Tupalski and Blair take the Port to Port crowns

Grey and wet weather descended on the Lake Macquarie shore of Cam’s Wharf leaving a large group of cold and nervous riders begging to get moving on the 49km coastal ride into Merewether, Newcastle.

The fourth and final stage of the Port to Port MTB departed the luscious lakeside park, with riders setting off straight for the Pacific Highway before dropping into the trails of Wallarah National Park. The 9km alignment through Wallarah includes a mix of tough climbs and technical descents, and partnered with the wet weather churned into the first layer of the Port to Port MTB mud bath.

Have you read the other stage reports?

Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3

From the get go, heads were down and knees were pumping, as yellow jersey wearing Torq rider Mark Tupalski hoped to be able to hold on to his 2 minute and 9 second overall lead.

As the pack of ten riders emerged from Wallarah, led by Port to Port MTB defending champion Andy Blair it was revealed by Torq’s Mark Tupalski and Trek Racing Australia’s Peter Hatton that all was going according to plan.

“Blairy had actually been only one of us to go ride this section of the trail,” Tupalski said. “The rest of us had no idea what was coming up, but because we knew it was going to be rugged and gnarly, Blairy was like -if you let me ahead I will show you the line.”

“Then Taz (Tasman Nankervis) and I and Pete (Peter Hatton) and Reece (Reece Tucknott) all had the same idea – the safest place is in those first few wheels, because you can still get your own line choice and follow properly. So we all tried to keep those first few positions,” Tupalski said.

As the first layer of mud from the Wallarah trails set in, the lead pack flew down a fast descent before hitting a section of twisty singletrack through to Swansea. Joining onto the Swansea Pelican Bike Path, riders entered a neutral zone that saw them cross over Swansea Bridge on foot and take in the great views of Lake Entrance. Once over the Swansea Bridge the race was back on, with a short tarmac blast and some tight singletrack through the Blacksmiths area before the grounds of Belmont Golf Course.

Upon leaving the green the course will race north for 4km along the Kalaroo fire trail before connecting onto the Fernleigh Track.

To the north of Redhead the course swings off the Fernleigh Track for an intermission, taking in some challenging off road trails around Dudley before rejoining the Fernleigh Track.

With the lead pack at this stage consisting of Total Rush rider Rohin Adams, Swell Specialized’s Andy Blair and Trek Racing Australia’s Michael Potter, the pack managed to break away and work together to gain almost 60 seconds on top of Torq riders Mark Tupalski and Tasman Nankervis.

“It was flat out,” Mark Tupalski recalled from the finish line. “They started to get a bit of a gap on me. They were just attacking all over the place. Then we got to a section where a stick got stuck in my derailleur, so after that I was full gas pacing them. All the attacking closed the gap so much and it came down to what I did on the line, so it was pretty cool.”

After a second section of Fernleigh fury, riders approached the 12km of sweet singletrack prepared by the Glenrock Trail Alliance.

With only one kilometre to go before Glenrock, Trek Racing Australia team mates Peter Hatton and Reece Tucknott made their move and managed to bridge to the lead pack. Adding another layer of mud to the already cleansed skin, the sweet 12km trails of singletrack in Glenrock had the riders white teeth gleaming through their brown faces.

As the lead pack approached the final point of the finish line at Dixon Park, Merewether it was a charging Peter Hatton who appeared around the final bend first. Crossing the finish line slathered from head to toe in thick mud, Hatton said he was glad today’s stage suited his strengths.

“I really like these kinds of conditions. It was just so much fun I reckon and it makes the race real exciting. You can make a mistake, you get stuck in some mud or crash and you can lose big time and it makes it so much more exciting.”

“It was all about the singletrack, I was just loving the Glenrock stuff,” Hatton beams, “The best moment of the race for sure.”

Chasing behind him was young Torq rider and Stage 2 Winner Tasman Nankervis and Stage 3 Winning and Trek Racing Australia’s Reece Tucknott. But it was where Tasman’s team mate, Tupalski pulled up that was to decide who would take the overall win of the Port to Port MTB 2015.

In the nick of time, 2014 Cape to Cape MTB winner Mark Tupalski flew around the corner and into the finish line, securing his title as Port to Port MTB 2015 Champion with 6th place in Stage 4.

“I’m stoked to be able to take the win of this stage race. It was just an awesome event,” Tupalski said after accepting the win on the podium.

BLAIR TAKES BACK-TO-BACK WOMEN’S TITLES

Commanding the win in the Overall Ladies for the second year in a row was Specialized’s Jenny Blair by over 22 minutes. Whilst admitting she was a little nervous after her close encounter with 4Shaw Deuce duo Rebecca Locke and Naomi Williams, Blair was up for the challenge.

“After seeing them up there on Stage 1, I knew this was going to be hard race. I wanted to make it hard anyway, but like that’s how I wanted her up there every day,” she said.

The National Cross Country Marathon Championship winner, who will represent Australia in the World Titles, encouraged more women to get on the mountain bike and give stage races a go.

“I think more women need to do this because you can come out of this event feeling really strong and confident. The trails are there for everybody, there’s nothing that is too technical that people aren’t going to be able to ride. Everything’s possible.

Having the roads closed and the opportunity to access all these trails when there is no one else out there really makes it a good stage race.”