MTBO – RANKINGS

Australian MTBO 2009 Squads World Ranking List 2008

HIGH PERFORMANCE SQUAD

In recognition of reaching the highest standard in World MTBO

Adrian Jackson ................. VIC

SENIOR A SQUAD = those who have represented Australia at WOC, have strongly contested selection or have performed well in major events and demonstrated commitment to elite MTBO racing

Men

Tony Clark* ....................... VIC

Anthony Darr.................. NSW

Paul Darvodelsky............ NSW

Andrew Fellows............... QLD

Matt Hope........................ TAS

Alex Randall ...................... VIC

David Simpfendorfer .........ACT

Women

Cath Chalmers.................. WA

Thorlene Egerton*.............. Qld

Mary Fien....................... NSW

Jen Graham-Taylor ............ WA

Carolyn Jackson ............... VIC

Anna Sheldon*.................. Qld

Melanie Simpson* ......... NSW SENIOR B SQUAD = Those who have demonstrated a high level of performance and a commitment to attending selection trials in the future.

Men

Jiri Cech......................... NSW

Aaron Dodd........................VIC

Jamie Goddard.................. VIC

Stewart Grieg................... WA

Dion Keech........................ VIC

Matt Koerber.................... ACT

Brett Merchant................... SA

Matt Ryder....................... QLD

Ricky Thackray ................ WA

John Toomey ................... WA

Jason Wallington ............. WA

Damian Welbourne......... NSW

Women

Alison Curtin .................. NSW

Sarah Dunnage................. WA

Caitlin Wade...................... VIC

JUNIOR A SQUAD = those who have achieved top performances in major events and have expressed an interest in committing to improving with a view to attending selection trials in the future.

Junior Boys

Chris Firman..................... QLD

Heath Jamieson................ VIC

Peter Markworth............... VIC

Kurt Neumann.................. QLD

Oscar Phillips ................... TAS

Luke Poland...................... ACT

Joshua Roberts.............. NSW

JUNIOR B SQUAD = those who have shown a high level of competitiveness in MTBO events and are committed to improving their skills and ability.

Junior Boys

Morgan Clark .................... VIC

Ian Lawford...................... ACT

Alex Massey.................. NSW

James Robertson...............VIC

*not available for selection for 2009

2009 National MTBO Series

The 2009 Australian MTBO schedule will focus on three rounds of the 2nd National MTBO Series. Round 1 - April 25 (Middle Distance); 26 (Long Distance) - Woodend, Victoria (Selection Trial for MTB WOC) Round 2 - June 6 (Sprint); 7 (Long Distance); 8 (Middle Distance) - Mt Gambier, SA (National Championships) Round 3 - September 5 (Middle Distance); 6 (Long Distance) - Beerburrum, Queensland (Final Round) Four divisions – M21E, W21E, M17-20E, W17-20E – will contest seven races over the 3-round series. In addition to the Senior and Youth classes, Junior (-14,-16) and Masters classes (40-, 50-, 60-, 70+) will be contested during these events. With the 2009 MTB WOC staged from August 9th to 16th in Israel, Round 1 in Victoria will be the Selection Trials for Israel. Blake Gordon, OA MTBO Committee

MTBO MEN 1 Adrian Jackson AUS 380

2 Ruslan Gritsan RUS 347 3 Beat Schaffner SUI 344 4 Anton Foliforov RUS 343 5 Lasse Brun Pedersen DEN 340 6 Beat Oklé SUI 336 7 Tõnis Erm EST 329 8 Tobias Breitschädel AUT 305 9 Lubomír Tomecek CZE 276 10 Simon Seger SUI 265 11 Matthieu Barthélémy FRA 244 12 Andreas Rief AUT 242 13 Maxim Zhurkin RUS 239 14 Christian Gigon AUT 228 15 Viktor Korchagin RUS 223 16 Margus Hallik EST 222 17 Bjarke Refslund DEN 221 18 Erik Skovgaard Knudsen DEN 210 19 Jiri Hradil CZE 208

20 Alex Randall AUS 179 37 Damian Welbourne AUS 103

MTBO WOMEN

1 Michaela Gigon AUT 401 2 Christine Schaffner SUI 381 3 Ingrid Stengård FIN 361 4 Anna Füzy HUN 340 5 Marquita Gelderman NZL 331 6 Hana Bajtosová SVK 323 7 Ramune Arlauskiene LTU 319 8 Karolina Mickeviciute LTU 281 9 Anna Kaminska POL 277 9 Ksenia Chernykh RUS 277 11 Sonja Zinkl AUT 258 12 Renata Paulícková CZE 246 13 Marika Hara FIN 242 14 Nadia Mikryukova RUS 237

40 Dion Keech AUS 92 50 Andrew Fellows AUS 72 53 David Simpfendorfer AUS 70 64 David West AUS 56 72 Stu Adams AUS 49 73 Joel Young AUS 48 83 Craig Flintoft AUS 44 88 Marcel vanSchie AUS 42 99 Hamisch Mackie AUS 38 99 Martin Boland AUS 38 107 David Clark AUS 35 113 Jiri Cech AUS 32 122 Toby Carter AUS 29 125 Jeremy Welbourne AUS 27 127 Matt Hope AUS 25 136 Jason Cheshire AUS 21 146 Miles Ellis AUS 19 151 Paul Darvodelsky AUS 18 166 Steven Todkill AUS 15 183 Anthony Darr AUS 13

15 Markéta Jirásková CZE 228 16 Line Pedersen DEN 214 17 Lisi Hohenwarter AUT 213 18 Madeleine Kammerer FRA 212 19 Thorlene Egerton AUS 206 30 Carolyn Jackson AUS 122 37 Melanie Simpson AUS 90 58 Narelle Ash AUS 58 62 Helen Sheldon AUS 54 73 Diana Mittag AUS 46 89 Cath Chalmers AUS 35 111 Margaret Bouttell AUS 25 115 Sonya Palfreyman AUS 23 139 Jen Graham-Taylor AUS 10

Bayside Kangaroos and Tuckonie Orienteers present

4 BIG reasons to ride at Woodend on April 25 & 26

1. 2009 Victorian MTBO Championships 2. National MTBO Series Round 1 3. Australian Selection Trials 4. Victorian MTBO Series Race 1 & 2

Middle & Long Distance races A terrific new map using a popular MTB riding area close to Melbourne The Event Centre will be at the fantastic Cammeray Waters Resort

All details and entry at vicmtbo.com

2008 National MTBO Rankings

In 2008 Australia staged thirteen ranking events (8 Long Distance, 4 Middle Distance and 1 Short Distance) covering all States, which served as a basis for rankings with the best three races counting for each rider. Though Short Distance races were held in three States, these races were not used for ranking purposes as small differences in time distort the time-behind-the-winner calculations. Australian Sprint results were used in junior classes or where the rider only rode the three Australian Championships races. Some interesting points from the 2008 rankings • The number of riders ranked in the top 3 in each age class were QLD(14),

VIC(10), NSW(7), ACT (6), WA(6),

SA(1), TAS(1); • Winners to repeat their top 2007 ranking were Adrian Jackson (M21),

Alysha McKee (W-12), Lyn Stichbury (W40), Kathy Liley (W60); • Large winning margins were recorded by David Tay (M-14) - 25 points, Alex

Massey (M-16) - 24 points, Kathy Liley (W60) - 15 points, Rick Armstrong (M60) - 10 points; • Several junior men were ranked in two classes: Chris Firman (2nd M-20, 5th M-16), Heath Jamieson (3rd M-16, 4th M-20), David Tay (1st M-14, 4th

M-16); • More riders were ranked in 2008 than in past years as more riders travelled interstate to compete in the three events needed for ranking.

2008 MTB-O National Rankings

Best 3 Events Results

M-12A * =winner 1 Aidan Dawson GON 200.00 Nl*

M-14A

1 David Tay UGQ 100.00 Al*Am*As* 2 Oscar McNulty LOW 125.00 Wl*Wm* 3 Timothy Jackson MFV 127.12 Nl*AlAs 4 Angus Robinson BKV 150.00 Cl*Vl 5 Morgan Clark BKV 200.00 Vl* 5 Aiden Sullivan YAS 200.00 Sl* 7 Henry McNulty LOW 250.00 WlWm 7 Ryordan Panter BKV 250.00 AmAs 9 Jack Allison ..S 300.00 Sl 9 William Stockdale ..S 300.00 Sl

M-16A

1 Alex Massey NCN 100.00 Nl*Am*As* 2 James Robertson BGV 123.83 Al*AmAs 3 Heath Jamieson CHV 124.09 AlAmAs 4 David Tay UGQ 125.00 Qm*Ql* 5 Chris Firman ENQ 200.00 Vl* 5 Oliver Poland BSA 200.00 Cl* 7 Aaron Shillington MTQ 250.00 QmQl 7 Simon Greenhalgh MTQ 250.00 QmQl 7 Darian Panter BKV 250.00 AmAs 10 Ian Lawford AOA 300.00 Cl 10 Ryan Lloyd BKV 300.00 Vl

M-20A

1 Luke Poland BSA 100.00 Nl*Al*Am* 2 Chris Firman ENQ 101.22 Ql*Qm*As 3 Joshua Roberts NCN 104.25 AlAmAs 4 Heath Jamieson CHV 105.29 Cl*VlVm 5 Kurt Neumann ENQ 114.66 VmAlAs 6 Peter Markworth CHV 125.00 Vl*Vm* 7 Joshua Neumann ENQ 125.64 AlAmAs 8 Christopher Horne EVT 250.00 VlVm 9 Bryn Trehearn UGQ 300.00 Ql 9 Morgan Clark BKV 300.00 Vm

M21Elite

1 Adrian Jackson MFV 100.00 Al*Am*Vm* 2 David Simpfendorfer RRA 101.58 Cl*Nl*Vl 3 Andrew Fellows FRQ 112.69 AlAmAs 4 Joel Young PLQ 122.94 QmQlAl 5 Allan Uhlmann MTQ 125.00 Qm*Ql* 5 Ricky Thackray ..W 125.00 Wl*Wm* 7 Damian Welbourne MDN 130.99 NlVlAl 8 Jiri Cech MDN 132.61 NlVlVm 9 Dion Keech MFV 142.49 VlAlAm 10 Craig Flintoft MTQ 147.71 QmAlAm 11 Alex Randall YVV 150.00 Vl*Vm 12 Toby Carter SOQ 167.08 AlAmAs 13 Martin Boland BKV 178.42 VlVmAl 14 Kris Clauson WRT 200.00 Tl* 14 Bruce Greenhalgh TTS 200.00 Sl*

M40A

1 Allan Uhlmann MTQ 100.00 Al*Am*As* 2 Duncan Sullivan LOW 105.33 AlAmAs 3 Warren Prentice MTQ 108.46 Ql*QmAm 4 Craig Steffens MTQ 108.64 Vm*AlAm 5 Bruce Paterson BKV 112.74 VlVmAl 6 Tim Hatley BKV 120.59 VmAlAm 7 Malcolm Ryan MTQ 150.00 Qm*Ql 8 Robert Davis BKV 200.00 Vl* 8 Mark Shingler BFN 200.00 Nl* 8 Andrew Martin WOW 200.00 Wl* 8 Steve Truscott AOA 200.00 Cl* 8 Jeff Dunn ALT 200.00 Tl* 8 Ian Winn OHS 200.00 Sl*

M50A

1 Robert Prentice SHN 101.65 Cl*NlVl 2 Eoin Rothery LOW 104.36 Wl*Vl*Vm 3 Richard Robinson SOQ 104.81 Ql*Al*Am 4 Peter Cusworth BKV 109.21 NlVlAl 5 Mark Petrie BUQ 122.73 Qm*QlAl 6 Geoff Todkill NCN 127.64 AlAmAs 7 James Lithgow GON 127.80 VlVmNl 8 David Firman ENQ 128.32 VlAlAm 9 John Scown AOA 141.53 NlAlAm 10 Lee Merchant TJS 150.00 VlVm* 10 Jim Anderson MDN 150.00 Nl*Cl

M60A

1 Rick Armstrong AWV 100.00 Nl*Vl*Vm* 2 Peter Hoban EVT 109.45 Tl*AmVl 3 Leigh Privett AWV 111.60 VlAlAm 4 Reid Moran TFQ 119.31 AlAmQl* 5 Dave Bright MTQ 119.82 QlQm 6 Bruce Campbell SOQ 121.77 Qm*QlAm 7 Hub Carter SOQ 126.93 VlVmAm 8 Barry Hart YVV 132.41 VlAlAm 9 Terry Cavanagh ENQ 135.89 QmQlAm 10 David Tilbrook OHS 136.73 SlAlAm 11 Dick Ogilvie URN 144.11 AlAmAs 12 Mike Howe LOW 150.00 WlWm* 12 Ken Brownlie WOW 150.00 Wl*Wm

M70+A

1 John Sheahan BKV 100.00 Vl*Vm*Al* 2 Eino Meuronen BSA 109.22 Cl*VlAm 3 Kevin Paine BSA 150.00 Nl*Al 4 Graham Cadman YVV 250.00 VlVm 5 Don Bradford POA 300.00 Cl

W21Elite

1 Thorlene Egerton UGQ 100.78 Vl*Am*Al 2 Cath Chalmers LOW 101.40 Wm*VlCl 3 Jen Graham-Taylor WOW 108.03 Wl*WmVl 4 Carolyn Jackson MFV 108.36 NlVlAl 5 Melanie Simpson NCN 115.32 ClVlVm 6 Narelle Ash TFQ 115.78 QsQlQm 7 Helen Sheldon UGQ 122.16 AlAlAm 8 Anna Sheldon UGQ 125.00 Qm*Ql* 9 Diana Mittag BKV 144.98 AlAmAs 10 Julie Quinn AOA 200.00 Cl* 10 Mary Fien BFN 200.00 Nl* 10 Kay Haarsma TTS 200.00 Sl*

W40A

1 Lyn Stichbury SOQ 106.84 Vl*AlAm 2 Su Yan Tay UGQ 107.02 Qm*Ql*Am 3 Cathy Vinter TFQ 141.30 AlAmAs 4 Suzanne O’Callaghan BKV 163.28 VlVm*Am 5 Anthea Feaver LOW 200.00 Wl* 5 Paula Shingler BFN 200.00 Nl* 5 Michelle Chamalaun OHS 200.00 Sl* 8 Heather McInulty BKV 250.00 VlVm 9 Wendy Stevenson NSW 300.00 Nl 9 Kay Haarsma TTS 300.00 Vl

W50A

1 Ann Scown AOA 111.24 Nl*AlAm 2 Andrea Harris PLQ 111.46 Qm*QlAm 3 Susan Williams MTQ 111.71 Ql*AsAl 4 Carol Brownlie WOW 125.00 Wm*Wl* 5 Peta Whitford YVV 143.04 VmAlAm 6 Kathy Petrie BUQ 143.78 QmQlAl 7 Gail Campbell SOQ 149.26 QmAlAs 8 Penny Hearn SOQ 159.94 AlAmAs 9 Jean Douglass BSA 200.00 Cl* 9 Sally Wayte ALT 200.00 Tl* 9 Carolyn Strong TTS 200.00 Sl*

W60A

1 Kathy Liley YVV 100.00 Al*Am*Vl* 2 Ann Guyatt RRQ 115.20 Qm*Q*lAm 3 Penny Dufty BOW 125.00 Wl*Wm* 4 Jenny Sheahan BKV 148.97 AmAlAs 5 Kate Chown MDN 200.00 Nl* 5 Judy Allison RRA 200.00 Cl* 5 Helen Smith TTS 200.00 Sl* 8 Margaret Moore MTQ 217.00 AlAmAs 9 Jackie Sheldon YVV 250.00 VmVl 10 Dale Ann Gordon EUV 300.00 Vl 10 Dianne Shalders BKV 300.00 Al 10 Sandra Hogg POA 300.00 Cl

W70+A

1 Joyce Rowlands NEV 100.00 Vl*Am*As* 2 Maureen Ogilvie URN 103.13 Al*AmAs 3 Cath Howitt SOQ 300.00 Qm

Key to Symbols

1 Al = AUS Long Distance in Qld 1-Oct 2 Am = AUS Middle Distance in Qld 30-Sept am 3* As = AUS Sprint Distance in Qld 30-Sept pm 4 Cl = ACT Long Distance 2-Nov 5 Nl = NSW Long Distance 27-Jul 6 Ql = QLD Long Distance 19-Oct 7 Qm = QLD Middle Distance 18-Oct 8 Sl = SA Long Distance 13-Oct 9 Tl = TAS Long Distance 21-Oct 10 Vm = Vic Middle Distance 20-Apr 11 Vl = Vic Long Distance 19-Apr 12 Wl = WA Long Distance 19-Oct 13 Wm = WA Middle Distance 18-Oct * = Winner of a race scores 100 points

2008 Ranking Criteria - Legend

1 A rider who completed 3 races in 2008 - ranking calculated by average of best 3 results 2 If a rider won two races they scored 125 if they did not ride in a third race

W-12A * =winner 3 If a rider won one race and rode in a second, 1 Alysha McNee BSA 200 Nl* they scored 150 4 If a rider won one race, they scored 200

W-14A 5 If a rider rode only two championship races, 1 Arnneka Panter BKV 150.00 Am*As they scored 250 regardless of place 2 Michele Dawson GON 200.00 Nl* 6 If a rider rode only one championship race, 3 Petra Clarke SHN 300.00 Nl they scored 300 regardless of place If a rider mispunched in a championship race,

W-16A they scored 250 for that race 1 Phoebe Allison ..S 200.00 Sl* 3* Sprint Distance results were only used in calculations of junior classes or if a rider only did the 3 AUS Champs races in 2008.

MTBO Goes National in 2008

Blake Gordon OA MTBO Coordinator

The first year of the National MTBO Series was a moderate success with excellent numbers over two of the three rounds held in Victoria, Queensland and ACT. The fact that the Victorian events included the Poland WOC selection trials, while Round 2 in Queensland was the Australian MTBO Championships, accounted for lower competitor numbers in Canberra for Round 3. Travel planning with bikes will always be a challenging factor in the numbers attending major MTBO competitions. But with the overall individual podium positions (top 6 places over the three rounds) being shared Victoria 6, Queensland 6, NSW 3, ACT 2, WA 1, the closeness of the 2008 Series really lived up to expectations. Adrian Jackson (Vic) scored a perfect 150 (5 first places over 6 races) to top the Men 21 Elite, but strong rides by WOC teammate David Simpfendorfer (ACT) in Round 3 and up-and-coming Dion Keech (Vic) saw them place 2nd and 3rd respectively. Alex Randall (Vic) and WOC teammate Paul Darvodelsky (NSW) only managed the three rides in Round 1. The M21 surprise of the series, Andrew Fellows (Qld adventure rider), saw him take 6th overall while consistent Damian Welbourne (NSW) took 4th place ahead of Randall. Thorlene Egerton (Qld) had the Women 21 series wrapped up after three strong wins in Round 2. But the most competitive races of the year were left for Round 3 where WA’s Cath Chalmers won the Sprint and 2002-2004 WOC team member Julie Quinn (ACT) scored a convincing victory in the LongDistance race. Three Queensland women in the top 6 (without talented Anna Sheldon) – Egerton (1st), Helen Sheldon (5th) and Narelle Ash (6th) – showed the depth of talent in Women 21 up north. Promising Melanie Simpson (NSW) with one win from 5 races shaded evergreen Carolyn Jackson (Vic) into 4th place. WA’s Cath Chalmers took a well-deserved 3rd overall while WOC teammate Jen Graham-Taylor was edged into 7th.

Photo: Ken Dowling

Juniors Show Rapid Progress

But most encouraging results came from the M17-20 Elite where several potential JWOC team riders surfaced during the 2008 season. Kurt Neumann (Qld) scored enough points in Rounds 1 and 2 to establish an unbeatable lead in M17-20. But Luke Poland (ACT) and Joshua Roberts (NSW) “rode up” in M21 Elite in Round 3 to establish their credentials among the M21 Elite. After strong 1-2 finishes in Round 2, Poland and Roberts tested their fitness on the Long-Distance course in Canberra. These two riders plus promising M-16 Heath Jamieson (Vic) have shown the potential for big results in 2009. Young Chris Firman (Qld) took 3rd despite mechanical difficulties in a couple of races. Rounding out the podium finishers was Peter Markworth (Vic) who won 2 events and came 2nd in the third, but did not contest the Nationals or Round 3. With talented young riders Alex Massey (NSW), Josh Neumann (Qld), Morgan Clark (Vic), Chris Horne (Tas), and Oscar Phillips (Tas) knocking on the door, the 2009 Series should be a ripper!

Victoria & Queensland Top the State Competition

As expected the Victorian Men 21 Nuggets team lead by World Number 1 Adrian Jackson scored a narrow win over NSW (54 points to 52) with Canberra (33) in 3rd place. Excellent performances by Queensland’s Women 21 Elite team - Thorlene Egerton, Helen Sheldon, Narelle Ash and Sonya Palfreyman - saw them score victory over Victoria by the narrowest margin – 1 point! Queensland’s Junior M1720 team lead by Kurt Neumann and Chris Firman took the honours over Victoria (2nd) with ACT (3rd). Overall combined results saw Victorian riders score a comfortable win: 1st Victorian Nuggets (145), 2nd Queensland Cyclones (116), 3rd NSW Stingers (91), 4th Canberra Cockatoos (72), 5th WA Nomads (44), 6th Tasmania Foresters (24), and 7th SA Arrows (10). The only disappointment of 2008 was that no W17-20 riders emerged during the season to share the excitement in developing W21 Elite women. 2009 should be the year our talented young women who have competed in DuO and Adventure races try the national MTBO Series.

Luke Poland

Age: 17years, Bushflyers / ACT

How long been doing MTBO?

About three years

How / why did you start MTBO?

I had been foot orienteering for 9 years. Dad and I began riding Polaris (Bike rogaine) events four years ago and naturally, the pursuit of MTBO events followed that. Best MTBO result? First place in M20E in all three Australian MTBO 2008 Championship races in QLD. Best mountain biking result? Not the best result, but definitely the race I am most satisfied with, and proudest of: Josh Roberts and I raced in the 2008 Scott 24hr as an open “Marathon Pair”. We finished 22nd with 21 laps. Foot O history: Started in 2000 and represented ACT Schools team for 3 years.

How much riding do you do per

week? 4-5 rides/7 hours

How much running do you do per

week? 2 runs/ 2 hours Bike details: Scott Scale 40. I originally bought the 2007 model but managed to put a nice big crack in that after 15 months! Scott kindly replaced it with the 2008 frame. Everyone loves a free upgrade!!

Other mountain bike events you

race: Lots of cyclegaine/polaris enduro navigation events. I’ve also raced in two 24hrs, and look to compete in more XC races this year. Favourite riding area. Definitely Bruce Ridge trails. It’s a native forest on route to school. I can even sneak over there during lunch and free classes, and it’s not too far from home for weekend ventures. Sparrow Hill, Mt Stromlo, and Majura Pines are also great trails close to home. Main MTBO strengths: My competitiveness and determination when in the forest, and my navigation. Weaknesses? Over-excitement for big events. Also I think I need to learn to navigate whilst riding more, I make too many short stops to double check things.

Do you train / race on road or

track too? I use the bike path around Lake Burley Griffin to do sprint circuits. I also do time trials on the road up Mt Ainslie once or twice a week.

Favourite pre-race food /

drink: Weetbix and Nutrigrain for breakfast, a Milo on the way, Powerade before and during, and of course I never race without a little bag of sultanas and jelly beans!

Heath Jamieson

Age: 16 years Central Highlands O club, Victoria - Live at: Gisborne

How long been doing MTBO?

Properly just over 1 year but I have been doing school events since 2005.

How / why did you start MTBO?

I started MTBO at Braemar College in year 7 (2005). I put my name down for the event because it was 5 minutes down the road and the sound of spending a day in the bush seemed more appealing than school. I did it the year after in 2006 and 2007. In ‘07 I came 2nd in the interschool senior competition and really enjoyed it, so decided to do more. Best MTBO result: 2nd at the Vic Long Distance Champs last year. One of my first proper races so that was a good result for me. I think 2nd in the NOL MTBO 17-20E was pretty awesome as well.

Best mountain biking result:

My team (Team revolution) won the Kona 24 hour junior race in December 2008, beating the next team by 4 laps (or 80k). Foot O history: Competed just for school from grade 5. Last year I did more and in September I travelled with the Vic Schools team to the Champs in Queensland.

How much riding do you do per

week? I probably ride 2-3+ times a week. Fun rides with my mates out to the tracks like the Wombat State Forest. It would be about 3-5 hours a week but it varies a lot.

How much running do you do

per week: Not much. I ride more because I enjoy that. I do running in other sports like footy and tennis. Other sports you do: I play tennis, Australian Rules footy, mountain bike riding and I like to surf in the summer. That is about 8 hours a week I guess. Other hobbies: I was a ball boy for three years at the Australian Open tennis and loved it. During the tennis I have a weird obsession with collecting Evian bottle caps just in case Evian do the free sweatbands for two bottle caps again. I guess that is a hobby! Bike details: Love Giants bikes - Giant Anthem X 1 and Giant Talon

Other mountain bike events you

do: Enduro (6hr or 8hr solo) and 24hr races in a team. Favourite riding area: I rode at Stromlo in ACT and that was the best riding I have ever done in my life. But around home – the Wombat Track near Woodend. Main MTBO strengths: I think about my route choices rather than just rushing to the obvious option. Weaknesses? When I get under pressure I make mistakes. So when I see someone behind me or in front of me I don’t look at the map enough, rush and take stupid risks.

Do you train / race on road or

track too? I don’t have a road bike but when I go out formally training I will usually ride road because I think that it gets your fitness up quicker.

Favourite pre-race food / drink:

I don’t think that Powerade and all that work. So I stick to water before races. I am also a big believer in Glucose Jelly beans (thanks to Kay) so I munch on them. I like bananas and muesli.

Photo: Ken Dowling

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O-Spy

Sports Cheats Beware

Athletes caught using illegal performance enhancing substances now face tougher penalties under a new code agreed by all Australia’s major sporting bodies. The nation’s 91 sporting organizations have all signed up to the World AntiDoping Agency Code which came into effect on January 1st. The code is a pre-requisite for Olympics participation. It now doubles the ban on athletes caught intentionally taking performance enhancing substances to four years. However, those who mistakenly dope themselves through taking common medicines could win reductions to the previous two year ban. Athletes who fail a second doping test, and anyone caught administering prohibited substances will face a life ban. The whereabouts of athletes outside competition times will be more closely monitored and they will have to nominate a time period in each day when they will be available for random testing. Source: ASADA – Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.

Test Will Catch Sports Cheats on New Endurance Drugs

Research News from the journal Drug Testing and Analysis

Avoiding detection just got harder for drug cheats who try to use a particular range of untested, but potentially enhancing, compounds. In the past, tests have been developed once a drug is known to be in circulation. Now a German research team has developed tests for a class of drugs that they believe could be used in the near future. On the face of it, the Beijing Olympics were remarkably drug free with only six athletes being caught during the Games and three further suspect cases identified after the Games closed. Rumours suggest that many athletes were in fact using performance-enhancing drugs that could not be detected using standard tests. One possibility is that some athletes were using compounds that have not yet been tested in humans, but have shown performance enhancing properties in animal trials. Because these compounds are in the early stage of development no test has been developed, so their use will go undetected. A new test, announced in the launch issue of the new journal, Drug Testing and Analysis, will help sports officials stay one step ahead of the game by allowing them to screen for some of these emerging drugs, as well as others in the same class that have not yet reached the market. The test detects a core chemical structure belonging to a class of compounds called benzothiazepines. These compounds stabilise protein channels that would otherwise “leak” calcium from muscle cells during strenuous exercise. Calcium is needed for muscle contraction and this “leaking” effect weakens the contractions and is a causal factor in muscle fatigue. JTV-519 and S-107, benzothiazepines currently in development for the treatment of heart abnormalities, are known to increase endurance in mice. Although they have not yet entered human clinical trials, both can be detected in spiked urine at concentrations as low as 0.1 nanograms per millilitre.. “As soon as these drugs enter human clinical trials, there is a huge potential for them to be misused in sports. This preventive research lets us prepare before these compounds are officially launched,” says Mario Thevis, Director of the Center for Preventive Doping Research at the German Sport University of Cologne, Germany, who led the research. The researchers think the simple nature of the compounds means they are easy to make and sell to drug cheats as endurance boosters on the black market. The next step is to look for the molecules created by the metabolic breakdown of the compounds once they have entered the human body. This will give researchers a wider scope of compounds by which to identify cheats when screening samples.

World Record

Another unofficial World Record has been claimed by Victorian orienteer, Michael Hubbert, of Bayside Kangaroos. Since hitting the ‘slowing-up-with-age wall’ some years ago Michael has been concentrating on quantity rather than quality of performance. In calendar year 2007 he completed 216 courses and in 2008 he surpassed that mark with 258 courses completed. On the way he visited 3534 controls and covered approx 1500 kilometres. We believe this is an unofficial World Record, but we would like to hear from any other orienteers with similar performance records. For instance, how many courses have you completed in your Orienteering career; how many countries have you competed in; what is the longest distance you have travelled direct to an Orienteering event? We believe Australian Murray Hanna holds the record for this last one, travelling from London via Canada direct to an event in Victoria.

News of Gareth Candy

British Orienteering has appointed Gareth Candy as International Programme Director. He took up post on 1 Jan. Gareth has experience of both the UK orienteering scene and, prior to him coming to the UK, the Australian Institute of Sport system and Australian orienteering. The international programme run by British Orienteering is already successful and Gareth will be responsible for ensuring its future success through: Consistent talent identification and development of athletes who have the potential to go on to compete in World Orienteering Championships; Consistent achievement in the World Orienteering Championship as detailed in the Whole Sport Plan; Influencing coaching and the club/regional structure to integrate and support the national squad programmes. Gareth accepts that the post will be challenging and stated “The British Orienteering International Programme has been successful and it will be a continuing challenge to keep it at the forefront of the competitive world of international orienteering. British Orienteering needs to be innovative and creative to continue our success and make our International Programme the world’s best at elite athlete development.”