Hansen scores podium, Blair another win while Haig dashes hopes with a drop

The 77km Stage Four of the Inkgerreke Commercial Mountain Bike Enduro in Alice Springs featured equal parts pain and pleasure today with spills for some and come from behind wins for the more fortunate.

Subarau-MarathonMTB.com rider Naomi Hansen registered a bike-length win over yellow jersey rider, Melissa Anset, while Team Torq’s Jack Haig had his hopes of being the first to beat overall men’s leader, Andy Blair, dashed by a shoulder-crushing fall in the closing kilometres of what was a brutal day on course.

Haig’s fall was the second in two days for the Torq crew. While Haig’s bruised shoulder and broken handlebar didn’t stop him from finishing today’s stage, Robbie Hucker’s crash yesterday resulted in two broken bones in his elbow, ending the event for him and likely costing him at least three weeks out of the saddle. His incident happened nearing the finish line of yesterday’s Stage Three when he took a line through tall grass where three telegraph poles lay hidden. He managed to clear the first two but came down on the third, sending him and his Ingkerreke Commercial Enduro hopes over the handlebars.

On course today, Haig and Blair worked together for most of the ride, holding the pace and working as a pair before falling back to allow first Nick Both and then Ben Hogarth to join the front-end fray. With everything to gain in terms of time, the latter two did most of the work while Blair and Haig, safely 1-2 overall, had nothing to lose by sitting back to enjoy the ride for the middle section of the course.

Then things got interesting.

“Blair attacked through a rocky section before the ridge," says Haig. “He took out a 30 metre gap or so. I had to work hard to get back onto his wheel."

The rolling surge dropped Both and Hogarth as Blair and Haig went toe-to-clipped-in-toe.

“As we climbed up the first hill onto the ridgeline, we kept attacking each other, testing to see how fatigued the other was. I attacked across the top, trying to really push the pace. By the next climb I was leading, but had to unclip and walk a section. Blair overtook and then on the decent, which was a hairy section, I got a big rock under my back wheel and crashed badly."

Despite a broken handlebar and aching shoulder, Haig remounted and limped over the final few kilometres, leaving Blair to an easy win.

“I could ride, but I decided to cruise and protect my shoulder. It’s pretty ginger. I’m hoping it will be okay to ride tomorrow – I’ll get a new handlebar and go for a ride later to see how it feels."

Haig, who was overtaken in the final push by Nick Both for second placing today, still managed third place and maintains second placing in the overall standings. “If I ride tomorrow, it’ll just be about trying to preserve second place overall," says Haig.

The same conservative approach may be on the cards for overall leader Blair in tomorrow’s two stages, a 23km time trial and a 23km night race.

“If I think about it rationally, I just have to be cautious and ride sensibly. I’m unlikely to lose time if I have no problems. So that’s the most important factor: avoid problems. Then and again, the time trial is a true test, and it’d be good to go out and make statement," Blair muses. “But realistically I should just stick to riding down hills smoothly and efficiently and fast up them."

In the women’s the racing came down to a sprint finish on the final BMX track lap between Naomi Hansen and yellow jersey rider, Melisa Anset, although the giggling and hollering between the pair gave away the fact that, with Anset holding an unassailable lead in cumulative time, the riding between the pair was not as aggressive as between the men.

“The first part of the undulating double track was scary for me," says Hansen who admits to not being top of the technical game. “I lost Melissa in that first section. Then we jumped onto the cycle track to Simpsons Gap where I just time trialled, eventually catching up to a group of guys. We then worked as group, catching Melissa."

Anset had been riding out on her own, a fearsome headwind biting into her energy reserves.

“We rode together and chatted, actually," says Naomi. “Melissa has fifteen or so minutes on me – so it’s not like there was any point in us pushing each other, except to stay ahead of the other girls. So we sat together for rest of the stage on a bit of a ‘ladies agreement’. On the last climb, Melisa rode up quicker, but then pulled back, saying she appreciated the work I’d done on the road section with her."

Cue lots of squealing on the BMX track as Hansen and Anset rode in together, a final fun sprint giving Hansen the over-the-line spoils for Stage Four.

“I’m happy with today’s ride – I didn’t lose any more time to Melissa, and I put a bit more of a gap on (third placed) Terri (Rhodes) before tomorrow’s night stage and time trial, which she’ll do well in.

“Still, there are three stages to go and look how many of the top guys are out because of crash. On a stage race you never give up until you cross that final finish line on the last day - you never know what can happen in between."

STAGE FOUR MEN

1. Andrew BLAIR, 2:50:15

2. Nick BOTH, 2:51:54

3. Jack HAIG, 2:53:40

STAGE FOUR WOMEN

1. Melissa ANSET, 3:23:39

2. Naomi HANSEN, 3:23:28

3. Terri RHODES, 3:35:44

OVERALL STANDINGS MEN

1. Andrew BLAIR, 6:25:43,

2. Jack HAIG, 6:33:18,

3. Ben HOGARTH, 6:43:11,

OVERALL STANDINGS WOMEN

1. Melissa ANSET, 7:45:40,

2. Naomi HANSEN, 8:00:49

3. Terri RHODES, 8:17:02

Tomorrow features two stages, the Stage Five 23km time trial backed up by a 23km night race..

Stages ahead:

Day 04: 23km Time Trial + 23km night race

Day 05: 40km

More details at www.ICME.com.au

More news at MarathonMTB.com

Blair and Anset maintain overall Enduro leads with strong Stage Three wins

After being relegated to holding the silverware on Anzac Hill yesterday evening in the sprint stage, yellow jersey wearers Andy Blair and Melissa Anset climbed back onto the premium podium slots this morning with respective wins in the 49km Stage Three ride.

Crossing the line first extended both riders’ leads and delivered a bonus time and cash purse of 20 seconds and $250 courtesy of finish line host, Lasseters Casino.

Anset went into the stage nervous about the amount of early flat fire roads knowing it didn’t play to her strength on technical single track.

“I don’t like flat riding and having never raced the others much, so I wasn’t sure who had road legs and who I should have been keeping an eye on to break early," said Melissa.

As it turned out, Anset’s concern funnelled into early speed as she pulled away from the gun, never to be headed for the remainder of the stage.

“I thought I’d just be trying to keep up with them, but in the end I actually put in a bit of a lead. After that I just concentrated on maintaining pace."

Anset crossed The Lasseters Casino finish line with nearly five minutes up her yellow-jersey sleeve to increase her overall lead in the event.

Behind her there was a trading of places as Team Subaru-MarathonMTB.com rider Naomi Hansen put a push in to take second place for the Stage and overall, signalling her potential as a challenger to Anset over the coming days. Hansen’s second place today puts her four minutes ahead of Rhodes, but still more than 14 mins behind Anset.

Hansen went into the Enduro slightly injured after coming off on a course recce and slicing her knee on a rock. A veterinarian by profession, Hansen quickly had the gash stitched up by a local veterinarian - who is also her host in town - and got back on the bike to race.

“I didn’t want to wait four hours in Emergency just for a few stitches," explains Hansen of the unusual choice of medical attention.

“It was hurting yesterday and blew up like a balloon. I actually thought I might have busted a kneecap. But it has come good and the bigger vet stitches have held together nicely."

Hansen was more than happy with her move into second place overall.

“Last time I raced here I was so scared on the technical stuff, it not being my strength. But today the trails were amazing and I flowed over them, which really helped my time."

Hansen took on board advice from a local rider to pull out a better result.

“They advised me not to force the track, to back off and focus on riding smoothly. If you try to force trail, you brake and accelerate all the time and lose much more energy," says Hansen.

Hansen now looks forward to Stage Four where she believes the longer, less technical nature will create opportunity to start the reel in of Anset. Tactially the 77km course may prove a challenge for the latter, with a long flat section in the middle likely better suit Hansen and today’s third place getter, Terri Rhodes.

“I’m excited by tomorrow, the stage will suit my riding, which is one speed tempo," says Hansen. “But if someone puts in a push, I doubt I’ll be able to go with them. My approach is to go the same speed day in day out, all day long, and hope the others who surge tire," says Hansen, who is also mindful of protecting her damaged knee.

“If I split the knee again then I’m out. So smooth and consistent is the go tomorrow."

In the men’s overall leader Andy Blair took advantage of his meticulous pre-event course research – a habit that paid dividends this year as it did in 2011.

In a pack with Nic Both, Ben Hogarth, Jack Haig and Robbie Hucker, Blair sat back and waited until teh early crossing of the Todd River where he had already picked and tested the best line.

“Ben (Hogarth) and the Torq team set the pace high for first five or ten kay until the crossing. Along with Nick Both I took the line I’d researched, picking the gap through sand. The others didn;t and slowed, giving Nick and I a gap, which we worked together on to hold Torq boys at bay."

Blair’s approach echoes last year when he ‘researched’ what is now known as Blair’s Stairs to find the best ride line. As then it paid off.

“It was enough to keep the pressure on them. We re-grouped briefly, but as soon as we hit the undulating trails, I hit the gas and got away on my own. By the time I was on the rollercoaster section they were all out of sight, which I guess would have made it hard for boys mentally, not being able to see me."

Both chased hard, nearly bridging the gap to Blair, while the other riders remained apart, unable to work together to reel in Blair everyone on own after that so they couldn’t work together.

“Blair didn’t relax, however, knowing that this was the stage last year that ended in a protest after a sprint to the line finish ended in confusion, Blair getting what he called at the time “the rough end of the stick".

“I was keen to make amends for last year and it was on my mind.

Blair, who says he is in fine physical form, notes the massive mental difference knowing the course inside out makes.

“I speak to (local rider and ICME six timer) Paul Darvodelsky every night before the next stage – he tells me about the course in details – little things to watch for – and I study the maps, because – especially with on Stage Three, there’s a fast finish and the last thing you need when riding out front on your own is to be second guessing if you’re on the course."

Of tomorrow’s Stage Four – the longest of the event at 77km, Blair is cautions, knowing a long flat middle section throws up opportunity for other riders to find some serious time.

“It’ll be an exciting stage. Last year guys who had lost time in earlier stages broke away from the lead pack - it’s the perfect opportunity for someone to sneak a stage win. I think Hogarth, Both, Sewell – and other guys who have suffered mechanicals and flats - will all be thinking of making a break.

MEN'S STAGE THREE

1. Andrew BLAIR, 02:04:39

2. Jack HAIG, 02:05:52

3. Nick BOTH, 02:06:47

WOMEN'S STAGE THREE

1. Melissa ANSET, 02:34:42

2. Naomi HANSEN, 02:39:39

3. Terri RHODES, 02:46:32

Tomorrow’s Stage Four is the longest stage of the five-day event, with riders facing 77km of MacDonnell Range scenery, with a BMX track finish.

Stages ahead:

Day 03: 77km

Day 04: 23km Time Trial + 23km night race

Day 05: 40km

More details at www.ICME.com.au

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