<b>Richie Rude bathing in the Aussie Summer. Racing bikes in Australia sure beats training in the gym during the savage winter the U.S. East Coast has been having. Mr. Rude took the fastest time at Oceanias, but was not eligible for the Championship title because of his U.S. citizenship.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Connor Fearon was the only real challenger to the Yeti boy's and had awesome speed all week. 2nd place for Oceania's and fastest from the Region meant he got the title. A flat in his final run for the National round after a solid first split was a bummer.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Connor getting used to the big wheels.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Connor Fearon</b> -fektor.com
<b>Claire Buchar of Kovarik Racing took the win on Friday to take the Oceanias win, but couldn't take the title due to her Canadian citizenship.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>SB6c with FOX 40s and a coil shock. Jared brought a little bit of the EWS to DH and destroyed it as usual during the Australian National round in Toowoomba. Victory by just .39-seconds.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Jared Graves</b> -fektor.com
<b>Jared Graves probably put a lot of pressure on himself for these races impact his season, it was his first time racing at this level on his home track. It's been a while since he's raced downhill, but we all know that doesn't mean much for the super shredder.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Tegan Molloy, Aussie Nats Round 4, 1st place Elite Women</b> -fektor.com
<b>Richie Rude has been living with Jared in Toowoomba for the last month or so, loving the Queensland sun and heat.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Graeme Mudd of Santa Cruz Australia has been working hard all National season, with consistent results and speed. 4th at Oceania's, 3rd in the National round and a.hard-fought National overall title. YEW!</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>It was great to see the big guy out and racing for Oceania's. Chris Kovarik is running at ludicrous speed and took 4th in Oceanias. It would have been rad to see him stick around for the National round, but some coaching commitments took him back home.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Max Warshawsky has landed himself a ride with the Hayes Bergamont team for the World Cups this year. It was awesome to see him get up for the win in U19 at the National Round and everyone had comment on how fast and loose Max was riding.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Max Warshawsky.</b> -fektor.com
<b>Max Warshawsky in full pencil mode coming into the finish, clearly taking style lessons from teammate Eddie Masters.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>We all expect big things for Connor Fearon this year. A new bike with bigger wheels and a head full of confidence from his results at last year's World Cups, "yeah Connor" will be in the hunt.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Maintaining corner speed was the secret to success on the Toowoomba course.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>David McMillan of Specialized Australia couldn't find his flow for Ocenias and came in 12th. He was able to turn it around beating his Oceanias time by 6-seconds and taking 5th at the National round just two days later.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Jackson Frew on his new GT made up for an average Oceanias result, improving more than 6-seconds and onto the 2nd step of the Junior podium. Can't wait to see the Aussie juniors leading the charge in Andorra for World Champs.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Tyler Brooker was one of the few Kiwis that made the trip over. After scoring a ride with the Banshee World Cup team, the UCI points on offer were important. 15th at Oceanias should earn enough points for World Cup action.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Andrew Crimmins took the Oceanias Junior title on the Friday, but some mistakes in his final run for the National round saw him slip to 3rd.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Jack O'Hare was one of those guys looking fast all weekend, pushing his limits where he could. </b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>By now most people are aware of the super smooth styles of Davey Mac. He never disappoints. 12th at Oceanias and 5th for the National round.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Dick Rude looked like he was really enjoying the racing. There was no pressure for him, so he could concentrate on having fun and it worked out well. 1st place time at Oceanias (though not eligible for the title) and 2nd place at the National round by just .39 to Graves.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Richie Rude</b> -fektor.com
<b>Dan Meilink was another Kiwi chasing points for World Cup races and grabbing 6th place at Oceanias is a good way to get some. It will be rad to see his transition from World Cup mechanic to World Cup racer.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>There weren't many line options on the track here in Toowoomba, but this inside line, done right, saved a few tenths. Done slightly wrong and you were left scrambling to catch back up.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Ben Forbes rode all week on his Enduro bike. With the EWS season coming up, the Toowoomba local was keen to sharpen his skills.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Andrew Crimmins on the gas coming into the finish. Every fraction of a second mattered and added up to valuable overall points. It was good to see him take the Junior overall.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Jackson Davis pushing hard through the rock garden for the massive crowd.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Rhys Atkinson of Specialized Australia might feel like he's an old dog these days, but the old dog still has some bite left in him. </b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Matt McCorkell with his first race back after rupturing his spleen at World Champs last year. He's had to step it up to the Elite field now and seems to be back up to speed.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Lindsay Klein lived in Toowoomba a long time ago, He also raced a World Cup or two for Global Racing a long time ago. He is, however, still pretty damn fast and missed out of a podium in 6th for the National round by less than a second.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Tommy Crimmins was only able to make it up for the National round. With limited time on the track it was hard work to get up to the same speed as the rest of the field who had raced Oceanias.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Jared Graves</b> -fektor.com
<b>After coming 3rd in Oceania's you could tell Jared was pretty stoked to take the National round win. I'm still unsure whether he realizes how rad we all think it is that he is a boss at so many different two-wheeled disciplines. </b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Graeme Mudd</b> -fektor.com
<b>Muddy is definitely going to be one of the new World Cup guys to keep an eye on. The guy trains super hard and is more motivated than anyone I know.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Connor was stoked with the Oceania's jersey, but not so stoked on his flat in his National round race run.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>There is not much you can say bad about this guy. It says a lot that he's so respected among the Aussie racers. He was by far the man to beat, even though he was on a shorter-travel bike, and hasn't raced DH in over a year. </b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>It's awesome to see guys like Richie out here training for the winter back home. We can pretty much call Richie a Toowoomba local with the amount of riding he's been doing over the last month.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Muddy just needed to get on the podium to take the Aussie National overall, 3rd behind some World Class locals will just about do it. Tegan Molloy also had an awesome season cleaning up to take the Elite women overall.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith
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<b>Graves, Rude, Mudd, Madsen, McMillan...your Elite Men's National round 4 podium.</b> -Tim Bardsley-Smith<br><br>Vital wants to thank Tim for a great season of Australian National DH coverage. Well done, TBS!!! -gordo
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Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia was the location for an unusual double header of downhill mountain bike racing. The regional Oceania Championships were held on Friday and the final Australian National Round in the series was raced on Sunday. Oceania's are one of the few opportunities for riders in the region to gain the UCI points needed to race World Cups, and usually attracts riders from Australia, New Zealand and some smaller Island nations like New Caledonia, looking to take home the title of Oceania Champion.
Australian National Round 4 was the final stop for the Aussies chasing bragging rights and points in the overall. Connor Fearon took the Oceanias victory in the Elite Men, while local Toowoomba resident, Jared Graves, nabbed himself a victory in his only National round attendance this year. Graeme Mudd played the consistency game throughout the season and earned the points to claim the overall National title. While Claire Buchar took home the Oceanias fastest time, she was not eligible for the title in Elite Women leaving Tegan Molloy on top of Oceanias in addition to winning the women's National round. Enjoy an action-packed slideshow with photos and interviews from Tim Bardsley-Smith and video from fektor.com.
Full Oceanias Results | Full Australian National Round 4 Results
A message from photographer, Tim Bardsley-Smith
I just want to say thanks for checking out the slideshows each weekend racing is on. It means a lot to show you some rad racing action through the winter months, and to make sure that the Aussie race scene gets coverage done right. -TBS
Graeme Mudd's Australian Nationals Run
Australian National Round 4 was the final stop for the Aussies chasing bragging rights and points in the overall. Connor Fearon took the Oceanias victory in the Elite Men, while local Toowoomba resident, Jared Graves, nabbed himself a victory in his only National round attendance this year. Graeme Mudd played the consistency game throughout the season and earned the points to claim the overall National title. While Claire Buchar took home the Oceanias fastest time, she was not eligible for the title in Elite Women leaving Tegan Molloy on top of Oceanias in addition to winning the women's National round. Enjoy an action-packed slideshow with photos and interviews from Tim Bardsley-Smith and video from fektor.com.
Full Oceanias Results | Full Australian National Round 4 Results
A message from photographer, Tim Bardsley-Smith
I just want to say thanks for checking out the slideshows each weekend racing is on. It means a lot to show you some rad racing action through the winter months, and to make sure that the Aussie race scene gets coverage done right. -TBS
Graeme Mudd's Australian Nationals Run
View replies to: SLIDESHOW - 2015 Oceania DH Championships and Australian National DH from Toowoomba
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