Target Trek Trifecta

Sean shows off his Blue Steel

Round 4 of the Rocky Trail Shimano Grand Prix was held at the unique mountain bike location in Mt Annan, the Australian Botanical Gardens. With over 300 riders Rocky Trail make use of the entire length of trails on offer at the Gardens, some sections of trail flow magnificently and other sections of trail are technical, tight and would test may competitors. But it was the flash of red and white that dominated as many top endurance riders battled it out over the four and seven hour categories.

Quiet but fast, Dan McDonald

Local resident and U23 dominator Dan McDonald of the Target Trek team showed off his youthful enthusiasm by finishing nine laps first, with a minute to spare to the four hour mark. Dan's closest competition was Quantum's Werner Van Der Merwe some five minutes behind Dan and Anthony Shippard round out the male Elite podium.

The launch pad

In the 7hr, Target Trek riders Sean Bekkers and Holly Harris teamed up to set a very high bar for the mixed pairs. Both riders have represented Australia and their mountain bike mastery shone through as they lapped one-for-one. 

Holly, fastest chick on the day

On Holly's second lap she set her fastest time and in doing so clinched the Tracey Robinson Trophy for the round. But eight laps later disaster struck the team as Holly unsuccessfully negotiated a corner injuring herself in the process. Sean restarted the lap and went on to complete three on-the-trot, extending the teams lead and calling it a day with over thirty minutes of transition time available.

One fast mixed team

One of the biggest efforts of the day has to go to Ed McDonald, the Target Trek team endurance specialist. Under pressure from his competitors from the get-go, Ed gained ground in the third hour and from there was racing against the teams for the outright win. Ed's super consistent lap times and his love for the Mt Annan trail gave him the upper hand, he went on to win the seven hour GP and outright most amount of laps. Standing next to Ed and in second place was the fast starting Andrew Hall, with Andrew Lloyd placing third.

Ed rides bikes, no need to say anymore 

With the Target Trek backing many of the current elite riders in Australia and their focus on the MTBA National Series, it was good to have have so many riders from this diverse team in one location, at one event.