Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro - Red Centre
Superb Riding Conditions in Red Centre
Rapid Ascent - Media Release / 13.05.2010
The men’s race has swapped winners in each stage with Adrian Jackson holding a slim overall lead over Jason English, Ben Randall and Andrew Fellows. In the women USA star Rebecca Rusch is making a comeback to challenge Jodie Willett. With 2 days and 3 stages to go we recap the action so far.The Red Centre is remarkably green with more rain than usual over the last year providing scenic conditions for riders who are also enjoying the mild May temperatures that are ideal for cycling. Alice Springs has been the perfect host of the show where most stages start and finish and competitors are staying. The event was kicked off on Monday with a police escort through the centre of town and hundreds of cheering school kids and fan before race start. You could have thought you were in France for the Tour! That was the end of the fun as the 40km Endura stage 1 proved extremely difficult for many as the terrain varied from sandy to rocky. Jackson and Willett used their previous race experience in the Red Centre to take line honours.
The Verofit Stage 2 was a short and sharp hill climb up Anzac Hill in the centre of town and again public support was huge as competitors fought to get under the coveted 1-minute barrier. From slowest to fastest, competitors were started at 30 second intervals as the sun set over the MacDonnell Ranges. Fellows was victorious with the sprinter coming out of him and Jodie Willett extended her lead in the women.
The 49km Lasseters Hotel Casino Stage 3 received a round of applause from competitors with the course described as fun, flowing 4WD and single track. Rusch went as far to say that, “it was my favourite cross-country race ever!� Which is saying a lot given her extensive adventure racing and mountain biking background. As current World 24 Hour Mountain Bike Champion and local to Iowa, USA, she’s no stranger to riding in sand but Willett again upstaged her with a 6-minute gap despite having a few falls during the race. Jenni King had a good race and split the two with a solid ride. English came into his own romping it in with a large 3-minute win margin, thereby stealing the yellow jersey from Jackson.
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