TREKKY TAKES AIM

In recent years, Brendan Johnston has been on the top step of the podium more often than not. The rider from Trek Racing Australia has been national marathon mountain bike champion for two years running, and has his eyes firmly locked on a repeat victory at Townsville in late April. With less focus on XCO this year, is there anyone who can stop him? “Last year I think I had 24 starts, although that is leaving out two or three World Cups, and 15 wins, plus quite a few podiums in events. For me it was probably the best year I’ve ever had,” said Johnston when we caught up before the Armidale national rounds. In 2015 and 2016, many of Australia’s elite crosscountry racers took aim at Olympic selection, forcing them to make the huge investment of time, training and finances to tick the boxes of the qualification criteria. Only three riders could make it, and the two men to qualify were Dan McConnell and Scott Bowden. Many in that chase have now changed their focus with the next Olympic cycle so distant. “I’d almost say I’m moving on from World Cups. I’m at the point of my life where I’ve got other things that are quite important as well, and the marathon scene in Australia is ticking over and I can go quite well at those with the training I do each week,” Johnston explains. “I manage to work my time quite well to get some good volume and it puts me in good stead for those events.” Still, Johnston and I were talking before a national XCO round, so surely there is some fire in the belly for the shorter races too? “With a little less pressure it might help, I can enjoy the racing. In previous years, XCO has been pretty cut throat, and if I have a bad day it brings you down if there’s a bit on the line, so I’m looking forward to a more relaxed season.” In the end, Johnston claimed a couple of second places in the two races that weekend and then won the next two rounds in Victoria. The doubleheader weekends this season did make for some later trips post-race, but allowed two races for one lot of travel.

“I think the double headers are a good idea. They are still a lot of travel, but I really wanted to come here to Armidale to race after getting sick before the Road National Championships. I’d done a really good block of training for that so I really want to take advantage of that now,” Johnston added. With his XCO performances, clearly the training was put to good use. Johnston also won the first round of the National XCM Series in late February.

A QUESTION OF CROCODILES

One of the oldest mountain bike stage races in the world, the Crocodile Trophy, runs in Tropical North Queensland and Johnston headed north to compete in 2015. It was part of his Olympic qualification plan as the race is sanctioned S1, offering many international ranking points. Johnston had a great race, finishing third against some of the world’s best marathon and stage racers. It’s not something many of Australia’s elite have taken on recently. “I think for someone of my age, in their early 20s, doing the Croc is a pretty good learning curve, and it is also a good training week,” he explained. “You do something like that and you draw on it for years to come. I often think back to a lot of my training, and the big weeks I do, and draw on that year to year. I remember certain events and weeks where I did a big block or came across some challenges – and you really start to draw on that when you start to get a bit older. You know you have been to those low points or challenging times. I think for an Australian to have a go at the Crocodile Trophy is really worthwhile if they can get up there and get it done.” The Crocodile Trophy gave Johnston nine days to go headto-head with some of the world’s best – a real learning experience for what it takes to be at the top. “Those guys are incredible on the climbs, it was incredible to see how strong they were. I’d like to give the Croc another crack, if those guys were coming back. That time I did it I wasn’t in great shape, I was pretty tired after a long season. Maybe one year I could build up for it properly and give it a really good crack.”

HORSES FOR COURSES

Sponsored by Trek, Johnston has a Trek Top Fuel and Trek Procaliber in his garage, both decked out with Shimano XTR Di2 and Fox Factory suspension. But late last year, he added a Fuel EX, Trek’s latest trail bike, to his stable. “It’s just for fun and skills at the moment. It’s strange how different the two bikes are, the Top Fuel and the Fuel EX,” he says. “It changes how I ride my Top Fuel, and the switch between is quite hard to make, but once you get used to the Top Fuel again you see things differently on the trails, and features aren’t as intimidating, even if you’re on a smaller bike.” Johnston has also been seen racing with a Fox Transfer dropper post on his Top Fuel, something more and more XCO racers are doing to keep up with the demands of courses that are evolving

THE NEW ERA

While two or three years ago Brendan Johnston was the new guy in the winner’s circle, his number of wins in the past two years means it’s time for the next riders to try to break his stranglehold on the top step of the podium. Johnston clearly knows who he is watching. “My team-mate Michael Potter had a great ride at the Fling, which is a stand out for a guy of his age. When you do something like that it gives you great confidence for another event that is that long or that hard. Tasman Nankervis has also got that ability to go pretty deep over a long race,” he says. In fact it was Tasman Nankervis who was second behind Johnston at the 2016 National XCM Championships, whereas in 2015 it was Mark Tupalski. Nankervis has gone on to win some major marathon races like the Golden Triangle Epic and Otway Odyssey, while Tupalski took a year off racing. But now he’s back. “Tupalski is a pretty incredible talent,” Johnston says. “He’s a bit unusual in how he does things but he’s always strong, so it works for him. At a lot of events in the past he and I found ourselves together. He’s always great to ride with and he never lets the seriousness of the competition get in the way of his friendships, and I think everyone could learn from that, even myself. He’s always strong, and it’s always worrying for to me to find myself with him - you never know when he’s going to attack you, or make it hard for you.” With a whole season of marathon racing ahead, we might see Johnston with a real battle on his hands at the XCM Championships in Townsville, as Tupalski, Nankervis, and possibly even his own team-mate Michael Potter take aim at earning a green and gold jersey.