Crocodile Trophy summons 15 nations into Cairns
The 19th Crocodile Trophy starts this Saturday with a lap race at
The 19th Crocodile Trophy starts this Saturday with a lap race at
Smithfield in Cairns. As the world’s oldest mountain bike stage race the
Crocodile Trophy has become known as the hardest and most adventurous
event. This year more than 80 riders will race for 900 km through the
Outback and the rain forests in Queensland’s Tropical North including
Canadian’s National Marathon Champion, Cory Wallace, last year’s third
finisher Wolfgang Krenn from Austria and Lotto Belisol pro-team rider,
Sander Cordeel from Belgium.*
Organisers of the Crocodile Trophy confirmed today that Sander Cordeel,
pro-road cyclist from the Belgian Lotto Belisol team will be at the start
line in Cairns this week. En-route from the Tour of Beijing Cordeel will
arrive in Cairns just in time to race the first stage’s lap race at
Smithfield MTB Park on Saturday, 19 October. “I was chatting with my team
mate Adam Hansen about the Crocodile Trophy the other day and he talked me
into signing up,” Sander Cordeel said of his last-minute decision to travel
to Australia for the nine-day stage race through the Outback of Far North
Queensland. “It has always been my dream to do this race”, the 25-year old
road cyclist added.
Canadian Cory Wallace in the Australian Outback at the Crocodile Trophy last year.
*Wallace and Krenn strongest contenders this year*
Hot weather conditions, rough terrain and the images of racers pedalling
towards the horizon on endless Outback Highways have characterised the race
coverage since the event’s inception two decades ago. This year the event
promises again to be a challenging stage race, “Part of the Crocodile
Trophy fascination is the sheer adventure that our riders will experience.
We will be showcasing some of the best mountain bike trails in the Cairns
region and cross the Atherton-Mareeba Tablelands to take them deep into the
Australian Outback.”
The remote Outback town Irvinebank and the Mt Mulligan cattle station will
be two of the stage destinations next week before the riders and more than
80 supporters and crew arrive at the historic gold-mining town of Laura,
where an individual time trial will add to the challenge on day seven.
Wolfgang Krenn will try to climb onto the top of the Crocodile Trophy podium this year.
The strongest international contenders for the win this year are Canadian’s
National Marathon Champion, Cory Wallace, who already has two 5th places at
the Crocodile Trophy to his name and last year’s third place getter
Wolfgang Krenn from Austria, who also sees the Czech rider Jan Fojtik as a
major competitor. “Cory Wallace and Jan Fojtik are my main opponents, I
think this year. The Crocodile Trophy is a tough event, you have to be
ready for anything”, Krenn said of his competition. Also Cory Wallace is
ready to claim this year’s win, “I expect a lot of high end competition
from both Australia and Europe at the Croc this year and will be ready to
battle whoever shows up!”
After a stop-over at the Aboriginal community of Hopevale on day eight, the
Crocodile Trophy will finish in Cooktown on Sunday, 27 October with
rewarding ocean views and the Great Barrier Reef from the top of Grassy
Hill. For more event information, visit www.crocodile-trophy.com
Arrival in Cooktown – the long-awaited finish line after nine days on Grassy Hill.
*Stage Plan 2013:*
stage 1 Smithfield (5 laps) / 35 km/900 m
stage 2 Cairns – Lake Tinaroo / 89 km/2500 m
stage 3 Atherton – Irvinebank / 80 km/2500 m
stage 4 Irvinebank – Mt. Mulligan / 118 km/1600 m
stage 5 Mt. Mulligan – Granite Creek Dam / 163 km/3000 m
stage 6 Granite Creek Dam – Laura / 116 km/1800 m
stage 7 Laura – Laura / 50 km/150 m – Time Trial
stage 8 Laura – Hope Vale / 113 km/1100 m
stage 9 Hope Vale – Cooktown / 50 km/500 m
*download rider list:*
www.crocodile-trophy.com/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/croc_starterlist_2013.pdf
*daily news and race reports:*
http://www.crocodile-trophy.com/index.php?id=9
for interviews and further information, please don’t hesitate to contact our media manager juliane wisata on 0416 737 972.
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