2011 Archive

The elite and junior teams have been announced to compete against New Zealand during the Oceania Championships week, in the Australia-NZ Challenge and the elite Test matches.

The teams for the Australia-NZ Challenge, to be contested at the Oceania Long and Relay Championships on 1 and 9 October respectively, are as follows:

M16: Ashley Nankervis (Tas), Max Neumann (Qld), Jack Oakhill (Qld). Reserve Matt Doyle (Qld).

W16: Nicola Blatchford (NSW; subject to fitness), Anna Dowling (Tas), Kate Bowen (ACT). Reserve Kelsey Harvey (Qld).

M20: Lachlan Dow (ACT), Joshua Blatchford (NSW), Max Neve (Vic). Reserve Oscar McNulty (WA).

W20: Belinda Lawford (ACT), Heather Muir (Qld), Jacqui Doyle (Qld). Reserve TBA.

M21: Rob Preston (NSW), Dave Shepherd (ACT), Simon Uppill (SA).

W21: Jo Allison (ACT), Kathryn Ewels (Vic), Vanessa Round (SA).

Teams in the masters age groups had previously been announced. The Challenge team will be jointly managed by Russell Blatchford and Felicity Crosato.

The races in the Test Match series between the Australian Bushrangers and New Zealand Pinestars are:

• Oceania Middle Distance Championships, Yackandandah, Sunday October 2^nd
• Oceania Sprint Championships, Badja, Friday October 7^th
• Australian Long Championships, Badja, Saturday October 8^th

For these races a team of 5 men and 4 women have been selected in 21E.

Men: Bruce Arthur (Vic), Rob Preston (NSW), Murray Scown (ACT), Dave Shepherd (ACT), Simon Uppill (SA)

Women: Susanne Casanova (SA), Rachel Effeney (Qld), Aislinn Prendergast (Vic), Anna Sheldon (Qld)

The Bushrangers’ team has been chosen to include a mixture of development athletes as well as core WOC runners; by matching athletes to specific terrains and event specialities the intention is to consolidate their form, and continue to evolve Australian talent for the future.

The final MTBO event, the sprint, provided much excitement.  Riders did the first 40% of the course through a village specifically closed off to cars and then climbed the hills behind the assembly area in full view of the crowd before finishing through a complex vineyard section.

Our Aussie team did really well, as the increased depth of the competition was demonstrated by the closeness of the results. Melanie Simpson rode with only some hesitations and her 30^th place was only 3 minutes behind the winner.  Russian road star Anton Foliforov took out gold in the elite men, with Steve Cusworth’s 19^th place being just 2 minutes down.  Steve regreted a 30 second or so error near the end when he could have tagged on to the eventual 2nd placegetter, but did his own thing.  Alex Randall again found his legs lacking power and was disappointed with his 66^th.

The Czech dynamo Krystof Bogan grabbed gold in jwoc men, with “Mr Consistent,” Tom Goddard doing well again for 17^th and Oscar Phillips being close behind in 21^st.  Marc and Chris didn’t have such clean runs.

Russian junior Svetlana Poverina took out her 4^th gold of the Championships!

Kay Haarsma (coach)

Elite men

1         26.28 Anton Foliforov (Russia)

19   28.39  Steve Cusworth

66   34.14  Alex Randall

Elite Women

1   26.36 Gaelle Barlet  (France)

30  29.55 Melanie Simpson

Junior Men

1         23.21 Krystof Bogan

17    25.50  Tom Goddard

21   26.12  Oscar Phillips

34   28.11  Marc Gluskie

44   29.41  Chris Firman

Check out the event website and the Australian team blog

The relay day amongst the depression forest and vineyards of Alonte again saw riders battling sweltering heat.  However the shorter nature of the courses made for exciting racing, as did the spectator loop.  The latter had riders zipping in and around village shops and restaurants, including a stair descent with a sharp turn.

Both Australian teams were determined to do well and didn’t disappoint.

The juniors were hoping to podium like last year and got so so close. Chris and Mark both rode strongly but with a mistake or two while the in form Tom Goddard had very little time loss and was 5-7 minutes faster. In racing the final leg Marc caught the Czech team and had a head to head duel with Krystof Bogar, the middle distance champion.  Coming down the last vineyard track there were elbows flying to gain the front position for the steep rise and corner into the last control.  The bigger Czech guy won out but Marc valiantly closed the gap in the final metres to just a wheel length.

Our elite guys all had pretty consistent rides and were relatively happy.  Oscar Phillips stepped up against the big boys doing the anchor leg and navigated carefully to ensure we came in 11^th, with two teams within a minute just ahead.  After being ranked 16^th last year, that was a pleasing result.

Many of the placegetters were separated by small time gaps.  None more so than the JWOC women where Russia beat Finland by a mere second.   Denmark WOC women “lost” the bronze when world champion Rikke Kornvig failed to record a punch on one control.   In more controversial circumstances the Polish junior team have been DSQ’ed from tomorrow’s sprint after having been found in the embargoed area today!

Saturday’s sprint, the final event of the Championships, is at Sossano.  This will be a mixture of urban area and forest with many controls.  Elite men have 9km, 145m climb and 23 controls.  The predicted temperature will be a “cool” 31 degrees.   Starts are from 2pm (10pm Australian time).

Chris Firman  2.07             Alex Randall  2.15             Oscar Phillips 2.23            Tom  Goddard  2.33 

Marc Gluskie  3.01          Melanie  Simpson  3.10                   Steven Cusworth   3.11

Kay Haarsma (coach)

JWOC MEN                                                         JWOC WOMEN

1   2.11.05 Denmark                                         1   2.10.59  Russia

2   2.11.53 Russia                                               2   2.11.53  Finland

3   2.15.23  Finland                                            3   2.17.02  Czech

6   2.28.05  Czech

7  2.28.05 Australia    Firman (50.16), Goddard (45.47), Gluskie (52.02)

WOC MEN                                                           WOC WOMEN

1  2.40.51 Denmark                                          1   2.42.57  Switzerland

2  2.42.59 Czech                                                2  2.46.02  Lithuania

3  2.43.59  Finland                                             3  2.47.58  Slovakia

11  3.03.11  Australia    Cusworth (57.41)  Randall (59.31)  Phillips (65.59)

Check out the event website and the Australian team blog

Tassie’s Tom Goddard displayed great consistency in his debut Jwoc to again place highly, this time 10^th in the middle championships held in Pozzolo di Villaga. He lost several minutes on one control but otherwise was extremely happy with his ride.  The winner Krystof Bogar, at 17 years is probably the youngest ever MTBO winner.  However he is a real talent, having already won in the elite class at the Czech 5 days.

For the remainder of the Australian team it was largely a day to forget.  Chris Firman and Oscar Phillips had messy rides, with trouble in some of the more detailed areas.  Marc Gluskie deserves a pat on the back for getting into the top 20 (and his best jwoc individual result) after a traumatic crash in warm-up made his bike temporarily unrideable.  Despite landing heavily on a shoulder, getting his bike back 2 minutes before his start and making mistakes early on he regathered to finish the course well.

Melanie Simpson, in women’s elite, made a major mistake early on and then navigated very well, but with the depth now in the women, this cost her some 20 places.  The win went again to popular Austrian Michi Gigon, giving her the 7th gold medal of her career, 5 of which have been in the middle.

The men’s elite had double disappointment for our two starters.   Steve Cusworth busted a seatpost and rode the last 20 minutes or so standing up, so his 34rd was commendable in the circumstances.  After an uphill climb towards no 1 Alex Randall had some trouble and inadvertently punched a nearby wrong control.  Samuli Saarela, a 22-year-old student of mechanical engineering in Tampere, grabbed his second gold in Italy. Before him only Ruslan Gritsan won long and middle distance in the same edition of WMTBOC, in 2005. The strong Russian was second today, almost three minutes behind Saarela.

The men’s elite relay starts at 10.30am on Friday and the junior mens at 10.50am.   This takes place in the village of Alonte and some of the terrain will involve quite complex vineyards.    Teams and order are:

Elite – Steve Cusworth, Alex Randall, Oscar Phillips

Junior – Chris Firman, Tom Goddard, Marc Gluskie.

Check out the event website, including good split graphs and live race coverage and the Australian team blog

Kay Haarsma (coach)

JWOC Men

1      54.56  Bogar Krystofcz (Czech)
2    58.58  Ludrik Vojtech  (Czech)
3    59.00  Kaskinen Kare  (Finland)
10  63.18  Tom Goddard
19  66.53  Marc Gluskie
27  68.48  Chris Firman
33  71.10  Oscar Phillips
69  77.03  Greg Bradshaw (NZ)

WOC Women

1    58.07  Michaela Gigon (Austria)
2    58.17  Anna Kaminska  (Poland)
3    59.04  Rikke Kornvig   (Denmark)
40  76.11  Melanie Simpson

WOC Men

1   55.56   Saarela Samuli (Finland)
2   58.42   Gritsan Ruslan (Russia)
3   59.37   Brietschadel Tobias (Austria)
34  67.54   Steve Cusworth
MP              Alex Randall

17 year old Tasmanian rookie Tom Goddard rode absolutely brilliantly to record 9^th in the long final.

This is the best debut performance by any Australian at World Championship level.

Even more important than his high placing was his closeness to the top – just 4 minutes off bronze and less than 2 minutes off a podium place.  This left him regretting a mistake when leaving the refreshment control which cost several minutes.

Oscar Phillips had several route choice losses that left him disappointed but he rode strongly.

Marc was devastated by 2 flats that cost him dearly and also had the misfortune to lose a full water bottle early on a descent.   Chris Firman made the hard decision to retire with heat stress, and with his temperature being measured at 39+ by on course paramedics, it was a wise move. After a stint in hospital with an intravenous drip he is now back at our hotel and recovering.

Both our elite riders also recorded noteable results. Alex Randall did everything correctly to maximise his performance in the 40 degree temperatures and rode to the conditions.  A pleasing result especially given that his training had been restricted for several months by injury from a cut knee.  Melanie Simpson’s preparation was likewise less than ideal, but due to residing in the snowy and cold climes of northern Norway!  On reflection she rued several route choices that increased her climb and also had to ride the last few kilometres with a half deflated tyre.

Courses were tough and long featuring some severe climbs.  The prestart was in the picturesque square of Marostica and riders rode to the finish over the long historical wooden bridge (Ponte Vecchio) and up to finish in the main square of Bassano del Grappa.  We now have a rest day and look forward to the middle race.

Kay Haarsma (coach)

Check out the event website and the Australian team blog

JWOC MEN

1-   1:55:24 Proschowsky Andreas  (Denmark)

2-  1:57:35 Rossetto Riccardo  (Italy)

3 –  2:02:21 Medvedev Grigoriy (Russia)

9 –  2:06:15 Goddard Tom

22 – 2.20.06 Oscar Phillips

29- 2.25.43 Marc Gluskie

Retired – Chris Firman

WOC MEN

 1 – 2.00.12 Saarela Samuli  (Finland)

 2 – 2,04.47 Erik Skovgaard Knudsen (Denmark)

 3 –  2.06.27 Ruslan Gritsan (Russia)

20 – 2.21.46 Alex Randall

WOC WOMEN

1 – 1:47:59 Kornvig Rikke (Denmark)

2 – 1:54:12 Stengard Ingrid (Finland)

3  – 1:57:25 Scaravonati Laura (Italy)

26 – 2.23.56 Melanie Simpson

Today the Australian team had some outstanding results but also one disappointment in the long qualifying event held in trying conditions.  The junior boys set the scene with Chris Firman finishing 5^th outright (as all boys did the same course) in 63mins and amazingly there were 3 Danish riders amongst the 4 in front.  Chris lost just the odd minute here and there.  Marc Gluskie, in his 2^nd jwoc , placed 13^th in 67 minutes and navigated well.  Tom Goddard, the rookie of the team, had a daunting start near last in the midday 38 degree temperatures.  He rode strongly but had two mistakes that cost him time, but finished in 45^th place looking good and happy to have that first event done.   Oscar Phillips rode exceedingly well and would have placed in the top 10 but had a brain fade after a steep climb near the end and rode past  control 10 (100 metres away) and on to 11.  Luckily the juniors have a “mercy rule” that allows all riders to start the final, so all is well.

In the elite men the stakes were much higher with only the top 20 from the 3 heats qualifying through to tomorrow’s final.   Alex Randall rode a steady well controlled race to finish 10^th in 93 mins with Dane Erik Knudsen Skovgaard taking the win in 81 mins.  In contrast Steve Cusworth’s effort came to a grinding halt half way around the course with a broken derailleur bolt after catching a stick. He’s unlikely to race the B final as we are still chasing up a replacement part.    Reigning world champion Anton Foliforov (Russia) suffered a similar fate.  Melanie Simpson cruised through her heat finishing 16^th in 92 minutes despite losing some minutes redoing a route choice due to a locked gate.

So high hopes tomorrow, in which the riders will finish  over an historic wooden bridge in the town centre of Bassano.

The Australian women’s team have finished 14^th in a hard fought race out of 27 competing countries. Many mistakes were made by the leading teams and Finland (1:42:43) finished triumphant with Minna Kauppi sprinting into the finish closely followed by Dana Brozkova from the Czech Republic (1.42.43) and  Sweden (1:42:44), fractions of a second apart. Then Norway (1.43.38) and Denmark (1.43.45). Estonia rounded out the top 6 in a time of 1.43.45. A very exciting finish as the Czech team were leading after the first leg and the lead changed numerous times as each runner made different mistakes.

Jasmine Neve came in about four and a half minutes down after the first leg (21^st on leg) and Vanessa Round (20^th on leg) made up time in the first half of the second leg only to lose time in the final bit of the course. Grace Crane (7^th  on leg) went out in her usual calm manner and had a clean, fast run to finish in front of New Zealand who lost time in the 2^nd and 3^rd legs after Lizzie Ingham (6^th on leg) had a great first leg.

14^th place is one place down on last years relay in Norway for the Aussie girls.

In the men’s race as expected France has triumphed, it has been a great week for Thierry Gueorgiou. Norway came in 2^nd position and Sweden finished with a bronze medal. Switzerland, Russia and Lithuania rounded out the top 6 places.

Australia was in 12^th position after Simon Uppill (12^th on leg) and Julian Dent (16^th on leg). They both maintained steady runs with an error on control 15 which was a pit in a vague green area. Rob Preston (22^nd on leg) maintained a steady run but made some errors. The team finished 25.27 minutes down from the winning time in 16^th position. This is one place better than last year.

Congratulations to the Australian team, including their team leaders and physio for completing a tough world championships and continuing to build on previous results and improve performances.

The World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships start on Monday in Italy.

Australia’s team of 4 juniors and 3 elites has been training for the last 9 days acclimatising to the 38 degree heat and to the different types of terrain.  We started off with a low key event near Trento and on Thursday had a practice race with the Russians and Italians at Nanto, near the host city of Vicenza.   The latter was mostly undulating vineyards which can be expected in the relays.  Today’s model event included a leg with almost 200 metres climb!  The new mapping symbol of orange stripe on yellow, indicating the only way to ride across open ground, has proven a bit dubious to identify on the ground.

 Our riders are all fit and well and looking forward to the races ahead.  The Champs commence with the long qualifying on Monday at Chiuppano with the elite men having an optimum route of 27kms, 570m climb and an expected winning time of 72-78 mins. Tuesday is the long final, with the middle on Thursday, relays on Friday and concluding with the sprint on Saturday.  The participant numbers are 95 (elite men); 56 (elite women);  62 (jwoc men) and 26 (jwoc women) with 30 countries involved.

Check out the event website and the Australian team blog.

The middle distance final race proved to be a test of mental alertness and correct interpretation of the complex contour detail on the side of the forested mountain side at La Feclaz.  Keeping it simple and staying in contact with the map was the way to go.

The Australian girls Grace Crane and Vanessa Round did their best. Grace finishing in 26^th place said she did the best she could given the demands of the terrain. Vanessa Round started a good race but an error allowed her to be caught by Czech runner Dana Brozkova. They then kept together for a few legs when both became unstuck at control 8. Dana drew away but Vanessa finished well in the last loop finishing in 34^th place.

Helena Jansson (Sweden) won the women’s race 1 minute clear of Ida Bobach (Denmark) in 2^ndplace.

Thierry Gueorgiou was the clear winner of the men’s race and blitzed the field to pocket another gold medal.

The WOC2011 relays will be contested today starting at 9.15pm AEST for the women and 11.15pm AEST for the men.

The Aussie women’s team is Jasmine Neve, Vanessa Round and Grace Crane. The men’s team is Simon Uppill, Julian Dent and Rob Preston.

The middle distance final starts at 9.31pm AEST for the women’s race where Grace Crane and Vanessa Round will represent Australia. They are both keen to do well and they are aiming to improve on their previous results at WOC middle distance. Grace is aiming for a top 30 placing and if everything goes well for Vanessa she is working towards a top 20 placing.

In the long distance Minna Kauppi from Finland resigned from her race after becoming totally bamboozled going to the first control. Even the best can come unstuck in the terrain of the Savoie Grand Revard, so it will be an interesting race for all to watch.

The women’s final is 3.8km 260m climb with 16 controls with an expected 31 minutes winning time and the men’s race is 5.4km, 315m climb with 21 controls with an expected 33 minutes winning time.

Grace Crane starts at 9.45pm AEST and Vanessa Round starts at 10.13pm AEST.

Our Antipodean friends Lizzie Ingham (starts at 10.17pm) and Chris Forne (starts at 11.10pm) are both running in the middle final. Lizzie Ingham has recently joined the Canberra Cockatoos and has run very well finishing 11^th in the women’s long final on Wednesday.

In the men’s final the question is: will Thierry Gueorgiou win again or will another such as Sweden’s Peter Oberg be able to beat the reigning World Champion?

From the Australian WOC 2011 media team.