The Croc Trophy comes to the Tablelands
If you don’t live in Far North Queensland or ride a mountain bike you may be excused for not having heard of the Crocodile Trophy.
The Crocodile Trophy is an annual mountain bike conducted over 8 stages and is in it’s 23rd year this year. The race this year will cover around 670 kilometres and more than 10,000m of elevated climbing and is known as one of the most demanding mountain bike races in the world.
It claims to be “the hardest, longest and most adventurous mountain bike race in the world” and is staged from Cairns to Port Douglas through the Atherton Tablelands and one of the Queensland Police Services finest is competing, Sergeant Brendan Skerke. Brendan is competing in his 6th Crocodile Trophy with Bart Duraj in the men’s team event as Team Astute.
Brendan Skerke and Bart Duraj, Photo courtesy of Vince Marcel
Last Saturday September 16 saw stages 1 and 2 held around Smithfield and Cairns before finishing at Lake Tinaroo after travelling 100km with an elevation of 3000 metres.
Stage 3 or the “Queen Stage” – the toughest stage of this years Crocodile Trophy, had riders starting at Lake Tinaroo and finishing at Tepon Equestrian Park near Herberton. The stage covered 100kms of rough and corrugated dirt roads, including 2600m of climbing elevation.
Mount Garnet Police officers Sergeant Shane Smith and Senior Constable Lincoln Carolan were a bit disappointed that they couldn’t get into the action of the Crocodile Trophy race this year and had to settle for a photo at the finish line.
Senior Constable Carolan has competed in the Crocodile Trophy twice previously though and has held the leading Amateur’s jersey for four stages, so he knows the hard work it takes to compete in this race.
Sgt Shane Smith, OIC Mount Garnet Station and Senior Constable Lincoln Carolan, Photo courtsey of Sgt Shane Smith
Stage 4 took the riders 125kms from Herberton to Skybury Coffee Plantation, where they then spent the night before travelling 125km around Skybury for stage 5.
Wetherby Station at Mount Molloy was the setting for the finish line for Stage 6 after 102km and 1000m of elevation climbing it was a tough day for riders with Australia-jersey racer and amateur category A2 leader after five stages Ondrej Slezak from Sydney, crashing and broking a collar bone.
Stage 7 had the riders doing a marathon 78km/1050vm marathon through Kuranda National Park along the Twin Bridges Road before the final stage down the infamous Bump Track and along the Four Mile Beach shores into the finish line in Port Douglas.
The race consisted of 70 of the worlds finest bike riders including a four times Tour de France winner and two Canadian Elite racers Andrew L’Esperance and Leandre Bouchard, who claimed the overall race victory, so Brendan Skerke and his partner Bart were in good company and need to be congratulated on not only finishing the race but finishing in the top 20.
I’m sure after some rest and relaxation Brendan will be back next year for his 7th Crocodile Trophy.
Brendan Skerke and Bart Duraj. Photo courtesy of Crocodile Trophy/Igor Schifris 2017
Source: Cairns Crime Alert
