08.12.07 - National XC Round 3: Thredbo, NSW

XC

An old classic and a favourite amongst many riders, Thredbo's alpine terrain is always a tough one. Lots of steep climbing, lots of big rocks to ride over, and the altitude to deal with. The series was hotting up, with Lefmann, Cooper and Lewis all reasonably close on points. It would come down to who had the climbing legs on the day. But McConnell, Van Der Ploeg and Norris were also out to spoil the party.

Lefmann was aggressive, powering up the first hill trying to shake McConnell and Cooper. But he spent up too early and the two chasers passed him to battle it out for the win. McConnell had a 30 second lead going into lap four, but Cooper looked comfortable. Then McConnell crashed, losing time and the lead. While McConnell tried to get back on board, Cooper picked his lap times up and riding away with the win. McConnell came in almost three minutes behind, with Paul Van Der Ploeg and Andrew Blair sprinting in another three minutes behind in that order. Lefmann came in fifth, giving up his series lead to Cooper.

ST

The short track at Thredbo was the most exciting one of the season. The riders were agressive on a very tactical course. The lead changed hands many times. Lewis crashed out half way on a loose corner. Cooper, McConnell and Van Der Ploeg all seemed to have that little bit extra, attacking eacy other and seeing if they could hold it in the windy conditions. The crowd were kept guessing for most of the race, till Van Der Ploeg slipped away. The other riders seemed to look at each other to chase, tired of attacking. This allowed the young Victorian to create a healthy gap. Then finally Cooper tried to jump across, then McConnell. The three smashed themselves to the finish. Van Der Ploeg took his first national senior win and Cooper and McConnell settled for the remaining podium spots.