September 20/17 18:17 pm - Crocodile Trophy Stage 5

Posted by Editoress on 09/20/17
 

Erik Dekker breaks two race records with stage win at Skybury Coffee

Stage five of the MEPT – Crocodile Trophy was a 125km marathon with 1100 metres of elevation to cover on very rugged and rarely used mining access and fire trails surrounded by dense Outback vegetation. Today's stage winner is the Dutch ex-road pro and 4-time Tour de France stage winner Erik Dekker – he is the first amateur to win a stage since the event's UCI sanctioning and at 47 years of age he also claims the accolade of the oldest ever stage winner in the 23-year history of the event.

In the Outback

Bouchard leading L'Esperance and Dekker

L'Esperance leading Dekker and Bouchard

Erik Dekker said that it had taken three attacks against the two Canadian leaders in the general classification, Leandre Bouchard and Andrew L'Esperance, to take the win.

"It was hard. A hard day. I attacked in the beginning and the two [Bouchard and L'Esperance] came with me. They were looking at each other as I attacked again and then they tried to get away, but after ten kilometres they sort of fell back to me and we worked really well together. You know, looked out for each other”, Dekker said.

As the finish line was approaching, Dekker admits, he had felt very tired and his legs heavy. "I knew that they [Bouchard and L'Esperance] had to sort of really worry about their overall standing, because they are so close in first and second, so I thought, maybe today is the day and I went for it and it worked out”, he recounted the final kilometres to the finish at Skybury Coffee, winning in 4L30:26 with a gap of 20 seconds to L'Esperance (2nd) and Bouchard (3rd), who crossed the line right behind each other.

A stage win had been a real goal for himself at the MEPT – Crocodile Trophy, Dekker said, "You know, in the General Classification I'm so far behind and in my own master category quite far ahead, so this was a real goal for me and I'm really happy about the big stage win boomerang trophy!”

The Crocodile Trophy was only his second ever stage race on a mountain bike Erik Dekker admitted, sipping a hot coffee on the Skybury deck with views of the majestic andscape that Tropical North Queensland has to offer. Only about six months ago he had started mountain biking and his cycling fitness is certainly of advantage, however, the technical riding skills are still raw.

Mountain biking challenges in pro-road racing retirement
Dekker retired from professional road racing in 2006 and says the two scenes are very different. The Crocodile Trophy especially is a completely new experience. "Well, I'm here on my own, I had a flat tyre yesterday and normally I'd get a new wheel. Here I had to fix it myself”, he said laughing out loud.

He added that he enjoyed the Australian racing surroundings with wallabies and kanagroos keeping the riders company on most days. "I love this race”, he concluded. "I can't see why I couldn't do this again, we'll see, but this is a historic race. I'm here because I realised [in my retirement] that I love cycling. I thought I'd never do the Crocodile Trophy or any more stage races at that, but 11 months ago when the race was on I was following Annemiek [van Vleuten] a bit and I thought, you only live once. I don't believe in bucket lists.”

Haley Smith

General classification: Australian May moves into elite third
The Elite Female Haley Smith (Can) finished as 15th today and by 35min ahead of the second woman, amateur women's leader Daniela Erni Ruoss (Sui). In the overall general classification (GC), Haley Smith remains in 12th position with a gap of just over 3 hours behind her two fellow Canadian Elite Men, GC race leader Leandre Bouchard and L'Esperance (+1:31).