The final events at the European Champs and JWOC MTBO were the relays.
In the former the depth of the Danish men was demonstrated when their no 1 team incurred a mispunch but their no 2 team came through to win the gold, just 90 seconds ahead of Estonia, with Russia taking bronze.
The women’s event was even closer with Finland prevailing by just 25 seconds over Austria, with Denmark gaining another bronze medal. On the last leg Finland’s Ingrid Stenmark started with a 90 second lead with Austrian champion Michi Gigon chasing hard. Adding to the intrique was that both girls were on exactly the same split. A 60 second mistake by Ingrid going to no 19 saw Michi get within sight but she couldn’t bridge the gap, despite taking fastest time for the day.
In JWOC Finland and Russia were the dominant nations. In the boy’s relay Finland 1 had a clear 7 minute win over Finland 2, with Russia and Austria being next. In the girl’s the favoured Russia no 1 team won by 6 minutes from Finland, Russia 2 and the Czech republic. This saw Svetlana Poverino collect her 3rd gold medal of these championships.
Adrian Jackson has just completed the 7 stage TransGermany event finishing a fine 20th (out of 180) overall and being part of the 4 man Merida Multivan winning team. On stage 6 he was 19th, and on stage 7 he placed a pleasing 16th, just 6 minutes behind the winner over a 3 hour race.
WOC MTBO News
Bulletin 3 is now available at the following link, with information on entrants, course details and terrains.http://www.nivut.org.il/mtbo/Bulletins.aspx
Unfortunately these championships will have the lowest ever entrants of the 7 WOCs run to date. This is due to the worry caused by the fighting outbreak some months ago and thus many riders have chosen to prioritise the European Championships in Denmark rather than committing to WOC. No NZ’ers are racing this year.
Men Women
Israel 09 82 51
Poland 08 110 58
Highest ever 130 (2005) 72 (2002)
– 17 October 2009: Paddy Pallin Adventure Race Series– The first of the Paddy Pallin Adventure Race Series in the Sydney area, this short adventure race has welcomed 10 teams from the Canterbury Bulldogs Rugby League team in the past: will they be back this year? Come find out! Teams of 3 navigate around a secret course and find their way from checkpoint to checkpoint on foot, bike and kayak. Heaps of fun for beginners and seasoned racers alike with an option of Novice, Classic and Advanced Course featuring extra bonus legs!
– 28 March 2010: Lifestart Kayak for Kids – A 17.5km paddling event raising funds and awareness for Lifestart, a charity helping kids with disabilities. Broken down in 4 legs of 4-5km each, this event can be completed by solo paddlers on their own craft or by corporate relay teams of up to 12 in 3-people sit-on-tops provided kayaks. Open to all ages, this “City2Surf on water” as it’s been dubbed is very flexible and takes paddlers through iconic Sydney Harbour via secluded beaches and is a hoot for all participants!
– 1-3 May 2010: WildEndurance – A spectacular and challenging 100km teams-only trail trek in the heart of the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park. Raising funds and awareness for The Wilderness Society, this event is open to teams of 4-6 completing the full course or relaying the distance half-way through. With a cut-off time of 48hrs and over 3,800m elevation, this course will require both commitment and passion for teams to complete.
– 15-16 May 2010: The North Face 100 – A 100km competitive ultra-trail running event in the Blue Mountains open to individuals. This is the pinnacle of trail running events in Australia including a spectacular course, over 4,200m elevation and a cut-off time of only 30 hrs to complete the course. Belt buckles for those finishing in less than 14 hours! Test yourself, push your own limits and achieve something to be proud of! Dean Karnazes, the Ultra-Marathon Man said this event was “the toughest 100kms [he’s] ever done”. For those not quite ready for the total experience, the Marathon Pairs option offers teams of 2 the possibility to relay the distance at mid-course.
– 29 May 2010: Capital Punishment – finally an 100km MTB enduro event that takes in the best of the Capital City’s single tracks: Sparrow Hill, check; Majura Pines, check; Bruce Ridge, Kowen, Black Mountain, check again, and finally Mt Stromlo, yep, you guessed it, check! So there you have it, a concentrate of all the goodness Canberra has to offer wrapped in one ripper event! First feedback from the riding community has been extremely positive: “Congratulations on your new event in Canberra, a 100k MTB race in the capital has been a long time coming!! (and a well kept secret)” Shaun Lewis, elite MTB rider.
– 4-5 September 2010: Netti MTB Enduro – For the third year in a row, this mountain biking solo enduro race offers 2 distances – The Angry Doctor 100km or The Irate Intern 50km – and takes place on the beautiful Eurobodalla Coast, only hours away from Sydney and Canberra. After its successful first two editions, this event has already won some serious credibility in the MTB community and sold out of its third edition in less than 4 days. With over 80% of the course made of sweet single or double tracks and amazing views, this might be one of the best kept secret down under! Come down the day before to warm up or give MTB a go with the Nasty Nurse Prologue, a 10km loop to get you in the mood for more! So pick your distance and get ready for some seriously sweet riding!
John Harding of Bush Flyers in the ACT has been appointed the new Executive Officer of Orienteering Australia, commencing Monday 15 June 2009. John has a strong background over 35 years in both sports and government administration and was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for services to athletics administration in 2000. He has been orienteering regularly for the last 16 years after a previous sporting life as a runner with a 10 km road best of 30:55 and marathon best of 2:28:44. In 1978 he won the 13 km Kosciusko Classic from Mt Crackenback to the summit of Mt Kosciusko and return in 45:40, and regrets that he resisted overtures at the time from then Australian orienteering champion Maurice Ongania to take up orienteering seriously. As an old and slow M55 he now enjoys it when he manages the occasional win over such notables as Peter Shepherd, Paul Prudhoe, Bert Elson and other miscreants (me), and is looking forward to World Masters Orienteering in October. He is excited about contributing to the development of orienteering in Australia through his new administrative role.
