Crocodile Trophy
Act of Sportsmanship in Popular Czech Victory
John Flynn / 27.10.2008
Czech team VIG+ racing continued its complete dominance today at the 2008 Crocodile Trophy with Martin Horak scoring his first stage win and fourth consecutive stage win for his team as the off-road classic reached the Australian outback town of Chillagoe.The victory will be remembered for all the right reasons, with Horak, in the most sporting of ges-tures, rendering assistance when his breakaway partner, Kristof Hertsens of Belgium (Team Lingier) crashed.
Hertsens was left bloodied and suffered a deep cut to his elbow after hitting the deck on a technical off-road section of today’s epic 143 kilometre stage, that started on the coolest of Crocodile Trophy mornings at glorious Gunnawarra lagoon.
In a move that ultimately cost him the lead in the General Classifica-tion, Horak assisted Hertsens with repairing his damaged bike and checked on the Belgian’s injuries, before riding alongside him to the finish line. The story of Hertsens and Horak is, in time, sure to take its place in Crocodile Trophy history as one of the great moments of the race.
After being the lead conspirator in a breakaway move that went virtually from the gun, Hertsens (Team Lingier) was happy to settle for sec-ond place against the clearly superior Czech – a man for whom he now has the utmost respect.
“I crashed really, really bad and he was coming back and he fixed my bike,� Hertsens said. “He then rode in the front and he stayed with me.
“He was really strong and when he attacked I could not go with him, but he stayed with me, so I am very happy to finish second.�
Horak’s selfless act cost him valuable minutes and saw him finish the day 39 seconds behind team-mate Ondrej Fojtik in the General Classifications.
With VIG+ Racing holding a firm grip on the top three places on G.C. and the nearest challenger, Nic Vermeulen of Belgium 11.03 behind the leader in fourth place - the position for the Czechs ap-pears to be ideal.
Until now the only question has been, who of the three Czechs - Fojtik, Trunschka and Horak will lead the Team VIG+ in its quest for ultimate glory in Cape Tribulation?
This evening, as the sporting gestures continued to flow, that question was answered.
At a meeting of the VIG+ team under the shady trees of the Chillagoe campground, the sporting Czechs decided to dedicate their team efforts to producing an overall victory for Fojtik, the man who built the reputation of the Crocodile Trophy in the Czech Republic. See All Event Posts
