Teams hit terrain in enduro

By Marc McGowan
THREE hundred and thirty mountain bike riders in 160 teams competed in the annual Victorian sixhour mountain bike endurance race at G.W.S. Anderson Scout Park in Officer last month.
The race was the sixth round of the Eight Days a Week Enduro Series and the track was the site of the 2002 World Masters Games and the 2006 Victorian Mountain Bike Championships.
The riders manoeuvred their way through a 6.8kilometre undulating course, which included steep climbs, sharp descents and the usual roots, rocks and logs. The winner of each event was determined by the individual or team who rode the most laps in the six hours.
It is a prestigious event, many of the riders preparing for the World Championships later this month and there was plenty of emerging talent on display preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Dingley’s Murray Spink, making his debut in the series, endured a tough battle but proved too strong in the solo men’s category, ahead of fellow debutante James Maebus. Regular Enduro series racer Andrew Bell sneaked into third place, moving into eighth spot in the overall standings.
Solo men’s leader and reigning champion John Claxton failed to finish but remained well clear of the secondplaced Sam Bach.
In the solo women’s class a familiar face, Alexandra Kiendl, stretched her lead in the series to 39 points over secondplaced Jane Ollerenshaw, who finished third. Leah Rogers finished second to move into fifth place overall.
In the pairs’ events, James Dickey and Joel Read partnered for the win in the men’s pairs, while Tory Thomas and Vinca Low were too good in the women’s event. Caroline and Matthew Jackson took out the mixed pairs event.
The men’s triples event was taken out by Ryan Braybrook, Daniel Braunsteins and Grant Rice, while Daniel McDonnell, Chris Murrell and Melanie McDonnell were victorious in the mixed triples.
Other winners were Tim Chadd, Luke MacKenzie, Simon Coffin and Kim Ettershank in the men’s fours and Renate Fliegner, Lauren Tanzen, Lucinda Leslie and Belinda Mason in the mixed fours.