Schlagwort-Archive: Crocodile Trophy

Crocodile Trophy 2019: Alan Gordon wins the 25th Crocodile Trophy with stage win at Port Douglas

19. Oktober 2019Etappenrennen, MountainbikeCrocodile Trophy, PlomiGerhard Plomitzer

Alan Gordon wins the 25th Crocodile Trophy with stage win at Port Douglas

Today the 25th Crocodile Trophy finished on Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas. The South African racer Alan Gordon claimed the overall victory of the Anniversary Edition with a stage win on today’s 34km individual time trial stage. He clocked in a fast stage finish time of 1h25:14 winning by almost one minute and claims the overall victory after eight stages and a winning time of 29h15:11,1.
Michael Gordon from Gladstone in Queensland/Australia finished in fourth today and defended his overall second position in 29h28:28,0 (+00:13:16). The Spaniard Brandan Marquez Fernandez pushed himself into third overall (29h28:54,4 / +00:13:43) with a second place in today’s stage with 1h26:24. In third today with 1h27:50 and fourth outright is the 4-time stage winner of 2019, Bart Classens from the Netherlands. Stijn Van Boxstael is fifth outright. Bram Saeys from Belgium finishes in fifth in today’s race and claims the outright Amateur race victory this year. Angelika Tazreiter (AUT) is the winning female competitor, completing the 700km stage plan in 11th outright after 34h02:44,8 of racing.
The 2019 Anniversary Edition of this iconic event concluded with an individual time trial from Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures via Quaid Road, a pinchy 4.6 km climb before re-entering the thick rainforest and the beautiful single trails of the Twin Bridges track. The final stretch was then raced on the infamous ‘Bump Track’ down the escarpment into Port Douglas, where the riders descended over 400 vertical meters in just 1 km before stopping the clock for the 8th stage of the 25th edition. The grand finale today was the mass arrival of the peloton on Four Mile Beach – all 2019 Crocodile Trophy finishers crossed the Anniversary Finish Line together in Port Douglas.

Alan Gordon ist der Champion der 25. Crocodile Trophy

Heute fand die letzte Etappe der Crocodile Trophy in Australien statt. Der Südafrikaner Alan Gordon holt sich den 2019 Titel mit einem Etappensieg am letzten Tag im 34km Einzelzeitfahren. Mit einer Tagessiegerzeit von 1h25:14 gewinnt er um eine Minute und sichert sich so den Gesamtsieg nach acht Etappen und einer Fahrzeit von 29h15:11,1.
Michael Gordon aus Queensland ist heute vierter und verteidigt seinen gesamt zweiten Platz nach 29h28:28 (+13:16min). Der Spanier Brandan Marquez Fernandez schiebt sich noch auf den dritten Gesamtplatz vor. Bart Classens, der viermalige Etappensieger heuer wird vierter. Bram Saeys aus Belgien ist der Amateursieger und wird fünfter gesamt.
Die Österreicherin Angelika Tazreiter aus Althofen holt sich den verdienten Sieg bei den Damen mit einer gesamte Rennzeit von 34h02:44,8.
Der junge Elitefahrer Lukas Kaufmann aus Kronsdorf in Oberösterreich wird siebter bei den Eliteherren nach 31:10:06,9.
Der in Australien lebende Oberösterreicher Martin Wisata aus Ried im Innkreis gewinnt bei seiner 10. Crocodile Trophy die Amateur Altersklasse 3 der über 40-jährigen. Die einzige Amateurdame ist Monika Bayer aus Feuersbrunn in Niederösterreich und kommt in Port Douglas nach einer Rennzeit von 57h30:02,8 an.
Das große Finale der Jubiläumsausgabe der Crocodile Trophy war heute die gemeinsame Ankunft aller Finisher am Four Mile Beach im Ferienparadies Port Douglas.

Crocodile Trophy – Stage 6 + 7

18. Oktober 2019Etappenrennen, MountainbikeCrocodile Trophy, PlomiGerhard Plomitzer

Stage 6: Third stage win for Bart Classens; Showdown for the overall title: England and Gordon
Third stage win for Bart Classens, showdown for the overall title: England and Gordon
Third stage win for Dutch rider Bart Classens in sprint finish at Skybury today in 04:40:48,2. Michael England (AUS) finishes in second (+5sec) and was closely followed by Alan Gordon (+20sec) who didn’t let go of his overall lead and finishing together with Brandan Marquez Fernandez (+29sec) from Spain. Angelika Tazreiter clocked in a respectable 05h06:49,2 and finishes 10th outright again today, just behind today’s Amateur stage winner, the Cairns-local racer Nathan Sandford in ninth. Bram Saeys (BEL) still leads the amateur general classification.
With 125km it today featured the longest race route of the 2019 Anniversary Edition of the Crocodile Trophy. Starting in the tropical surrounds of Skybury Plantation the riders then headed onto a circuit marathon in the dry Outback mining country in the Mareeba region, about 100km West of Cairns and a similar distance to the South of Saturday’s finish line in Port Douglas.
With only two stages to go in the 25th Crocodile Trophy, the battle for the overall victory will reach its peak on tomorrow’s second-last stage to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures.
Leading woman and elite racer Angelika Tazreiter from Austrian finished with the Amateur leader Bram Saeys (BEL) today. The multiple Austrian National Marathon Champion has earned herself the respect of her fellow riders t the front end of the event and has shown incredible mental strength over the last few days, says Cairns-local amateur rider Nathan Sandford, today’s proud amateur stage winner, who rode with them for most of the day as well has seen her in action out on course throughout the week.
Tomorrow the Crocodile Trophy will race further North-East on a stage that for the first time has less than 1,000vm of climbing to arrive at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, one of the major tourist attractions in the region – on the coast right in the middle between Cairns and Port Douglas.

Zwei Österreicher in den top 10 in Skybury – Kaufmann und Tazreiter unermüdlich
Dritter Etappensieg für den Holländer Bart Classens im Sprint Finish bei der Skybury Plantage heute in 04h40:48,2. Der Australier Michael England ist Etappenzweiter (+5sec) und konnte sich nicht von Alan Gorden, dem Gesamtführenden absetzen (+20sec), der mit den Spanier Brandan Marquez Fernandez (+29sec) in´s Ziel kam. Bram Saeys (BEL) liegt in der Amateurwertung noch immer klar in Führung; Nathan Sandford aus Cairns holt sich heute den Amateurklasse Boomerang.
Mit 125km stand heute die längste Etappe 2019 auf dem Programm der Jubliäums-Crocodile Trophy. Man fuhr einen Marathon in der Mareeba Region mit trockenen Outback Straßen im Bergbaugebiet rund 100km westlich von Cairns. Genau die gleiche Distanz entfernt ist die Ziellinie am Samstag in Port Douglas. Morgen geht es über eine 80km Etappe zu Hartley´s Crocodile Adventures, einer der Haupttouristenattraktionen hier. Dort werden die Fahrer zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte der Veranstaltung doch tatsächlich echte Krokodile von der Ziellinie aus sehen.
Zwischenbilanz der Österreicher nach 6 Tagen:
Angelika Tazreiter, die KTM Fahrerin und mehrmalige Österreichische Marathon Staatsmeisterin, schafft eine imposante Zeit von 5h06:48,2 und wird 10. gesamt heute und hat sich den Respekt ihrer männlichen Fahrerkollegen in der Führungsgruppe geholt. Derzeitige Rennzeit: 29h25:05,9
Lukas Kaufmann, der 25-jährige Oberösterreicher wird heute . Nach 26h46:06,8 ist er achter im Gesamtklassement und siebter in der Herren Elite.
Martin Wisata, der 42-jährige gebürtige Oberösterreicher und nun Mountainbike Rennveranstalter and der Ostküste Australiens führt bei seiner 10. Crocodile Trophy die Amateurklasse 3 (40+) nach 31h14:50,3 an und liegt auf dem gesamt 17. Platz.
Monika Bayer, die in Sydney lebende Disponentin, ist die führende Amateurdame. Derzeitige Rennzeit: 49h24:41,7

Stage 7: Bart Classens wins at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures

Bart Classens wins stage 7 at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures
Today the second-last stage of the 25th Crocodile Trophy took the racers from Skybury Tropical Plantation to a brand new race destination at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. With a race time of 02h44:38,8, Bart Classens from the Netherlands takes his fourth stage win at this year’s event in a sprint finish against Spain’s Brandan Marquez Fernandez and the race leader Alan Gordon from South Africa. Australia’s marathon specialist Michael England came in sixth today (+2:39min) had said that today was going to be a decisive day for the overall victory. With the short individual time trial stage of 34km tomorrow until the finish line in Port Douglas it will be extremely tough to take the +8:28min gap off Gordon. With a three hour race time today, Angelika Tazreiter from Austria is set to finish this year’s Anniversary Crocodile Trophy as the fastest woman and with a top 15 position outright and well-deserved title.
The Crocodile Trophy started last Saturday in Cairns and almost 150 racers and crew from all over the World and Australia have been on the tour together – the peloton alone represents 20 different nationalities. On day one they climbed up to the Atherton Tablelands and for the first time the event will stopped at Ringer’s Rest Function Venue and Wondecla for two nights each. The race then moved to the Mareeba region with two nights at Skybury Tropical Plantation until this morning.
After spending the night at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures Adventure with the crocs and many other native Australian animals, the final stage tomorrow is a short but challenging 34 km time trial.
The grand finale will be a ride together along the magnificent Four Mile Beach with the mass arrival of the Crocodile Trophy finishers of 2019 expected between 11:30am and 12pm. The official winners ceremony will take place near the Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Club at Four Mile Beach from 2-3pm.

Tazreiter bei Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures auf Platz 15
Heute fand die zweitletzte Etappe der 25. Crocodile Trophy in Australien statt. Man fuhr von der Skybury Kaffeeplantage zum ersten Mal zum Hartley´s Crocodile Adventures Park. Mit einer Rennzeit von nur 02h44:38,8 holte sich der Niederländer Bart Classens seinen vierten Etappensieg vor dem Spanier Brandan Marquez Fernandez und dem Gesamtführenden Alan Gordon aus Südafrika. Der australische Marathonspezialist Michael England hatte im Vorfeld des heutigen Rennens schon gesagt es würde eine entscheidende Etappe für den Gesamtsieg werden. Mit einem nur 34km langen Einzelzeitfahren nach Port Douglas morgen und einem Rückstand von +8:28min wird es für England schwierig werden, Gordon den Sieg noch streitig zu machen. Mit einer dreistündingen Rennzeit heute, geht die Österreicherin Angelika Tazreiter in die letzte Etappe morgen als die führende Dame. Als die einzige Elitefahrerin im Rennen wird sie sich den Titel mit einer 11. Gesamtplatzierung unter Herren würdig einfahren.
Landsmann Lukas Kaufmann fuhr heute in 02h52:06,0 auf den neunten Platz und liegt gesamt auf Rang sieben in der Elite.
Der Österreicher und Amateurfahrer Martin Wisata ist heuer zum 10. Mal am Start der Crocodile Trophy und mit 03h03:43,9 auf Platz 16 im Gesamtklassement. Die einzige Amateurfahrerin kam Monika Bayer heute nach 05h02:19,1 in´s Ziel.
Die letzte Etappe morgen wird ein kurzes und anstrengendes Zeitfahren sein. Die Rennfahrer werden in umgekehrter Reihenfolder der Gesamtklassifikation gestartet. Zuerst geht es durch den Regenwald und dann folgt der unter Mountainbikern in Australien bekannte “Bump Track” auf dem die Fahrer mehr als 400 Höhenmeter über nur einen Kilometer abfahren bevor sie die achte Ziellinie der 25. Ausgabe erreichen.
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700 km | 13,000 vm | 8 days
STAGE 1 – Saturday 12 October | Cairns – Ringers Rest (80 km / 2100 vm)
STAGE 2 – Sunday 13 October | Ringers Rest – Ringers Rest (76 km / 1900 vm)
STAGE 3 – Monday 14 October | Ringers Rest – Wondecla (74 km / 1700 vm)
STAGE 4 – Tuesday 15 October | Wondecla – Wondecla (98 km / 3200 vm) “Queen Stage”
STAGE 5 – Wednesday 16 October | Wondecla – Skybury (120 km / 1600 vm)
STAGE 6 – Thursday 17 October | Skybury – Skybury (125 km / 1200 vm)
STAGE 7 – Friday 18 October | Skybury – Hartley’s Croc Adventures (84 km / 800 vm)
STAGE 8 – Saturday 19 October | Hartley’s Croc Adventures – Port Douglas (34 km / 900 vm) “Greg Parr Stage”

Stage 5: Belgian stage win for Stijn Van Boxstael at Skybury

16. Oktober 2019Etappenrennen, MountainbikeCrocodile Trophy, PlomiGerhard Plomitzer

Belgian stage win for Stijn Van Boxstael at Skybury

The Belgian Stijn Van Boxstael wins today’s fifth stage at Skybury in 4h49:54,9. Dutch competitor Bart Classens finishes in 2nd +1:35min and the overall race lead remains with Alan Gordon. On the 120km marathon in the Mareeba region the South African finishes in third today with a gap of +1:52min and with a total race time of 20h24:07,7 after five stages. Spain’s Brandan Marquez Fernandez finishes in fourth today (+2:02min) together with Australia’s Michael England in fifth (+2:04min). England has a gap of 6:06min in the overall rankings behind Gordon now. Bart Classens is holding onto his third place overall (+11:49min) with the Spaniard closing in (+12:23min). Another powerful race on day five by Angelika Tazreiter who is the leading female competition. The Austrian conquers today in 05:27:53,1 and with a total race progress time of 24:18:16,8 she sits it 11th position outright.
Today the fifth stage of the Crocodile Trophy saw the peloton moving on from Wondecla and heading west into some quite dry Outback landscapes. With only half the elevation from yesterday’s Queen Stage the 1,200vm included the climb up Mt Misery, which is long and on tired legs it delivers on its name. The reward and relief was then a long descent through mining country towards the historic town of Irvinebank before a relatively flat and definitely fast finish to Skybury Tropical Plantation.
The Skybury property is nestled in the heart of the Atherton Tablelands and is home to Skybury Coffee and Papayas. Just 10 minutes west of Mareeba, this family owned plantation has been growing the purest Australian Arabica coffee and tropical fruit for the past 30 years and much to the excitement of our Croc racers has been a haven of relaxation, a welcome stop-over to fuel up on delicious coffee and tropical fruit for them for years. Skybury will be home for the competitors and crew for two nights.

Tomorrow’s stage will be a 125km/1200vm circuit marathon with start and finish at Skybury and continues today’s dry outback theme travelling along some long dry dirt roads and through cattle stations.

Etappensieg für Belgien am 5. Tag der Crocodile Trophy

Der Belgier Stijn Van Boxstael gewinnt die heutige fünfte Etappe in Skybury in 4h49:54,9 mit einem +1:35 Minuten Vorsprung vor dem Holländer Bart Classens. Die Gesamtführung bleibt bei Alan Gordon. Auf dem 120km Marathon durch die Region um Mareeba platziert sich der Südafrikaner als Dritter der heutigen Etappe (+1:52min) und seine Rennzeit bis jetzt beträgt 20h24:07,7. Der Spanier Brandan Marquez Fernandez wird Vierter (+2:02min) und kommt gemeinsam mit dem Australier Michael England in´s Ziel der Fünfter wird (+2:04min). England hat nun einen Rückstand von 6:06min auf Gordon im Gesamtklassement. Bart Classens behält den dritten Platz gesamt (+11:49min) und knapp hinter ihm ist der Spanier vierter (+12:23min). Mit einem starken Rennen am fünften Tag is Angelika Tazreiter nach wie vor die führende Dame. Die Österreicherin erobert die heute Etappe mit 05h27:53,1 und saß insgesamt 24h18:16,8 im Sattel. Sie hält die derzeitige 11. Position des gesamten Fahrerfeldes. Auf Platz acht gesamt ihr Landsmann Lukas Kaufmann aus Oberösterreich.
Heute machte sich der Crocodile Trophy Peloton weiter auf den Weg von Wondecla in Richtung Westen durch ziemlich trockene Outbacklandschaften. Mit der Hälfte des Kletteraufwandes der gestrigen Königsetappe brachten die 1.200 Höhenmeter den Anstieg auf den Mt Misery (Berg des Elends) und als Belohnung eine lange Abfahrt durch die Bergbaugegend nach Irvinebank. Nach einem relativen Verlauf des letzten Drittels erreichte man dann die tropische Skybury Plantage.

Skybury liegt 10 Minute ausserhalb von Mareeba und ist ein Agrarbetrieb in Familienbesitz, die Australischen Arabica Kaffee und tropisches Obst schon seit 30 Jahren anbaut. Schon seit Jahren ist Skybury ein willkommener Ankunftsort der Crocodile Trophy, gibt es doch eine entspannte Aussicht, herrlich kräftigen Kaffee und saftiges Obst wie Papayas hier zu Genießen und das zwei Tage lang.

Morgen steht ein 125km/1200vm Rundkurs mit Start und Ziel in Skybury auf dem Programm es geht weiter im trockenen Outback mit langen Schotterstraßen und Viehhalden.

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Crocodile Trophy 2019: Alan Gordon increases overall race lead with stage win

16. Oktober 2019Etappenrennen, MountainbikeCrocodile Trophy, PlomiGerhard Plomitzer

Stage 4: Alan Gordon increases overall race lead with stage win, Tazreiter now in 11th outright

Alan Gordon wins the Queen Stage of the 25th Crocodile Trophy in 05h43:11,3 in what looks like a solo race to the finish. The South African increases his overall lead to the Australian Michael England to 5:55min. The Dutch Bart Classens places in second today (+3:12min) and moves into third overall. Brandan Marquez Fernandez finishes in third (+3:57min) on the 98km marathon circuit on the Atherton Tablelands. With a respectable race time of 7h06:51,8 today the former Austrian National Marathon Champion Angelika Tazreiter moves up into 11th outright position.
The race organisers had added two more feed zones to help the competitors deal with the hot conditions and have offered some riders to complete a shorter course of about 56km.
The full course added up to over 3,200 vertical meters of climbing on the Atherton Tablelands and had a classic marathon distance of almost 100km. Today started in the Atherton MTB Park and the racers did over 20 km of typically Australian-style single track including the infamous “Stairway to Heaven’” and many other popular sections on the purpose built cross-country course. Then the riders headed back out into the Baldy Mountain Forest Reserve and via the Walsh River Tracks into the Herberton Range National Park. Again tough pinch climbs provided for a challenging yet rewarding day in the saddle, including a 5 km climb to Drovers Lookout with expansive eastern views over the tablelands.
Tomorrow, the longest stage of this year’s event awaits with a 120km marathon to the next stage destination at Skybury Tropical Plantation, one of Australia’s major coffee and tropical fruit producers. With an elevation of 1200vm the riders will climb less than half of what they have endured today.

Alan Gordon baut Gesamtführung aus, Tazreiter rückt auf den 11. Platz im Gesamtklassement

Alan Gordon gewinnt die heutige Königsetappe der 25. Crocodile Trophy in 05h43:11,3 in extrem heißen Bedingungen. Der Südafrikaner baut seine Gesamtführung auf den Australier Michael England weiter aus und hat bei der Halbzeit der Veranstaltung nun einen Vorsprung von 5:55min. Der Niederländer Bart Classens wird heute Zweiter (+3:12min) und rückt auf den dritten Platz gesamt auf. Brandan Marquez Fernandez, der Spanier, kommt mit +3:57min als Vierter in´s Ziel. Auf dem 98km Marathon erreicht die Österreicherin Angelika Tazreiter ein respektables Ergebnis mit einer Rennzeit von 7h06:51,8 und verbessert sich auf den 11. Platz im Gesamtklassement.
Schon im Vorfeld der heutigen Etappe hatten die Veranstalter auf die erwartet heißen Wetterbedingungen reagiert: zwei weitere Labestationen wurden eingerichtet um die Rennteilnehmer noch besser betreuen zu können. Weiters wurde mit 56km eine abgekürzte Strecke angeboten.
Die gesamte Etappe hatte es in sich: mehr als 3.200 Höhenmeter auf der Atherton Hochebene und eine klassische Marathondistanz mit 100km standen auf dem Programm. Heute wurde im Atherton MTB Park gestartet und man fuhr mehr als 20km lang auf den so typisch australisch angelegten Singletrails mit der berühmt-berüchtigten “Stairway to Heaven” Passage. Weiter ging wie gestern in den Herberton Range National Park. Wieder gab es kurzweilige aber harte Anstiege, die eine große Herausforderung darstellten.
Morgen geht es weiter in Richtung Norden in die Mareeba Gegend. Ein 120km Marathon mit einem relativ moderaten Höhenprofil von nur 1200m führt die Crocodile Trophy zur Skybury Plantage, einem der Hauptproduzenten Australiens von tropischem Obst und Kaffee.
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Crocodile Trophy 2019: Change of guard at the Crocodile Trophy – Alan Gordon new race leader

14. Oktober 2019Etappenrennen, MountainbikeCrocodile Trophy, PlomiGerhard Plomitzer

Change of guard on day three – overall leader jersey for Alan Gordon

Change of the guard on Day 3: third place today and the new overall race lead for Alan Gordon (SAF) with +3:38min. Second stage win for Bart Classens (NED) in 3h22:04 ahead of Spain’s Brandan Marquez Fernandez (+2:49min). Australia’s Michael England finishes in fourth (+6min) and drops to second overall. Detailed overall gaps to be confirmed as we rest at Wondecla on the Atherton Tablelands our home for the next two nights. The leading woman Angelika Tazreiter (AUT) spectacularly finishes as 10th outright on the 74km marathon in 03:59:07,4.
The third stage of the Crocodile Trophy 25-year Anniversary edition featured the Herberton Range National Park and its popular Atherton MTB Park.
With a strong race and a successful attack in the Herberton Range National Park the experienced mountain bike stage racer Alan Gordon from South Africa who says that long climbs suited him, takes over the overall stage lead with a gap of 1:56min to the Australian Michael England in Wondecla on day three. “I don’t know anyone here and so I sort of had an aim to finish in the top-three but I wasn’t sure if that was feasible. (…) The overall victory is definitely a goal”, he added and that he had been looking for a different kind of challenge. “It’s my first time in Australia and while plenty of my mates have spoken about doing the Croc, I decided to actually sign up. It seemed like a really cool race to do”, he explained.
The local community has played a big role in the event’s delivery and the support by the local MTB Clubs and businesses makes a real difference to the organisation of this international event. The Crocodile Trophy event this year also receives the very ‘active’ support by a group of five local E-Bike riders who accompany riders out on course as race marshals.

Tomorrow’s Queen Stage, the 98km marathon with 3,200vm of climbing which will feature the infamous “Stairway to Heaven” ascent in Atherton MTB Park. Start and finish will be at Wondecla.

Führungswechsel durch Alan Gordon, Österreicherin Angelika Tazreiter heute unter den Top 10

Der dritte Tag der Crocodile Trophy bringt mit Alan Gordon´s erfolgreichen Attacke einen Führungswechsel bei der Crocodile Trophy in Australien. Der Südafrikaner schafft die Übernahme des Führungstrikots mit einem dritten Platz (+3:38min) hinter dem Etappensieger Bart Classens, der in 3h22:04 seinen zweiten Tagessieg einfährt vor dem Spanier Marquez Fernandez (+2:49min). Angelika Tazreiter kommt nach 3h59:07 als 10. Finisher in Wondecla an.
Angelika Tazreiter war überrascht über die Topplatzierung, da sich der letzte Abschnitt sehr lange angefühlt habe, „Die ersten 30km der heutigen Etappe waren ziemlich flach und ich bin mit dem Peloton gut mitgekommen, darüber war ich recht froh, denn das alleine zu fahren, wäre sehr anstrengend gewesen. Dann gab es lange Anstiege wieder in Regenwaldumgebung, aber dann zum Schluss haben wir ein komplett anderes Terrain gehabt. Es war sehr sandig mit Schiebepassagen und es war weit technischer als an den Tagen zuvor.“ Zum Schluss hin habe es sich sehr lange angefühlt, was wohl mit den Schiebepassagen zusammengehange habe.
Lukas Kaufmann sagte heute, dass die Crocodile Trophy auch abseits des Renngeschehens ein großartiges Erlebnis für ihn sei, „Ich habe heute wieder super geschlafen, es war kühler und dieses übernachten im Zelt liegt mir. Man hört die verschiedensten Tiere schreien und das ist einfach so komplett anders als bei jedem anderen Rennen, das ich bis jetzt gefahren bin.“ Anfangs sei das Tempo in der großen Führungsgruppe in den ersten Flachpassagen sehr hoch gewesen und man habe mit Umsicht fahren müssen im Peloton. „In den Hügeln der letzten 45km ist es dann so richtig anstrengend gewesen. Die Sonne ist rausgekommen, ich habe richtig schwitzen müssen, habe viel getrunken.“

Die morgige Königsetappe ist ein 98km Marathon mit 3,200 Höhenmetern, inklusive der schlüssigen „Stairway to Heaven“ Passage im Atherton MTB Park. Start und Finish in Wondecla.

Crocodile Trophy 2019

Juliane Wisata
Communications Manager
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Australian stage win starts the 25th Crocodile Trophy

13. Oktober 2019Etappenrennen, MountainbikeCrocodile Trophy, PlomiGerhard Plomitzer

ENG:

Australian stage win starts the 25th Crocodile Trophy
The 25th Crocodile Trophy started in Cairns today and almost 80 race competitors and over 50 crew are taking part in the 25th Edition of this iconic event. The Anniversary race kicked off with an Australian stage win: the Australian Michael England (nr. 201) from Gladstone in Central Queensland wins in a sprint finish at Ringer’s Rest against Brandan Marquez Fernandez (nr. 6) from Spain after a winning race time of 3h11:43. The fastest woman is the Austrian elite racer Angelika Tazreiter with an impressive 13th outright placing on the 80km course.
The stage plan of the 25th Anniversary edition of the Crocodile Trophy will be a celebration of this iconic mountain bike stage race’s history over the last quarter of a century and an homage to the land it calls home: Australia.
The course will transverse over 700+ kilometres with an approx. climbing of 13,000 – 14000vm. There will be four main stage destinations: the Crocodile Trophy camp will be set up at Ringers Rest, Wondecla and Skybury Coffee Plantation for two nights each before the last night at Hartley´s Crocodile Adventures. With a daily average of 88km, this year’s longest stage will be 125 km long and the shortest stage will be a 34 km time trial.
For the first time the Ringers Rest bush venue and camp is hosting the Crocodile Trophy. Starting today it offers an authentic stay in the Australian bush for the first two nights of this year’s event.
Tomorrow’s stage will be a 76km circuit marathon with 1900vm through Danbulla Forest National Park.

Australischer Etappensieg zum Auftakt der 25. Crocodile Trophy

Die 25. Crocodile Trophy startete heute in Cairns (Queensland) und mehr als 80 Rennfahrer und über 50 Mitglieder der Organisation nehmen an der 25. Ausgabe dieses legendären Rennens teil. Das Jubiläumsrennen startete gleich mit einem australischen Etappensieg: der Queenslander Michael England (nr. 201) gewann im Sprintfinish gegen den Spanier Brandan Marquez Fernandez (nr. 6) mit einer Siegerzeit von 3h11:43. Die schnellste Dame auf der heutigen 80km Strecke war die Österreicherin Angelika Tazreiter mit einem sensationellen 13. Platz in der heutigen Gesamtplatzierung.

Der Etappenplan der 25. Crocodile Trophy wird ihre Heimant im tropischen Norden von Queensland und die Geschichte der Vernstaltung im Verlauf des letzten Vierteljahrhunderts in spektakulärer Manier zur Schau stellen.
Die Streckenlänge beträgt insgesamt mehr als 700 Kilometer mit einem Höhenprofil von circa 13.000-14.000 Metern. Es wird vier Hauptetappenziele geben: heute zum ersten Mal bei Ringers Rest, dann Wondecla ebenfalls auf der Atherton Hochebene und dann die Skybury Kaffeeplantage. Zum Abschluss wird die Hartley´s Krokodile Abenteuerfarm ein Highlight sein. Mit einem Tagesdurchschnitt von 88km wird die längste Etappe 125km haben und die kürzeste Etappe ist ein Zeitfahren auf 34km.
Heute und morgen ruht man sich bei Ringer´s Rest aus, einem ur-australischen Buschcamp in Mitten der so einzigartigen Flora und Fauna des roten Kontinentes.

Die morgige Etappe ist ein 76km Rundkurs Marathon mit Start und Ziel in Ringer´s Rest mit 1900 Höhenmetern.

Stage 8 | Urs Huber and Sarah White are the 2018 Crocodile Trophy Champions

20. Oktober 2018MountainbikeCrocodile Trophy, PlomiGerhard Plomitzer

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

Swiss domination at the Crocodile Trophy 2018: a tight race until the very end

20. Oktober 2018MountainbikeCrocodile Trophy, PlomiGerhard Plomitzer

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

Elite Stage wins for Soren Nissen and Sjoukje Dufoer

18. Oktober 2018MountainbikeCrocodile Trophy, PlomiGerhard Plomitzer

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

Stage 5 | Stage wins for Austria and Belgium at Skybury Coffee

17. Oktober 2018MountainbikeCrocodile Trophy, PlomiGerhard Plomitzer

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

Changing of the guard at the Crocodile Trophy

16. Oktober 2018MountainbikeCrocodile Trophy, PlomiGerhard Plomitzer

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/