19th Crocodile Trophy 2013 in Australia
The hardest and most adventurous mountainbike stage race in the world
All 2012 participants and mountain bike fans agreed that “the 18th edition of the Crocodile Trophy was the best ever.” The Czech racer Ivan Rybarik won the elite men’s category and the worldclass triathlete Kate Major from Australia claimed the women’s title. The arrangements for 2013 have already been made and they hold a lot of new plans for the mountain bike stage event in the Australian Outback, which has been known as the “world’s hardest, longest, hottest and most adventurous race”.
Shorter stages and more trails
Almost all stages will be the same as last year with three slight changes. “The stages will stay shorter than in previous years, however, they will include considerably more mountain bike tracks again”, promises event organizer Gerhard Schönbacher. “Furthermore, a time trial will ensure more variety and a huge challenge on day six”.
After the successful finish on Grassy Hill in Cooktown last year, the spectacular landing site of the legendary Captain Cook will crown the stage race at its grand finale also in 2013. Overall, the participants will ride 855 km and more than 15,000 m in elevation.
Crocodile Trophy to host longest individual time trial in the world
After stage five from Mt. Mulligan to Adams Dam with 147 km, which will be the longest stage in this year’s race, the next day on the road to the former Goldmining town of Maytown the Crocodile Trophy will set a record: racers will have to complete this distance of 97 km individually, resulting for it to be the longest time trial in the world. The eighth stage finishes in Hopevale – a small Aboriginal community and the final stage to Cooktown is the second shortest stage, but beautiful single tracks will deliver everything a mountain biker’s heart could wish for.
Favourites
Three serious candidates for the final podium have signed up already: The second in last year’s overall classification and race winner of 2008, the Czech rider Ondrej Fojtik. Wolfgang Krenn from Austria, third last year and second in 2011, said that he wants to climb the highest point of the podium in his third attempt. Not to forget the Canadian Cory Wallace, the tireless crusader who finished fourth last year. Then there is the Belgian rider Mike Mulkens who won last year his first stage in Maytown after two second overall positions in previous events – and last, but not least, the best Australian finisher in 2012, Steve Rankin. Nobody else knows the Outback like the strong Queensland rider.
New category: Team Relay
Organisers will also introduce a new exciting category for the Crocodile Trophy 2013: „The Relay Team“. A relay team will consist of three participants, where one rider of each team has to ride a day’s stage and the other two team riders go to the next camp in an official vehicle. Each rider of a relay team has to complete a minimum of one stage on a bike. A change during the stage will not be allowed.
Stages Crocodile Trophy 2013
19. Oct. 1. stage Cairns – Smithfield (5 laps x 6 km) 30 km / 800 hm
20. Oct. 2. stage Cairns – Lake Tinaroo 92 km / 2.500 hm
21. Oct. 3. stage Atherton – Irvinebank 111 km / 2.700 hm
22. Oct. 4. stage Irvinebank – Mt. Mulligan 114 km / 1.600 hm
23. Oct. 5. stage Mt. Mulligan – Adams Dam 147 km / 2.700 hm
24. Oct. 6. stage Adams Dam – Maytown (ind.timetrial) 96 km / 1.400 hm
25. Oct. 7. stage Maytown – Laura 87 km / 1.300 hm
26. Oct. 8. stage Laura – Hopevale 122 km / 1.200 hm
27. Oct. 9. stage Hope Vale – Cooktown 56 km / 1.100 hm Total 855 km/ 15.300 hm