GIANT STEP FOR AUSSIE PAIR IN REEF TO REEF BIKE RACE
AFTER a tough four-day tour around the trails of Tropical North Queensland, the final stage of the Reef to Reef mountain bike race wrapped up in Port Douglas yesterday.
The Giant Australia OffRoad pair of Brendan Johnston and Jon Odams were first to cross the finish line at Four Mile Beach, defending their title and cementing their place as the masters of four-day mountain bike stage racing.
It was Johnston’s seventh Epic Series Oceania race win in a row.
“Jon and I took out the inaugural title last year, so two years in a row is pretty cool,” he said.
“This week, we have had a reasonably comfortable win, so it has been good, but it is a challenge and I am very proud of Jon and myself that we keep turning up and riding well together.”
Odams was all smiles crossing the finish line.
“A stage like this is about making it to the finish and not crashing or breaking anything, which can happen easily, especially today,” he said.
“This is our third pairs race together and it is three wins, so it is going well.
“We work together well. We don’t have to talk too much and we understand how each other rides because we have raced against each other a lot.”
Reef to Reef debutant Tas Nankervis was in a class of his own in the Solo Males, closing out the week with another outstanding performance in the final stage for the top gong.
“To win the solo is icing on the cake, it has been an all round great week,” he said.
The Mixed Pairs went to sibling duo Holly and Michael Harris, who have racked up two Epic Series Mixed wins and are now determined to make a clean sweep in 2019.
Fox and Raccoon, the team of Anna Beck and Briony Mattocks, showed resilience in the face of adversity, overcoming a few minor setbacks over the four days to take out the Open Women’s Pairs.