Track challenges in championships

By Kath Gannaway
MORE than 250 riders and their support teams descended on Narbethong on the weekend for the KONA 2012 Downhill Mountain Bike Victorian State Championships.
Riders from the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges were among the daredevils who took to the five kilometre track, which winds through the bush, over jumps which in some places plummets a couple of metres, testing the mettle of rider and bike.
It’s the first time the track has been used for competition since 2000 and while riders say it’s not the hardest track, it presented some challenges on the day.
Warburton rider Chris Whitelock, riding in the Kona Elite Men’s section came in 7th, just five seconds off a podium place.
Running on adrenalin after dislocating a shoulder half-way down, and managing to pop it back in, Whitelock, 23, said the track was fast and slippery in places. “It was a really fast track, suited to fitness. If you can peddle for a long time you had an advantage,” he said.
Healesville’s Matt Currie, also in the Kona Elite Men’s, was wiped out of the competition with mechanical problems in a gutting anti-climax to one of the most exciting race days on the downhill calendar.
Currie described the track as mentally demanding, physical and fast with the average speed 75km/h.
Queenslander Chris Kovarik, wearing the No.1 bib in the Kona Elite Men’s, took top podium spot in what must have been an inspirational ride for the junior competitors who had the chance to attend a clinic with the champion on the Friday.