trophy racers and crew have been relaxing at Skybury Coffee Plantation and enjoyed the freshly-brewed coffee with delicious cakes from the Cafe yesterday afternoon and more coffee with fresh fruit from the orchard for breakfast.
It seems the elite breakaway group of four with Huber, Looser, Nissen and Damek were full of Skybury-energy as they charged towards the finish on today’s day six of the Crocodile Trophy. They had managed to break away on today’s 127 km stage that took them across remote Outback roads and through Mount Mulligan Lodge.
In a spectacular and tight finish spring, Soren Nissen took the stage win ahead of the Czech rider Milan Damek. Urs Huber and Konny Looser followed straight after with Huber one stage closer to a possible fifth Crocodile Trophy win. Overall, he has a lead by 1:10 minutes ahead of fellow Swiss racer Looser and has a defensive racing strategy to the finish line in Port Douglas he said yesterday, “I now have to make sure bike and body perform well and keep a very close eye on Konny.”
Stage winner Nissen is 47 minutes behind the Swiss duo in the general classification in third with Matthias Grick (+01:40:29) in fourth and Damek in fifth (+02:15:56). For these riders the event had turned into a very tactical race and the battle for stage wins – and the boomerang trophies that come with those – is now in full swing.
Crocodile Trophy racing towards 25th Anniversary
Crocodile Trophy founder Gerhard Schönbacher said today that it was that racing spirit that he so enjoyed being a part of. After 24 years in the lead and track marking car he was able to finally do what he loved, chatting to ´his´ racers and crew and immersing himself in the event, “If I had known what a relief it would be to hand over the responsibility to a General Manager team, I think I would have done it years ago. I see my race from a completely new perspective and I´m having a great time!” He added that he was ´on call´ and available for the new management team with Regina Stanger and Koenraad Vanschoren at the helm of the Crocodile Trophy, but that he wasn´t “getting involved” in the day to day operations. “It is such a joy for me when riders come up to me for a chat”, he said clearly comfortable in his role and that he was looking forward to next year’s 25th Anniversary Edition.

Sjoukje Dufoer claims second stage win
In the women’s Sjoukje Dufoer claims her second stage win on the relatively flat race track, which had been favourable for the experienced road racer. Sarah White defends her overall lead, finishing in second with a gap of seven minutes today. Lucy Coldwell is in third and has a gap of 14:36 min in the general women’s classification behind the local contender and 2015 Croc winner Sarah White from Cairns. Sjoukje Dufoer is in third overall by more than four hours. She said that the first three stages had been very challenging with the steep climbs and difficult and rough terrain, but that she enjoyed the racing experience and the event atmosphere. She added that she was very happy to take a second Boomerang for today’s stage win home as a souvenir from her adventurous honeymoon.

The Crocodile Trophy has been endorsed by the International Cycling Federation (UCI) for the past years and the 2018 edition has the S2 status, which comes with the chance to collect prize money and international ranking points for the elite riders. As such the event organisation includes a commissaires team of Australian officials under the direction of Chief Commissaire Jeremy Christmas from New Zealand. He said that at the elite end the Crocodile Trophy was very hard and very competitive, compared to other events he had officiated before, however, that the amateurs really embraced the challenge, “I think at the ‘fun end’ people are really enjoying the variety of the stages, but it’s incredibly challenging. Some have found it difficult in the beginning but everyone is getting their legs, and hopefully they will be enjoying the remaining stages. There seem to be a lot of smiles around the place! Which is kind of strange, seeing how they have really hammered their bodies over the last couple of days.”
He explained that his team were making sure that all race participants were safe, that the race track was marked adequately and that the feed zones were operating smoothly. “It is always difficult on a track that is 650-700km, to make sure that everything is marked correctly. Most importantly we make sure that everybody is safe and we are also keeping an eye on the elites in particular and the racing behaviour, which so far has been excellent.”
Tomorrow’s second last stage will move the peloton on to Wetherby Station, an historic outback cattle station. The marathon stage will be 102 km and 1350 meters of elevation. The Four Mile Beach arrival in Port Douglas is expected from 1pm with the official winners’ celebrations at 2pm near the Surf Life Saving Club.
For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/
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Top Results | Stage 6

Elite Men
1. 2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 04:23:45,0 — 28.8 km/h Elite Men (1)
2. 4 Milan Damek (CZE) / Bike World / 04:23:48,0 +00:00:03 28.8 km/h Elite Men (2)
3. 1 Urs Huber (SUI) / Team Bulls / 04:23:50,6 +00:00:05 28.8 km/h Elite Men (3)
4. 3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 04:23:50,7 +00:00:05 28.8 km/h Elite Men (4)
5. 6 Matthias Grick (AUT) / KTM – Wohbefinden Graz ARBÖ / 04:39:49,1 +00:16:04 27.2 km/h Elite Men (5)
Elite Women
1. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 05:03:54,9 — 25.0 km/h (13th outright)
2. 101 Sarah White (AUS) / Astute Financial Racing Team / 05:11:01,0 +00:07:06 24.5 km/h (15th outright)
3. 102 Lucy Coldwell (AUS) 05:14:12,5 +00:10:17 24.2 km/h (20th outright)

OVERALL Standings after Stage 6:
Overall Men after 6 Stages:
1. 1 Urs Huber 22:05:52.50 — Elite Men (1)
2. 3 Konny Looser 22:07:03.00 +01:10 Elite Men (2)
3. 2 Sören Nissen 22:52:57.70 +47:05.05 Elite Men (3)
4. 6 Matthias Grick 23:46:21.90 +01:40:29 Elite Men (4)
5. 4 Milan Damek 24:21:49.40 +02:15:56 Elite Men (5)

Overall Women after 6 Stages:
1. 101 Sarah White 29:02:20.9 — Elite Women
2. 102 Lucy Coldwell 29:16:57.60 +14:36.70 Elite Women
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer 33:05:01.80 +04:02:40.90 Elite Women

Overall Amateur standings after 6 stages
Amateur Men 1 | 204 Martin Plank (AUT) 25:53:12,9
Amateur Men 2 | 250 Dominic Kleijnen (BEL) 32:19:21,4
Amateur Men 3 | 314 Michal Láník (CZE) 25:40:44,2
Amateur Men 4 | 408 Graeme Young (AUS) 30:26:54,3
Amateur Men 5 | 504 Giovanni Colagiacomi Capponi (ITA) 32:15:14,6
Amateur Women 1 | 120 Lotte De Vet (BEL) 38:09:03,7
Amateur Women 2 | 125 Mona Van Nassauw (BEL) 34:32:26,3

Today’s stage from Irvinebank to Skybury was a fast a furious 95km marathon race and resulted in two new names on the top step of the elite category podiums: the Austrian Matthias Grick wins the sprint finish in the men’s and the Belgian ex-pro road racer Sjoukje Dufoer wins in the women’s. No change overall, Urs Huber keeps a narrow 1:10min lead ahead of fellow Swiss racer Konny Looser and the Australian Sarah White increases her lead over Lucy Coldwell to 11:25 minutes.
The first section of today’s stage led the peloton across the historic mining region of Stannary Hill and the racers had to deal with extremely rough conditions, big rocks and ruts on the track.

Today had been regarded as the first ‘easy’ stage and of the race today’s fourth, Soren Nissen said, “We all thought that it would be a relaxed race, however, Urs Huber set a very high pace from the start.”
A lead group of four quickly formed: Grick, Huber, Looser and Nissen worked together all day and had “wanted to reach the finish as quickly as possible”, Nissen continued. “I tried to attack, but couldn’t break away”, he explained and added that he had underestimated the Swiss riders’ strength and that it had been difficult backing up a very busy European racing season with a tough race like the Crocodile Trophy. “Orginally the Croc was my big goal for this year and to fight for the overall win, but I have competed at so many events, I’m just not strong enough this year”, he concluded.
In the end, it was the Austrian Matthias Grick who managed to get a gap and win the stage in a sprint finish. “To win a stage at the Crocodile Trophy has always been my dream”, the 27-year old said today, who is competing for the second time this year and will claim his first boomerang at tonight’s stage winners’ ceremony. He said that it had been extremely hard and every stage so far had been brutal. “Today everything went to plan, I knew I had to ride well in the beginning and get through the rough sections”, he explained and that he was very content with how his equipment by the Austrian manufacturer KTM had held up in the extreme conditions this year. “The Crocodile Trophy is an equipment battle, everything needs to perfectly fit, like a clockwork”, he concluded.
Huber keeps the lead, says it would be a defensive race to the finish
Recovering from today’s race at Skybury Coffee Plantation today Urs Huber said that he enjoyed the landscapes and that he did notice his surrounds while racing. When Huber is not racing, he is working on his parent’s apple orchard in Switzerland and said that it was interesting for him to observe setting of the coffee and tropical fruit plantation at Skybury. Of the remaining three stages he said that he would race „defensively, keeping a very close eye“ on second overall, fellow Swiss racer Konny Looser. „I think the hardest stages are behind us now and tomorrow’s stage is probably one more chance for an attack, however, Konny and I seem to be racing a bit stronger than the rest of the field, so a solo attack will be very difficult for him“, said Huber.

Overall, the top three men’s standings remain unchanged; Huber ahead of Looser (+1:10min) and Nissen (+47:10min). Grick is still in fourth (+01:24:30) and the Czech rider Milan Damek is in fifth (+02:15:59); Philipp Wetzelberger injured his knee and is out of the race.

Belgian ex road-pro wins stage on honeymoon
The second half of the stage was predominantly flat and in the women’s it was the Belgian Sjoukje Dufoer who took advantage of her past as a pro-road cyclist. After a very successful road racing career, including finishing in 10th in the Tour de Flanders, the 31-year old said that now she was looking for more of an adventure on the bike. From the day they had met she and new husband, fellow elite racer Tom Vandenbussche had picked the Crocodile Trophy as one of their adventures together. „When we first met one of the first cycling topics that came up was the Crocodile Trophy and I said to Tom ‚Would you do the Croc with me?‘ and the rest is history“, she said today after finishing 5:31 min ahead of Sarah White and Lucy Coldwell (+15:03 min).
She had been surprised to be in front of her fellow elite women right from the start and had suddenly felt ambitious. „I wasn’t even trying in the beginning, however, I realised that I was in front and then the elevation profile just really suited me“, Dufoer explained. “This is an incredible experience – we live in an area in Belgium that is completely flat, so the first few stages were really tough”, she said of her race so far and that they would stay in Australia for bit longer after the event and travel around.
Overall, the local contender and 2015 Croc winner Sarah White increased her lead to 11:25 minutes ahead of Lucy Coldwell with three days to go.
Tomorrow’s stage will the longest on this year’s stage plan, a 127km circuit race via the recently established luxury resort, Mount Mulligan Lodge. “We are very thankful to have permission to pass through the Mount Mulligan Lodge property and we will also reach very remote areas in the Outback tomorrow past the historic Tyrconnel gold mine and Kingsburough towards the end”, said track coordinator and General Manager, Koenraad Vanschoren. “This could, with only 50 km to go, be the perfect section for an attack”, he added.

Final battles for podium positions among amateur racers
With three stages to go, the Elite front end looks very established, however, there are still quite a few amateur categories where podium battles will be happening.
In Amateur 1, Martin Plank from Austria is leading by almost 3 hours, as is Luke Zweers from Australia in Amateur 2 (30+), however, 2nd Dominic Kleijnen from Belgium and the German Stefan Schmeckenbecher in third are only 15min apart. In the 40+ Amateur 3 category Michal Lanik from the Czech Republic leads by 48 minutes ahead of the Australian Bart Duraj; third and fourth are close – only 14 min separate Gavin Scott (AUS) and Martin Wisata (AUT).
The Australian Graeme Young leads the Amateur 4 (50+) classification by almost two and a half hours, however, the overall progress race times after five stages of places two to four are within 15 min of each other. With Giovanni Colagiacomi Capponi a strong Italian rider leads the Amateur 5 (60+) category by more than eight hours ahead of the British racer Dennis Warner. In the Amateur women overall Mona Van Nassauw from Belgium leads by almost three hours ahead of Teresa Dewitt from the US and Amateur 1 racer Lotte De Vet, the only one in her category.
The Crocodile Trophy also offers a Team of 2 „Adventure“ classification; Timothy O’Leary and Shaun Portegys are leading in the Men’s for New Zealand, Peggy Herold and Martin Steube in the Mixed Teams and Alexandra Hall and Kath Deed two locals are the competing female team.

This evening the Croc racers are enjoying freshly brewed coffee and delicious treats at Skybury Coffee Plantation. For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/
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Top Results | Stage 5
Elite Men
1. #6 Matthias Grick (AUT) / KTM – Wohbefinden Graz ARBÖ / 03:23:30,5 — 28.0 km/h Elite Men (1)
2. #1 Urs Huber (SUI) / Team Bulls / 03:23:35,1 +00:00:04 27.9 km/h Elite Men (2)
3. # 3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 03:23:35,1 +00:00:04 27.9 km/h Elite Men (3)
4. # 2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 03:23:38,3 +00:00:07 27.9 km/h Elite Men (4)
5. # 4 Milan Damek (CZE) / Bike World / 03:36:03,8 +00:12:33 26.3 km/h Elite Men (5)
Elite Women
1. #103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 03:59:21,6 — 23.9 km/h
2. #101 Sarah White (AUS) / Astute Financial Racing Team / 04:04:53,2 +00:05:31 23.3 km/h
3. #102 Lucy Coldwell (AUS) / 04:14:24,9 +00:15:03 22.5 km/h

OVERALL Standings after Stage 5:
Overall Men after 5 Stages:
1. 1 Urs Huber 17:42:02,0 — Elite Men (1)
2. 3 Konny Looser 17:43:12,4 +00:01:10 Elite Men (2)
3. 2 Sören Nissen 18:29:12,7 +00:47:10 Elite Men (3)
4. 6 Matthias Grick 19:06:32,8 +01:24:30 Elite Men (4)
5. 4 Milan Damek 19:58:01,4 +02:15:59 Elite Men (5)
Overall Women after 5 Stages:
1. 101 Sarah White 23:51:20,0 — Elite Women (12th overall)
2. 102 Lucy Coldwell 24:02:45,2 +00:11:25 Elite Women (14th overall)
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer 28:01:07,0 +04:09:47 Elite Women (30th overall)

Overall Amateur standings after 5 stages
Amateur Men 1 | 204 Martin Plank (AUT) 21:11:03,0
Amateur Men 2 | 251 Luke Zweers (AUS) 24:14:54,4
Amateur Men 3 | 314 Michal Láník (CZE) 20:45:16,2
Amateur Men 4 | 408 Graeme Young (AUS) 25:12:42,1
Amateur Men 5 | 504 Giovanni Colagiacomi Capponi (ITA) 25:21:19,7
Amateur Women 1 | 120 Lotte De Vet (BEL) 32:03:53,9
Amateur Women 2 | 125 Mona Van Nassauw (BEL) 28:48:39,3

Urs Huber and Sarah White take over the elite leads with stage victories in today’s time trial. The multiple Swiss National Champion and four-time Crocodile Trophy winner Urs Huber claims today’s stage in 1:23:49 and takes over the overall lead by 1:11 minutes in the men’s. Sarah White, who won before in 2015, takes over the women’s lead after a strong 2-hour race. Lucy Coldwell is now in second with a gap of 1:53min overall.

For the 16th time in the 24-year history of the event this small mining town with a population of 85 residents is hosting a Crocodile Trophy stage. „We feel very welcome here and all the residents have been so supportive“, said Race Founder Gerhard Schönbacher today.

Of Urs Huber fellow riders said, that he had been a „man on a mission“ and „hungry for the win“ on the 38 km time trial course from Herberton to Irvinebank. With an elevation change of only 525 meters it was a fast and determined race by Huber and it all went to plan for the 33-year old. He added that a few long and flat stages were coming up and that those should suit his style of racing. An endurance specialist and with years of Outback racing experience he was confident for the next few days he concluded.

Today’s and overall second, the Swiss elite racer Konny Looser says he was happy about two stage wins this year but also very realistic. He had taken notice of the extremely strong form by Urs Huber and that he wasn’t surprised by Huber’s win in the time trial. „I saw yesterday that Urs is very strong and two minutes is not a big gap. There are still four days to go and a lot of long and flat stages coming up where a lot of things can happen like technical problems and then two minutes is nothing”, he said.

He added that Urs was very strong on the flat stages and that he expected him to “put the hammer down”. Today’s route had suited Huber well and Looser concluded that he was happy with second place and ready to “carry on” and that he would “try to keep the fire burning until the end”.

In fourth today was the Austrian Philipp Wetzelberger in 01:34:32 ahead of the Czech rider Milan Damek who finished five minutes behind him. The 26-year old said that he enjoyed “the beautiful and exotic land, landscapes and nature” in Australia. He had participated in many marathostage races overseas and experienced extreme weather and racing conditions and this event was the ultimate highlight of his racing season.

Sarah White overtakes Lucy Coldwell
A shake-up also in the women’s: Lucy Coldwell suffers a mechanical issue and looses a lot of time repairing a flat tyre. Sarah White has a strong day and pushes herself into the overall women’s lead by 1:53 minutes ahead of tomorrow’s fifth stage, a classic and relatively flat marathon to Skybury Coffee Plantation. The question will be if the the strong marathon endurance racer White will defend her lead against road specialist Coldwell across the 1200m of elevation.

At the half-way mark Croc rests in Irvinebank
With four days to go tomorrow’s stage will be a ‘old-school’ marathono to Skybury Coffee Plantation, said eight-time Crocodile Trophy finisher, Martin Wisata from the NSW Central Coast near Sydney. The 41-year old said that it had been a furious start to the race, “This year the first stage caught a lot of riders out, we didn’t expect it to be that humid and hot from the start, however, it seems to be that now that we’re half-way everyone has found a good rhythm.” He said that stage racing and the Crocodile Trophy in particular demanded not only everything of the racers out on track, but that the recovery time after each stage and the preparation for the following day were critical. “This is a very challenging race, you cannot come here unprepared. And, you really have to look after yourself and your equipment and after all these years of racing I know how to react when things don’t go to plan, you learn to adapt and be flexible and listen to body… and bike”, he explained.

He said that he had known about the Crocodile Trophy since watching footage every year on TV from when he was growing up in Austria since the mid-nineties and that the camp life was an aspect that he immensely enjoyed, “I noticed that a lot of riders are using the hotel packages offered, however, we still all get together for the communal breakfasts and dinners and that’s a lot of fun, chatting about the day’s racing and just coming together as a group of people who love riding. Being able to do this out here in so beautiful parts of Tropical North Queensland is unique and very special.”

Skybury Coffee Plantation will host the Crocodile Trophy for two nights from tomorrow after a 95km and 1200vm marathon via some old mining trails near Stannery Hill with race start at 8am.

For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/

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Top Results | Stage 4

Elite Men
1. #1 Urs Huber (SUI) / Team Bulls / 01:23:49,8 — 27.1 km/h Elite Men (1)
2. # 3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 01:25:01,2 +00:01:11 26.8 km/h Elite Men (2)
3. # 2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 01:30:04,0 +00:06:14 25.3 km/h Elite Men (3)
4. # 5 Philipp Wetzelberger (AUT) / Friesi´s Bikerz RC Friedberg-Pinggau / 01:34:32,5 +00:10:42 24.1 km/h Elite Men (4)
5. # 4 Milan Damek (CZE) / Bike World / 01:39:43,2 +00:15:53 22.8 km/h Elite Men (5)

Elite Women
1. #101 Sarah White (AUS) / Astute Financial Racing Team / 02:02:25,9 +00:38:36 18.6 km/h Elite Women (1)
2. #102 Lucy Coldwell (AUS) / 02:31:24,3 +01:07:34 15.0 km/h Elite Women (2)
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 02:42:00,5 +01:18:10 14.0 km/h Elite Women (3)

Stage 4 Amateur Category Stage Winners:
Amateur Men 1 | 204 Martin Plank (AUT) 01:46:07,2 +00:22:17 21.4 km/h
Amateur Men 2 | 251 Luke Zweers (AUS) 01:59:24,6 +00:35:34 19.0 km/h
Amateur Men 3 | 314 Michal Láník (CZE) 01:44:40,5 +00:20:50 21.7 km/h
Amateur Men 4 | 408 Graeme Young (AUS) 01:56:38,3 +00:32:48 19.5 km/h
Amateur Men 5 | 504 Giovanni Colagiacomi Capponi (ITA) 01:59:44,3 +00:35:54 19.0 km/h
Amateur Women 1 | 120 Lotte De Vet (BEL) 02:34:01,5 +01:10:11 14.8 km/h
Amateur Women 2 | 125 Mona Van Nassauw (BEL) 02:44:24,2 +01:20:34 13.8 km/h

OVERALL Standings after Stage 4:
OVERALL Men Elite after 4 Stages
1. 1 Urs Huber 14:18:26,9 — Elite Men (1)
2. 3 Konny Looser 14:19:37,3 +00:01:10 Elite Men (2)
3. 2 Sören Nissen 15:05:34,5 +00:47:07 Elite Men (3)
4. 6 Matthias Grick 15:43:02,4 +01:24:35 Elite Men (4)
5. 5 Philipp Wetzelberger 15:47:18,8 +01:28:51 Elite Men (5)

OVERALL Women Elite after 4 Stages
1. 101 Sarah White 19:46:26,9 — Elite Women (1)
2. 102 Lucy Coldwell 19:48:20,3 +01:53.40 Elite Women (2)
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer 24:01:45,4 +04:15:18.50 Elite Women (3)

Lucy Coldwell and Urs Huber claim elite stage wins in Herberton

Today the Crocodile Trophy had planned an 80km and 2,650 m of elevation circuit marathon in the Herberton National Park with start and finish in the historic town of Herberton. However, the start had to be and the race track shortened this morning due to a military ordnance that was found overnight on the first 10km of today’s race track. Lucy Coldwell (AUS) and Urs Huber (SUI) claim elite stage wins marathon in Herberton, Konny Looser keeps overall race lead by one second ahead of Huber.

Originally scheduled at 80km, the event’s General Manager Koenraad Vanschoren confirmed that due to the unforeseen track emergency, the race track was shortened to 68km, however, that despite the change the stage remained a huge challenge, „This stage might still well be the hardest climbing stage ever in the Crocodile Trophy.“ He thanked QLD and Herberton Police who escorted the peloton in neutral on a detour past the risky section that had been closed off and secured to re-enter the originally planned track safely.

Swiss domination continues
The Elite riders are keeping the overall classification very tight: the Swiss endurance specialists Urs Huber and Konny Looser once again crossed the line together with Huber claiming the stage win. In the overall standing, Looser keeps the incredibly narrow lead of only 1 second. All eyes will be on the clock during tomorrow’s time trial and how it will affect the the overall standings.

“An individual time trial can always shake things up”, says Crocodile Trophy founder Gerhard Schönbacher, reminscing about his own past as a road racing professional at some of the major events, including the Tour de France, in Europe. “Tomorrow the riders will be started in one-minute intervals and in reverse order of the general classification. So you actually get to chase a ‘physical target’, which is a huge incentive to make up time, but you are also in a wild race against the clock”, he explained.

Philipp Wetzelberger and Matthias Grick, the two Austrians also finished together. Of the race today Grick said it had been like a „rollercoaster through the bush“ and that the heat had been intense. „I’m very motivated and let’s see what the next days bring“, he said of his fourth overall place. Wetzelberger stay’s in fifth overall.

In an upset today, Soren Nissen missed a turn towards the end of the race and was given a 29 minute time penalty. However, Nissen keeps his overall third spot, albeit with an increased time gap of 41 minutes to the Swiss leaders.

In the women’s the overall result remains unchanged as well with Lucy Coldwell winning at Herberton today ahead of Cairns rider Sarah White and the Belgian rider, Sjoukje Dufoer.

In the Amateur age categories, Michal Láník from the Czech Republic leads the line honour ranking so far ahead of Markus Beck from Germany and Bart Duraj from Cairns.

Tomorrow’s stage will be a 38km individual time trial to Irvinebank and the first rider will be released onto the race track at 9:20am. With only 1,000 m of elevation it might be a ‚rest day‘ for some in the peloton, while for others this will be the chance to fit for podium positions. It might just be the deciding stage after all.

For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/
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Top Results | Stage 3

Elite Men
1. #1 Urs Huber (SUI) / Team Bulls / 03:35:12,9 — 22.3 km/h Elite Men (1)
2. # 3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 03:35:13,2 +00:00:00 22.3 km/h Elite Men (2)
3. # 5 Philipp Wetzelberger (AUT) / Friesi´s Bikerz RC Friedberg-Pinggau / 04:04:23,6 +00:29:10 19.6 km/h Elite Men (3)
3. # 6 Matthias Grick (AUT) / KTM – Wohbefinden Graz ARBÖ / 04:04:23,6 +00:29:10 19.6 km/h Elite Men (4)
5. # 2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 04:04:24,0 +00:29:11 19.6 km/h Elite Men (5)

Elite Women
1. #102 Lucy Coldwell (AUS) / 05:01:51,5 — 15.9 km/h
2. #101 Sarah White (AUS) / Astute Financial Racing Team / 05:04:45,6 +00:02:54 15.7 km/h
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 06:53:58,0 +01:52:06 11.5 km/h

Stage 3 Amateur Category Stage Winners:
Amateur Men 1 | 204 Martin Plank (AUT) 04:47:18,1 — 16.7 km/h
Amateur Men 2 | 251 Luke Zweers (AUS) 05:04:45,6 — 15.7 km/h
Amateur Men 3 | 310 Markus Beck (GER) 04:31:05,6 — 17.7 km/h
Amateur Men 4 | 408 Graeme Young (AUS) 04:43:04,8 — 16.9 km/h
Amateur Men 5 | 504 Giovanni Colagiacomi Capponi (ITA) 05:26:23,8 — 14.7 km/h
Amateur Women 1 | 120 Lotte De Vet (BEL) 06:54:26,2 — 11.5 km/h
Amateur Women 2 | 125 Mona Van Nassauw (BEL) 06:31:46,1 — 12.2 km/h

OVERALL Standings after Stage 3:

OVERALL Men Elite after 3 Stages
1. 3 Konny Looser 12:54:36,1 — Elite Men (1)
2. 1 Urs Huber 12:54:37,2 +00:00:01 Elite Men (2)
3. 2 Sören Nissen 13:35:30,6 +00:40:54 Elite Men (3)
4. 6 Matthias Grick 14:02:56,9 +01:08:20 Elite Men (4)
5. 5 Philipp Wetzelberger 14:12:46,3 +01:18:10 Elite Men (5)

OVERALL Women Elite after 3 Stages
1. 102 Lucy Coldwell 17:16:56,0 +04:22:19 Elite Women (1)
2. 101 Sarah White 17:44:01,1 +04:49:25 Elite Women (2)
3. 103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 21:19:44,9 +08:25:08 Elite Women (3)

Konny Looser defends his overall lead at the Crocodile Trophy in today’s Queen Stage from Lake Tinaroo to Herberton, finishing in first ahead of fellow swiss racer and four-time Croc winner Urs Huber and Soren Nissen from Luxemburg. The two Swiss racers now have a 11:44min lead overall ahead of Nissen. 2015 Croc women’s winner Sarah White wins the stage in the women’s; Lucy Coldwell keeps the overall women’s lead.

This year’s Queen Stage will no doubt remain a memorable one for everyone – with 118km and 3,450 meters of elevation it was one of the toughest this year and the hot and humid conditions in Tropical North Queensland have been challenging the entire racing field, including the top riders.

Today the riders had an 8am start to avoid weekend traffic along Lake Tinaroo and first up were 13 flat kilometers. The scenic Kauri Creek 4WD track winds its way through a section of the Lamb Range and offered an amazing transition of vegetation from tall open
forest to wet hard-leaved forest as well as rainforest covering the first 600vm until the first feedzone. Passing the so iconic gum trees the raced then looped around and towards Mount Edith and a regular feature on the Crocodile Trophy stage plan. Passing Atherton and heading South the race arrived at Atherton, covering more long and often steep climbs with technical difficulties.

“A proper Croc stage”- Huber
After more than five hours of racing once again the day’s result was decided in a Swiss sprint finish with Konny Looser defending his overall lead ahead of four-time Croc winner Urs Huber. Of today’s race Huber said, “This was definitely the Queen Stage today. More than five hours, up and down, steep climbs and downhills and really long, but it was a nice track. A proper Crocodile Trophy stage.” Huber added that despite the challenging terrain and hot weather he and Looser had been able to ride well and stay together all day and that they didn’t really have to go to the limit. “We saved some energy for the next few days, it’s still a long way, but this is a hard race, whether you go fullgas or not…. It’s always hard”, he admitted.

Today’s third across the line, the Luxemburg National Champion Soren Nissen, admitted that he had really been suffering in the intense and humid heat of the first two days and that he will try keeping up the pace, “I am hoping that Konny and Urs will get tired and just keep trying to do my best.” He also added that today’s stage had been an extremely difficult one. “Yes, it was really hard, I wonder how some of the ‘fun’ riders are feeling out there, they are going to have a long day in the office today”, he said.

In fourth and fifth was the Austrian duo with Matthias Grick (+29:37.50 min) and Philipp Wetzelberger (+31:43.30 min), respectively. The two Swiss racers now have a 11:44min lead overall ahead of Nissen.

Local contender Sarah White wins the women’s stage title
The 2015 Croc women’s winner Sarah White from Cairns wins the stage today in the women’s and said that she enjoyed racing through the dense rainforests today. The experienced ultra-endurance racer said that course had been great and so varied. Fellow Australia Lucy Coldwell from the Gold Coast still keeps the overall women’s lead with a gap of about 24 minutes ahead of White and the Belgian Sjoukje Dufoer.

For the first time Herberton will be hosting the Crocodile Trophy and the event will spend two nights in the historic town on the Atherton Tablelands. So no packing and moving tomorrow for Stage 3, however, a leg-burning circuit awaits that will include a mammoth 2,650 vertical meters across the relatively short distance of 80km. However, the ‘rest day’ with a 38km time trial is only two sleeps away for Stage 4.

For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/
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Top Results | Stage 2

Elite Men
1 #3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 05:19:34.7
2 #1 Urs Huber(SUI) / Team Bulls / 05:19:35.2
3 #2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 05:26:50.7
4 #6 Matthias Grick (AUT) / KTM / Wohbefinden Graz ARBÖ / 05:49:12.2
5 #5 Philipp Wetzelberger (AUT) / Friesi´s Bikerz RC Friedberg-Pinggau / 05:51:18.0

Stage Plan 2018
01 STAGE Cairns – Lake Tinaroo | 89 (100) km/2500 (2900) m
02 STAGE Lake Tinaroo – Herberton | 118 km/3450 m
03 STAGE Herberton – Herberton | 80 km/2650 m
04 STAGE Herberton – Irvinebank | 38 km/1000 m
05 STAGE Irvinebank – Skybury | 95.5 km/1200 m
06 STAGE Skybury – Skybury | 127 km/1550 m
07 STAGE Skybury – Wetherby | 102 km/1350 m
08 STAGE „Greg Parr Stage“ Wetherby – Port Douglas | 51 (62) km/835 (925) m

Konny Looser claims the first Crocodile Trophy stage in 03:59:48 in a sprint finish ahead of Urs Huber. Soren Nissen is in third (+4:27min) ahead of the Austrians Matthias Grick (+9:32min) and Philipp Wetzelberger (+17:16min). The Australian ex-road pro Lucy Coldwell wins in the women’s ahead of local racers and former winner Sarah White and the Belgian Sjoukje Dufoer.

Stage 1 of the Crocodile Trophy was a 100km marathon from Cairns to Lake Tinaroo via Copperlode Dam and through Dinden Forest. With 2,900m it is one of the hardest climbing stages this year, which will set the tone for a challenging 24th edition of the legendary race. All up the 66 racers will have to complete more than 700km and 15,000m of elevation during the eight days of racing through Tropical North Queensland.

Endorsed by the International Cycling Federation UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) with an S2 status, the Crocodile Trophy once again offers one of the most versatile stage plans of any race of its kind in the world, showcasing some of the most popular trails and hidden gems this region has to offer. The majority of the racing field are amateur racers competing in various age classifications and an ‘Adventure Teams’ category, the Elite Men and Women will be able to claim international ranking points and prize money. All race finishers awaits the actual ‘crocodile trophy’ after eight days of racing.

Looser and Huber break away in first marathon stage
The race started with an 11km neutral ride out of town from Cairns towards Copperlode Dam and a large lead group with all the race favourites this year established a descent gap to the chasers quickly. The Swiss racers Urs Huber and Konny Looser were the strongest and able to break away from the lead group on the steep climbs today. They decided the stage in a sprint finish after 03:59:48 of racing. „We both felt really good today, it was a great ride, really challenging“, said Huber of day one. The 33-year old Huber is one of the most accomplished Crocodile Trophy racers of all time – five starts, four victories so far. In 2018 the 33-year old returns for his sixth Crocodile Trophy and says to claim his fifth title is the “clear goal” as it would put him into the record books as the competitor with the most Croc wins of all time in the 24-year history of the race.

For ultra-marathon specialist Konny Loser it is the first Crocodile Trophy and he said that he was looking forward to the new experience. „I have raced a lot of the major stage races internationally, however, the terrain and stages in Australia are unknown to me. Of course, I will try to claim a podium position.“ Looser is one of the strongest endurance mountain bike racers in Europe right now and will be one to watch this year.

The Luxemburg National Champion Soren Nissen placed in third today and will be at the start line tomorrow with a gap of 4:27 minutes. He will try to use his racing experience from his 2015 participation and second place to his advantage, he said.

Australian Lucy Coldwell wins in the women’s, places 14th outright
In the women’s, the Australian ex-road pro elite cyclist Lucy Coldwell wins the stage in 05:05:47. Having representing Scotland in the 2014 Commonwealth Games she has taken up mountain biking only over the past twelve months “for fun”, as she said. “The Croc Trophy is an event I have always wanted to participate in and I always had on my bucket list, so this year I decided it was time to give it a crack! ”, Coldwell explained. “I’ve heard it’s extremely tough and I like a big challenge!”, she added. Placing 14th overall in the entire field and finishing with the top amateur men today she certainly put her mark on the results list.

Local racer and former winner Sarah White places second in 05:30:32 ahead of former road elite racer from Belgium Sjoukje Dufoer.

Launch of 25th Anniversary edition 2019
For almost a quarter of a century the Crocodile Trophy has challenged racers from all over the World to compete in an ultra-endurance mountain bike race, that has become the most legendary event of all times. It offers an incredibly authentic eight-day Australian adventure and will return to Tropical North Queensland with its 25th Anniversary edition from 12-19 October 2019. The organisers launched the event today by opening up registration and offering a 25% discount off the participation fee for all entries until 25 October 2018.

The event founder Gerhard Schönbacher said today that he was really excited about the future of the Crocodile Trophy, “I would like to congratulate my management team with Regina Stanger and Koenraad Vanschooren leading the charge for taking over from me and implementing a lot of new ideas. It will grow stronger and remain a major event on the international stage racing calendar for years to come I am sure.”

For detailed race results, please visit www.croctrophy.com/results/

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Top Results | Stage 1

Elite Men and Overall
1 #3 Konny Looser (SUI) / BiXS Pro Team / 03:59:48 — 22.2 km/h
2 #1 Urs Huber(SUI) / Team Bulls / 03:59:49 +00:00:00 22.2 km/h
3 #2 Sören Nissen (LUX) / Team Stevens-LAUF / 04:04:16 +00:04:27 21.8 km/h
4 #6 Matthias Grick (AUT) / KTM – Wohbefinden Graz ARBÖ / 04:09:21 +00:09:32 21.4 km/h
5 #5 Philipp Wetzelberger (AUT) / Friesi´s Bikerz RC Friedberg-Pinggau / 04:17:04 +00:17:16 20.7 km/h

Elite Women
1 #102 Lucy Coldwell (AUS) 05:05:47 — 17.4 km/h
2 #101 Sarah White (AUS) / Astute Financial Racing Team / 05:30:32 +00:24:45 16.1 km/h
3 #103 Sjoukje Dufoer (BEL) / Honeymoon Tom & Sjoukje / 05:58:46 +00:52:59 14.8 km/h

24th Crocodile Trophy summons cyclists for a uniquely Australian racing experience

The Crocodile Trophy is one of the toughest and definitely the most legendary MTB stage race in the World and it starts on Saturday, 13 October in Cairns. The multicultural peloton with 16 different nationalities is about to embark onto the most diverse stage plan of any race of its kind in the world – eight days through Tropical North Queensland. Rainforests. Bushtrails. Outback. And the finish on Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas. The multiple Swiss National Champion and four-time Crocodile Trophy winner Urs Huber is at the start trying to claim a record-breaking fifth victory. Today he mingled with some of his fellow racers and elite opponents at the Cairns Aquarium.

For almost a quarter of a century it has challenged racers from all over the World to compete in an ultra-endurance mountain bike race, which also offers an incredibly authentic eight-day Australian adventure. Being endorsed by the International Cycling Federation UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) the Crocodile Trophy offers a high international S2 status for elite mountain bikers, who are able to collect valuable international ranking points as well as prize money. For amateur racers from all over the world and Australia the iconic event is an incredible endurance challenge that immerses them into the unique landscapes of Tropical North Queensland.
Huber on a mission to claim record-breaking fifth Croc win
Urs Huber is one of the most accomplished Crocodile Trophy racers of all time – five starts, four victories so far. In 2018 the 33-year old returns for his sixth Crocodile Trophy and says to claim his fifth title is the “clear goal” as it would put him into the record books as the competitor with the most Croc wins of all time in the 24-year history of the race.

Huber says he is very determined to win and his experience will be a big advantage, “You must not make any mistakes throughout the eight days, neither on nor off the track. Because I will be travelling alone again I will be very busy to maintain the bike and equipment after each race day. But that is all part of the Croc and it is what makes it so unique and special. By now I should be experienced enough to manage it well.”

Urs will be challenged by some of the top European endurance racers including Luxemburg National Champion Søren Nissen, the runner-up at the Crocodile Trophy in 2015 and said that he will try to apply everything he’s learned from the first participation this year to win, “In 2015 I finished in second behind Urs Huber. Back then, there was not that much I could do, he was just stronger. I hope I can come back and really fight for the overall victory.” About this year’s stage plan he said, “You will need to stay focused for each stage, because every day is going to be a challenge.”

Another strong contender is Austria’s Matthias Grick who has two top-10 Croc finisher positions under his belt. He will be racing for the ‚Best Austrian‘ leader jersey and has his eye on the top podium step as well.

In the women’s, the Cairns-local Sarah White will be a major female elite contender. White won the Croc before and is back for another shot at it. With Lucy Coldwell she will have a strong opponent with an ex-elite road cyclist who represented Scotland in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
New management, revamped stage plan
With two new General Managers at the helm of the event, the 2018 stage plan has been completely revamped. Both Regina Stanger and Koenraad Vanschoren are former Crocodile Trophy finishers and experienced stage race event managers in Europe. For two weeks they have scouted the Tropical North Queensland region and this year’s tour is versatile and will include many of the most popular elements from previous years and said the goal was to retain the essence of the race whilst showcasing some of the hidden gems the region has to offer.

With start this Saturday in Cairns, the race will head for the Atherton Tablelands and Lake Tinaroo and in a first, the Crocodile Trophy will put up camp in Herberton for two nights. It will then travel via remote mining trails via Irvinebank towards the tropical Skybury Coffee Plantation and via the historic Wetherby Station towards the finishing town of Port Douglas. For the first time the official timed finish will be at the bottom of the infamous Bump Track just outside of town and the entire peloton will ride across the finish line on Four Mile Beach together on day eight.

The Crocodile Trophy founder and owner, Gerhard Schönbacher, is content with the direction his race is taking. “This year I am really looking forward to travelling with my race. Regina and Koenraad have been doing a great job getting operations and logistics into place and I know the event and our participants are in experienced hands”, he said of his new team. As such he has been able to work on his newest event and non-profit organisation, the Middle East Tour (MET), a seven-day road cycling event and the first cross-border sport event for peace in the world, which will take place in March 2019. Starting in the City of Amman its stage destinations will include Petra, the Dead Sea, Red Sea, Aqaba, Eilat, Ramon Crater and the final stage will take participants from Jericho to Jerusalem.
Powerful stage racing network backing the Croc
The Middle East Tour is one of the major supporters of the Crocodile Trophy and together with the Austrian Alpentour Trophy sister event, which is managed by Stanger, as well as Vanschoren’s Belgian Mountain Bike Challenge now forms a powerful stage racing network.

Says Schönbacher, “We are really happy that all participating authorities in the Middle East are behind our MET idea, seek to make this project work and give us all the support possible.” He added that he was also very thankful for the local support the Crocodile Trophy is getting as part of the It´s Live in Queensland campaign of events this year. He added that the Crocodile Trophy was a very unique event uniting racers from all over the world and that he was so happy that for almost a quarter of a century it showcased some of the most beautiful regions of Australia to the World and enables cyclists to share such amazing experiences with like-minded people.

“Sport, more than anything else, goes far beyond politics. It has the power to achieve global unity,” concluded Gerhard Schönbacher.

The Crocodile Trophy will start this Saturday, 13 October at 9:30am with a rider call-up from 9am at McKenzie Street Reserve in Cairns and finish on 20 October in Port Douglas.

For more information, visit, www.croctrophy.com