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Sorry I have delayed this race report till now. Since starting work at Giant a few weeks ago now I have started to adapt to the environment and have started to  become more efficient at using the new computer system and what I can and cannot do at the moment (Such as leave Mulgrave at 5.10pm on a Thursday and make it to the DIRTCRITS in time to race. If only Snozza would let me start a lap later.. – Hmm I just need to work it so I can leave work a little earlier on a Thursday.)

OK so how was Oceania's Jimmy, thats why I'm reading this thread… Right OK, After a big week at Giant I managed to get the Friday off work and fly to Canberra (first thing in the morning) drive to Thredbo – arriving by about 12pm. After a quick lunch and assembling the old race bike it was off to assess the brutal climbing course that is Thredbo. Weather wise on Friday it was perfect! The sky's were blue the sun was shining and the birds were singing by the crystle clear stream making it's way through the township – All was merry…. The course was basically identical to the National race held there earlier in the year. For those who haven't raced on the course before here's a detailed description.

After a Race start near the main chairlift on fairly even ground the course quickly kicks up as the course leads up and around a set of s bends immediatly on the ski slopes. After decending off the slopes you cross over a elevated walking path and into some singletrack adjacent ot the the main township. As you quickly complete this section its back onto the walking path heading away from the race site and through a ski lodge development. This follows straight into "Mountain Drive" – which is a sweeping left hander which turns into a 300m drag race straight up and into a tight singletrack. Follow down some tight steps – over a bridge (Or "Brudge" if your Kiwi) and a tight right hander swithchback down a few more steps and into some rocky singletrack climbing. Eventually this brings you out to a gravel road which you follow right and up the back section of a rather "dead" – Slow singletrack climb up the slope and down a Granite staircase walking path – which is fun but you need your whits about you. You decend back onto the Gravel road you had just climbed up from and follow the road right, which is very smooth and allows you to set yourself up for the next section of singletrack in the left. This brings you onto another gravel road facing the main township in which you take a right and grind up a steep gravel drag. Left onto a rather dead grass fire trail – this follows into a false hope of decending as you quickly get back into chewing the stem up two big kicks in the course and a third (being man made bridge over the DH course). Quickly you traverse "Wombats track" accross the ski slopes and into the major decent of the race course. This is like a wonderland of wed walking bridges (no chicken wire) a whole heap of slick slimey roots and rocks and some big granite natural formations to trow yourself from / (into)… if your unlucky… Ok this levels out briefly with a few more steps fust for the hell of it and a few quick pinches. After grinding the last of the climbs on the decent you are greeted by a rolling set of gravel singletrack beside the fresh stream as you wind your way back toward the race HQ to do it all over again… 

Saturday I was awoken by Downpours of rain, yep that wet stuff.. After discussing it over lunch as we didn't have much else more proactive to do we had come to the ground breaking realisation we could not remember the last time it had rained ALL DAY and NIGHT.. (And had hit -5 degrees outside at night). Whilst tucked warmly into our lodge we were able to follow the race progression quite easily as the course ran straight out of out front door – Really! Poor soles, those J.I.T.S. (Juniors In Training) Although Pauly from Team Felt seemed to make the race look too easy putting close to 2 minutes into the field on the first lap he soon had time to play around like quoting "Anchor Men" on the hardest climbs of the course – we were in tears - really.. OK finally I've said what I need to say in the lead up to my race day so here it goes. Tyre selection was on every Elite and U23's lips as we all looked curiously at eachother's tyre choices as we lined up on the course. I had earned a great start grid position after a solid National series racing results. I decided to line up front and centre on the start grid - it seemed to be the driest and most direct line as we all pointed up hill. Bang! we were off, this gave me flash backs of the Worlds all over again. The course probably was a little drier than Worlds but still it was Game On. I got the "Hole Shot" into the singletrack after a very impressive agressive start. I soon was leading the charge through the walking path and into the Ski Lodge development. After a left up "Mountain Drive" I was still pushing the pace. Soon I hear someone buzz my rear tyre and then a set of disk squeels. I didn't look back - but it turns out it was Shaun L (SA.com) who almost decked himself and a few others after making a mistake. The Pace surged as we all drove up the back slopes and through the granite staircases. Soon it became clear that the field was really going to blow apart as Thredbo was of-course a climbers course but it also required "Balls" to ride the decents Fast! Many Elite and well known riders ragged it big time causing some interesting nasty injuries. James "Willow" Williamson required 7 stitches after a minor fall on the major decent. My race was not really anything special, instead I tried to consolidate and just be consistant, I tried as much as I could to narrow the gap between myself and the four other riders infront of me but they were just as consistant as I at lapping strong laps. I Finished in a respectable 5th place in the Oceanias U23's MTB XC Race. A 30min warm down straight after the race and dropping the gear back at the Accom. Pack my gear straight away - a quick shower and it was a 7.5hr drive with stops for food back to Melbourne. I eventually made it back to Melbourne By Midnight and a 9am sharp Work start the next day! Damn Full time work..

Thanks for reading this epic!

James Maebus.