Pure Tasmania Wildside MTB
Record Pace in Heatwave Conditions
Andrea McQuitty / 29.01.2012
Sid Taberlay left the field in his dust during the morning race stage of Pure Tasmania Wildside MTB. Sid set a new record for the Stirling Valley leg, completing the rainforest ride in 38 minutes 41 seconds, a full minute ahead of race leader Paul van der Ploeg (Vic). Paul van der Ploeg (Vic) suffered a dislocated shoulder during a fall on the steep descent, however he went on to finish second ahead of Adrian Jackson (Vic) who was third in a time of 40:40.
Taberlay’s high level of technical skill saw him lead the field the throughout the stage, with dry conditions helping him to set the record.
Jenni King was unchallenged in the Women’s category, finishing Stirling Valley in a time of 50:43, five minutes ahead of Amity McSwan (Vic).
The afternoon stage showed that this will the closest ever competition in the history of Wildside, with the first three men all finishing within 3 seconds of each other and reshuffling the the overall placing once again.
Canadian Champion, Max Plaxton, set a course record in winning the longer Monetzuma Falls stage in a time of 1:24:40, just one second ahead Paul van der Ploeg in 1:24:43 and Sid Taberlay third in 1:24:43.
Jenni King easily won this stage again in a time of 1:43:10, well clear of any women rival and ahead of many male riders.
The overall standings at the end of the day saw Sid Taberlay taking over the lead, with time of 3:38.33, with Paul van der Ploeg now in second on 3:39:22 and Adrian Jackson third in 3:40:33.
With three more races stages still to go, through vastly different terrain, the competition is still wide open and might come down to final stage.
The heat wave conditions, with temperatures well above 30 degrees, left many competitors moving slowly towards the finish, however all were praising the high quality of the trails and riding.
You can find out more about the event at http://www.wildsidemtb.com
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