CANNONBALL FESTIVAL 2023: All Mountain Assault
It was the first day of racing at Cannonball Festival and, as tradition would have it, that meant it was time for the Osprey All Mountain Assault!
Words: Georgina von Marburg
Photos: Matt Rousu
The tunes are pumping, the hot laps are on, and the classic Cannonball atmosphere has returned to Thredbo during the busiest week of Aussie mountain biking. The Oakley Australian Open Downhill is doubling as National Champs this year, which means the competition is thick to say the least. But before riders hit the sacred Downhill on Saturday, there are still three events to contend for: the All Mountain, the Flow Motion Cup, and the Rock Shox Pump Track Challenge.
A stacked field of men and women were practicing the long and physical All Mountain track this morning. With an abundance of talent on display, it was going to be anyone’s for the taking. The morning greeted riders with moist and tacky conditions, but as the day wore on, the corners turned into typical Aussie bull dust. Nonetheless, riders were chomping at the bit to kick off the week with a heater. A solid result in the first event carries confidence into the rest!
In the U19 women’s, reigning enduro champ Poppy Pollock laid down an absolute heater that would have seen her place 3rd in Elites. In the boys, Bow Haberman from Canyon CLLCTV took first place by two seconds in a huge field of over forty U19 riders.
In the Pro (Elite) Women’s, Harriet Harden from Trek Factory Racing showed us all why she is one of the best in the world. The Scottish EWS rider cleary had no issues getting used to the flat-out speed that Thredbo delivers! And in the Pro Men’s, king of the kids and king of Thredbo – Mr. Timmy Eaton – stole the show. He inched ahead of downhill gun Josh Arcus in emphatic fashion, and brought the house down with him. What a run!
Full results can be found here.
Tomorrow the juniors and elites will do battle all over again on the famously long Flow trail. It will be a day of arm pump and close margins down one of the fastest running track in the country. We’ll be delivering another gallery and summary tomorrow night, so stay tuned!
