CANNONBALL FESTIVAL - Day 1 Pumptrack and Compressor

The first day of Thredbo’s Cannonball Festival got underway with the ever looming threat of rain but that didn’t deter riders hitting the great mountain in droves. The flow and downhill tracks getting seemingly equal traffic with riders often seen in the pits jumping from downhill to enduro bike.

At midday the first event of the weekend got underway with the Dual Compressor. A gated event where riders start side by side before coming together and fighting for the one line. In the Pro Men Graeme Mudd took the win from Blake Nielsen a classic showdown from these old 4X rivals. Thomas Crimmins took out the small final. In the Pro Women Harriet Burbidge-Smith in her return to mountain biking took the honours over Tegan Molloy and Tracey Hannah.

There was time to fit in a few more practice runs on the chairlifted runs but it wasn’t long before final runs and the pumptrack challenge.

The threat had been creeping ever closer throughout the day and as the pumptrack challenge got underway the thunderstorm struck. Rain followed suit and did not relent for the entirety of the session turning the clayish surface of the pumptrack into something new entirely. Riders adapted and after two timed laps of pumping the final score was thus. Pro Men was taken out by a charging Blake Nielsen backed up by a flowing David McMillan with third claimed by Ryan Hunt. In Pro Women, Caroline Buchannan showed up and schooled the competition with her effortless style. In second was Danni Beecroft with Tegan Molloy in third.

With the rain still pouring outside, riders thoughts turn to tomorrows Flow Track race, downhill seeding and whipoff. Will it be a tacky dry track or slippery slide carnage.

Words : Robert Conroy Photos : Robert Conroy & Tim Bardsley-Smith