2011 Oceania Championships - Shepparton, Victoria.

Video of finals and my interview.


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Hi All,

Just headed down to Shepparton in Victoria last weekend, to race against some of the best Aussie and Kiwi DH mountain bikers for the Oceania Title.

I flew into Sydney on Wednesday morning and my mate Ryan Hunt picked me up and we drove the 7 hours to Shepparton. Practice was Friday and this was the first time I had ridden the track. The track was really dusty with alot of rocks and I'm pretty sure there wasn't one berm on the track. By qualifying on Saturday, the track was really chopped out and just to put together a smooth run was a mission on its own.

Qualifying: I was the 6th last person in Elite to qualify and this meant 200 riders had gone before me and the track was really blown out. I started off at the gate and I did nothing but blow out all the turns and couldn't link up any sections. I spent most of the run sliding and stuff all pedaling. In the end I qualified in 7th place, which I must admit, I wasn't too upset because I knew I could approve alot on my run as long as I could put it all together in the finals.

Finals: Sunday was a chilled day for me. I wasn't nervous at all. I somehow knew I could win this race if I could put it all together. The thought of racing against Cameron Cole, Josh Button and other big named riders, didn't phase me for once, and I had a inner confidence that I could do well. I got up to the start gate in my finals run and was super chilled out and it was almost like I was riding for fun and not an important race. I took off out the gate and ended up stuffing up one of the first few turns, and I ended up saying to myself "Chill out, don't worry about it and put it out of my head. Before I knew it, I was at the bottom of the track heading for the finishing line. Once I crossed the line, I looked at the board and noticed I was in first place. I sat on the hot seat and waited for the next 6 riders to come down. One by one the riders hit the finishing line and my time was safe. As the last rider come down, I was watching the timer count down and couldn't believe my luck, when I realised I had won. My first 1st Place in a elite race against some of the best riders in the world. I'm stoked!!!!!!

I would like to thank my sponsors for all their support. Giant Australia, Fox Racing Shox/Tekin Suspension, Shimano, Fortheriders.com, Unit clothing and pro yamaha.

Cheers
Rhys