Brosnan and Hannah put on a show

Brosnan’s (3:14.14) finished three seconds ahead of team-mate and friend Sam Hill with Bryn Atkinson in third.

Brosnan, the reigning Junior World Champion, put together a near perfect run:

“It felt amazing, I pinned the whole top section,” he said.

“Things got a bit sketchy in the middle, and I don’t even know how I held on through the bottom section”.
 
Carrying the “next big thing” label for some time, Brosnan only stepped up to the Elite field this season, and said of his results “First again, it’s just amazing. I have to keep this momentum and keep going strong, this is a really good lead up to the World Cups".

Hannah continued her successful return to the sport after a multi-year breaktime (3:48.04). She finished over seven seconds ahead of a field that included American legend and National Champion Jill Kintner.
 
 “It was a good run, my goal was to take the win, I’m happy with that,” Hannah said post-race.

Every race takes Hannah one step closer to her World Cup and Championship goals for 2012. She was pleased with the presence of Kinter.

“When internationals race in Australia it makes me push myself a lot harder, I was happy that Jill was coming to Mount Buller,” Hannah said.
 
Kinter explained “We come to Australia every year for three to four months to train, to take advantage of the Aussie summer. This is the start of a campaign for the World Cups, and I’m making progress daily”.
 
In the Under 19 categories, Connor Fearon took the win in an amazing time (3:20.68) that would have placed him fourth in the Elite Field, and Danielle Beecroft (NSW) won the female category.
 
The day also saw the culmination of the Real Insurance All Mountain Cup, with Stage three being a 25km point-to-point race on the Mt Buller Stonefly trail. Stage 1, a Super D, was held on Friday and the Stage 2 Olympic format Cross-Country was held on Saturday.
 
Riders set off from the Corn Hill start to ride a course that had something for everyone, with elements that rewarded climbing ability, technical skills and descending bravery.
 
Paul Van Der Ploeg  completed the course in 1h 24m 6s, to win by 1m 39s from Andy Blair. Van Der Ploeg, new to the Elite field from the Under 23 category, was surprised with the win but happy to have his first win in Elite.

“I’m not usually known for climbing but I pulled away from the field up Stonefly climb and then I had a clear run,” he said.

“I was smiling the whole way down, the tracks at Mt Buller are really great”.
 
Andy Blair was happy with his second place, especially as it allowed him to maintain his series lead. Results can drive goals, and when asked about his goals for the year, Andy said “I’m now starting to think about trying to win the series”.
 
A strong performer throughout the weekend, 2008 Athens Olympian Dan McConnell (VIC) won the General Classification across the three events for the Mt Buller round. “I’m happy with that. It’s early in the season, and there is a lot of racing and improvement to come, but it’s started off better than I thought and I’m excited for the rest of the season”.
 
Jenni King (VIC) won the final stage of the weekend by 1m 36s from Rebecca Henderson (ACT) who suffered a flat tyre on a critical climb.. “It was a really tough race but I enjoyed it, the trails were challenging”. In winning, King wrapped up the General Classification and remains undefeated in the series. “I think I’ve got the right formula this year. I’m trying to be consistent through the racing and peak for the National Championship and the Oceania Championship”.
 
Real Insurance Gravity Cup DownHill Race Results:

Elite men:

1 Troy Brosnan SA 3:14.14
2 Sam Hill WA 3:19.49
3 Bryn Atkinson NSW 3:20.36
4 Rick Boyer NSW 3:22.31
5 Rhys Atkinson NSW 3:22.99
6 Timothy Eaton ACT 3:24.14
7 Ben Cory ACT 3:25.62
8 Todd Madsen WA 3:25.96
9 Cillian Kennedy NSW 3:26.11
10 Graeme Mudd 3:27.30

Elite Female:

1 Tracey Hannah 3:48.04
2 Jill Kintner NSW 3:55.69
3 Shelly Flood VIC 4:06.91
4 Madeline Taylor VIC 4:18.86
5 Trudy Nicholas 4:29.56
6 Lisa Mathison QLD 4:31.44
7 Michelle Crisp NSW 4:32.91

Under 19 Male:

1 Connor Fearon SA 3:20.68
2 Thomas Crimmins NSW 3:24.59
3 Jack Moir NSW 3:24.69
4 Dean Lucas VIC 3:26.80
5 Henry Blake SA 3:27.97
6 Peter Knott QLD 3:31.10
7 Luke Ellison NT 3:31.19
8 Jai Motherwell VIC 3:33.08
9 Daniel Bender NSW 3:34.62
10 Brent Capel TAS 3:34.85

Under 19 Female:

1 Danielle Beecroft NSW 7:18.49