Bernard Rocky Trail Riders Team Update

Stage 6 – The epic one… 189 km,1500m

 day 6 croc trophy

The Crocodile Trophy has a new race leader – and theBernard Rocky Trail Racing team had an epic day. 189 km in the heat of Queensland’soutback, with the sun relentlessly burning onto their backs, as they made theirway through sandy sections on the undulating track as well as some major rivercrossings.

Ondrej and Michal stayed together for most of the race andon the last 40 km Ondrej had a burst of energy (or was it those two Bernardisotonic beers that he had at feeding stations 4 and 5? ;-) and he came acrossthe finish line as 17th rider of the day and as 10th inthe Elite category. Michal followed shortly after as 24th finisherand 9th in M1. Overall, they both hold positions 11th and9th positions in their category.

It was Martin again who kept the cameras busy. At a hairyriver crossing in a large bunch, he decided to go for it and overtake slower,cautious riders. He went too far left and fell head first into the deep riverthat had a very strong current. So strong that his bike almost got sucked away –without even thinking twice, he jumped after it. Of course.

Mark Griffin again was very strong today – finishing 13thfor today and 5th in his age group, he is now overall still in secondposition in M1.

........well was another successful weekends racing for the TWE sponsored Bernard Beer team.....not so successful for poor ol Matt......who we hope has a speedy recovery...

http://theroostmag.com.au/team-news-bernard-beer-at-the-mount-stromlo-grand-prix/

Wheels are built by Greg Ryan of TWE using TWE hubs laced to Stan’s Crest 29er rims for a combined weight of 1550g without skewers. A perfect balance of reliability, stiffness and weight brings a light and dependable race wheel that is solid enough to train on.

How does it perform? The hard-tail is surprisingly smooth. Scott’s Shock Damping System, 29er wheels, big volume tyres, and copious amounts of exposed seatpost all combine to provide a cracking sweet ride. If I could put a figure to it, I would say its equivalent to a one-inch travel 26in dually, but without the hassles inherent to pivots, cable and chain growth, and rear shocks. The bike tracked perfectly, and I enjoyed not having the back end wallow when railing banked corners.

The XTR performed flawlessly. Not once did I hear the familiar chain slap chipping away at the frame. The front end was super stiff, both torsionally and laterally. It will be a while yet before the suspension settings are dialled, but the first outing was promising.

I cant wait to see how things fair up under race conditions! Bring on the Kona Odyssey.

And to those still waiting, final weight is 9.5kg with pedals.