The Crocodile Trophy
Italy\'s Bettin Victorious in Stage One of Crocodile Trophy
John Flynn / 24.10.2007
Italy\'s Mauro Bettin has emerged once again as the leading contender for overall honours in the Crocodile Trophy of 2007, following a spirited stage winning performance on day one of the outback classic.Bettin\'s technical skills came to the fore during a stage which took riders by surprise, few more so than the leader of the Felt Dream Team. “I was not prepared for that today,� Bettin admitted at stage end.
“My tyre set-up was not right, I had too much pressure, it was hard to stay in control.�
But the former World Cup Champion was in absolute control when the race ventured seriously off-road for the first time on what appeared to be a benign eighty kilometre stage between Mareeba and the outback town of Irvinebank.
What confronted the rapidly disintegrating peloton was a washed-out dirt trail through the sun-baked back country of Far North Queensland, complete with patches of sand, unreadable rocky slopes and nail-biting descents.
A proven master in such terrain, Bettin finished the day with a lead in the General Classification of more than one minute, ahead of Dane Allan Carlsen.
How It Unfolded
The race started slightly behind schedule as the protagonists for 2007 were waved on their way by Mick Borzi, the Mayor of Mareeba Shire. Conditions were warm, but not hot by Crocodile Trophy standards with the mercury hovering around 30 degrees.
Five kilometres into the stage, Dane Allan Carlsen launched the first attack of the race, powering up the road in a move designed to flush out the serious challengers from the bunch
“I thought that it was stupid to go all the way to Australia and just sit in the bunch and roll along,� Carlsen said.
The tactic worked beyond expectations for Carlsen, who was soon joined by the two race favourites, Mauro Bettin and Stefan Rucker.
“I had some luck in that there was two fast guys with me in Mauro Bettin and Stefan,� Carlsen said. “We just worked together really well until the gravel road.
With the black-top behind them, and a punishing fifty kilometres ahead, opportunities for riders to work together were limited, in an environment where the terrain dictated an “every man for himself� approach.See All Event Posts
