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Real Insurance National Series rolls into Mt Buller

Published Date

Written by Stuart Plant

The exciting Real Insurance Australian MTB Season continues this weekend (Jan 20-22) at Mt Buller in Victoria with Round 2 action. 

The weekend begins with the Super D format, a race open to competitors in both the All Mountain and Gravity Cups. Riders will race 9 kilometres down the Mt Buller Delatite trail, with no less than 12 river crossings on the way down one of the longest gravity mountain-bike runs in Australia.

Both sides of the sport will enjoy the chance to race each other, and Jenni King (VIC) and Joshua Carlson (NSW), the victors from Round 1 in Perth will be in action when racing begins at 3pm Friday.

With the London 2012 Olympics less than 200 days away, riders will be keen to put in quality performances and impress coaches and their competitors alike in Saturday's Olympic Cross-Country racing.

All Mountain Cup season leader Andy Blair (NSW) will look to retain his lead along with women's leader Jenny King. Fresh off her strong summer on the road, Rebecca Henderson (ACT) will make her season debut in Mt Buller and will be one to watch after very impressive national and international seasons in 2011.

Riders will race a fast and flowing five kilometre Mt Buller course that will deliver close racing, with the All Mountain Cup concluding with a 25 Kilometre Point to Point race on Sunday which utilises much of the fantastic Mt Buller trail network.

With podiums stacked with World Champions in Thredbo, Gravity Cup downhill racing returns to the season.

We will see a field worthy of a World Cup, with dual Junior World Champion Troy Brosnan (SA), winner of the event in the first round in Thredbo, headlining the field with team-mate and former triple World Champion Sam Hill (WA).

Both riders announced during Round 1 in Thredbo that they will be racing the whole Australian season, thrilling the mountain bike community. In the women's event, Tracey Hannah (QLD) will headline the action after a successful return to the top level of the sport in Thredbo with a runaway win.

Creating intrigue is the unexpected return to Mountain Biking of Olympian Lisa Mathison. A two-time junior world champion and 2004 Athens Olympics Cross-Country top ten finisher, Lisa has been out of the sport for many years. Entered the Gravity Cup in Mt Buller, and it will be great for all mountain bike fans to see Lisa race again, even more so in the gravity side of the sport.

Practice on Saturday will lead to seeding runs at 4pm, with racing for the Elites being 3pm on Sunday.

The Real Insurance Australian MTB Season will continue the following weekend with the return of Four Cross racing for 2011-2012. A double-header will see plenty of fast and furious Four Cross action in NSW, Saturday in Kurrajong and Sunday in Ebeneezer.

For this weekend's Mt Buller Round, all race information is available at the 2011/12 MTBA National Series website.