Friday 30 May 2014
MEDIA RELEASE Young Gun Chris Hamilton Soars through Stage 2 of the Inaugural
Port to Port MTB to Claim Victory from Andy Blair
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Stage two of the inaugural Port to Port MTB took off from the iconic Lindeman’s Winery in the magnificent Hunter Valley
this morning under a blanket of light rain and low cloud. Rumours on the start line were that this course would be the
toughest of the four day stage race, with two mammoth climbs facing riders.
From the start line the course headed straight up a relentless climb that wound up into the Pokolbin State Forest,
delivering riders scenic views of the wineries below in the Hunter Valley. From the get go it was neck and neck between
Andy Blair, who led yesterday’s race by 2 minutes, 51 seconds, over 19-year-old TORQ rider Chris Hamilton. With a large
contingent of TORQ riders in the race it seemed that a tactical move by Team TORQ was imminent and it wasn’t long
before young gun Tasman Nankervis attacked early on the first climb, making a substantial break from the pack.
Nankervis tackled the first ten kilometres of climbing by himself as he maintained the gap on the pack, with the hope that
team mate Hamilton may be able to get clear from Blair via a second break away. But the wily veteran Blair covered
every move made by Hamilton and when the break came he countered and they closed the gap on Nakeveris, as the trio
entered the first singletrack section 30 seconds clear of the main pack.
After a section of muddy single track, the riders entered the descent labelled ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ to Cedar Creek. This
twenty minute high speed descent along winding single track left riders with little time to admire the rainforest and
stunning scenery. This proved to be a critical section of the race, as Nankervis could not maintain his early pace and was
dropped by Blair and Hamilton, while behind them the main pack was blown apart in the muddy but rocky trails and creek
crossings.
By the time the course levelled out at Cedar Creek, mud had worked its way into every crevasse and was causing major
mechanical issues for all riders. Blair’s team mate Shaun Lewis was forced to drop from the chasing bunch and wash his
bike in a creek to get his hubs rolling again. As riders left Cedar Creek and headed through Millfield toward the second
climb up Mount View Road it was shaping up to be a two horse race between Blair and Hamilton.
By this time the morning rain had made the dirt road climb back to the top of the Pokolbin State Forest a mud covered
one as all riders were nearly unrecognisable. The final climb to the lookout over the Hunter Valley broke all but the
toughest riders with only the view of the surrounding rolling hills lined with vineyards momentarily masking the pain.
What goes up must come down, and whilst legs ached from the climb, they now had to control themselves down the
Great North Walk and Pokolbin Mountain Road back into the wineries. The day finished with a great dash between the
two leaders through the Robyn Drayton Winery and back to where it all started, Lineman’s Winery, ultimately ending in
Chris Hamilton’s favour by less than a second.
“Coming down the road I was just watching his back wheel trying to keep as close as I could to get a bit of draft. I gave it a
bit of a dig at the end and it panned out pretty well for me,” recalls Hamilton. “Whilst I may not have been able to get
back any time, I was really happy to get the win today.”
Swell Specialized rider Jenny Fay secured her second win in a row in the Open Female category, beating young Emily
Parkes by just under 14 minutes. Collapsing onto the ground just past the finish line the Irish National XCM Champion
epitomised the whole field that completed one of the toughest stages seen in a race in Australia. What already was
expected to be the toughest stage of the event became brutal as the course was broken down by the overnight rain.
Local legend Stu Adams crossed the line as winner of the Masters Mens 1 category for the second day in a row, 1 minute
and 39 seconds ahead of Jorge Baron Morris, splattered in mud. “The tyres I had on today were probably not the
combination I wanted, but I don’t think anything will work in that mud up there,” said Stu Adams.
The Port to Port MTB began at the idyllic Nelson Bay Marina, today moving into the Hunter Valley. Over the next two
days riders will be confronted by two more days of scenic tracks, fire trails, testing hill climbs, fast single track and steep
descents through Cessnock before moving onto the Newcastle Region. The third stage tomorrow begins at Briar Ridge
Estate before finishing at the historical Richmond Vale Railway Museum.
For more information, images and interview opportunities please contact:
Maddy Plummer
Event Publicist
(+61) 433 338 697
[email protected]