Anaconda MTB Enduro
Stage 5 – The rugged terrain takes its toll on competitors and equipment
Naantali Marshall - Rapid Ascent / 23.05.2008
Most of the riders were fortunate enough to get a well deserved sleep in a after the marathon stage yesterday but it was the poor slowest riders that posted the longest times (up to 9 hours) yesterday that commenced the Stage 5 Individual Time Trial first. Starting with the person who has the slowest accrued time from the three days of racing and finishing with the overall leader, they were set off at 45 second intervals. Those people leaving last have the advantage of chasing the rabbits ahead and being able to see where their rivals are. Today it was a case of whose bike could withstand the conditions as riders rode through the Anaconda finish arch bruised, battered and weary after 4 solid days of toughing it out in the rugged and demanding terrain. With broken chains, flat tyres and busted frames, shocks and forks they managed to complete the course of flowing single track and sections of 4WD arriving back at the golf club dusty and sweaty.
With 5 different winners of 5 different stages the men’s race is extremely competitive with up to 8 people in contention for the overall event win. Taking out stage 5 in an impressive 52 minutes and 42 seconds was Aiden Lefmann ahead of consistent Perren Delacour just 25 seconds slower and Matthew Fleming, Adrian Jackson and Tim Bennett hot on their heels. Lefmann claims the secret to his success today was not going too hard too early and staying steady in the tricky single track sections. Claiming to be relatively conservative and, “not riding to win but to be smooth�, he was dobbed in by his mates as being technically superior. Averaging 24.9km an hour he admits that time flew and that he enjoyed the course more than when he traversed over it at the end of the marathon stage yesterday when he just wanted to be finished.
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