Crocodile Trophy
Crocodile Combatants Are Ready
John Flynn - Crocodile Trophy / 20.10.2008
Over ten days and more than 1200 kilometres, across some of the most difficult terrain the wild country of Australia’s tropical north can offer, the combatants in the Crocodile Trophy of 2008 are readying themselves for a mental and physical onslaught. As they prepared today with a leisurely ride along the beautiful Cairns esplanade, the protagonists from Australia’s Merida Flight Centre team began to centre their combined focus on winning both the men’s and women’s titles in this, one of the most brutal and prestigious off-road cycling events anywhere in the world.
Such a feat (one team winning both Trophies) has never been achieved before and it is the Western Australian husband and wife combination of Tim and Jo Bennett who have set themselves the lofty goal of standing together on the final podium when the race eventually reaches glorious Cape Tribulation.
Tim Bennett, who finished on the bottom step of the men’s podium in 2007, has arrived in Cairns with a stellar support cast in the shape of Nick Both and Adrian Jackson. Jackson is the current world mountain bike orienteering champion and Both is a perennial place-getter in Australia’s biggest off-road events.
Cautious about his chances, the Merida Flight Centre team leader knows from experience not to get too carried away in a race where the elements, more often than not, stand in ultimate judgment.
“Yeah I think we’ll have a good crack at it (the General Classification), but in a race as long and as hard as this one, you’d be a fool to say that I’m going to win it,� Bennett said.
A “fool� or not, One of Bennett’s main rivals in the 2008 Crocodile Trophy is taking precisely the opposite approach.
Sydney’s Craig Gordon (Rockstar Racing) has hustled his way onto the start-line after scoring a wild-card entry. As the team name suggests, Gordon’s not one to play down his chances and the 2006 World 24-Hour solo mountain bike champion has already claimed that he’s “here to show the Euro’s how it’s done�.
“Everyone loves a bit of controversy and I’ve done a lot of racing in Europe, so why not kick it off with a bit of controversy,� Gordon said of his lavish claim for the Crocodile Trophy title.
Gordon’s assault on the Crocodile Trophy has already suffered a serious setback, after a crash in training left him with a torn tendon in his thumb. He will race with a guard and faces a painful ten days ahead on the corrugated roads of Cape York. Still, the opportunity to race against the Europeans in an event that enjoys a stronger profile in cycling’s heartland than any other Australian race, has “Gordo� enthused.
“When I raced in Europe for 7 years everyone knew about the Crocodile Trophy and in the last three years I’ve heard more about it too. “I’m actually looking forward to doing the race.� See All Event Posts
