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Tough Going for U23 Aussie XCO contenders

Published Date

Written by John Armstrong

The pace was rapid from the gun in the U23 Men Cross Country event at the 2012 World Championships in Saalfelden, Austria today and the Australian duo of Jack Haig and Michael Crosbie found the going pretty tough to finish in 55th and 72nd (-2 laps) respectively.

Haig was relatively well placed in the grip, starting at 46^th position and got a pretty good start before the tighter single track of the circuit. Holding his place on the first shorter start lap, Jack put in a very strong effort in the first of the full laps and appeared to be ready to lay down a real challenge to the top 20 riders. However the faster lap appeared to hurt him a little and he was to pay in the subsequent laps.

“I had some really good form a couple of weeks ago and I really expected it to still be with me for the race” said a disappointed Haig after the event. “But I was really hurting in the middle section of the race and was just unable to get on top of it”. Haig left nothing in the tank and pushed hard throughout the race, at times placing himself in trouble trying to get the edge in some of the trickier sections of the course. “I had a few tumbles” said Haig “but nothing too disastrous”.

Haig finished 55^th overall in a time of 1:31.01.

Haig’s U23 partner, Michael Crosbie did it tough from the start with a grid position of 93 and early in the first lap finding himself behind a large group of fallen riders in front of him. Not dissimilar to his partner, Crosbie worked hard to regain some position and fought through some twenty riders before being withdrawn as the lead riders encroached on the tail of the field in the fast and tight circuit at Saalfelden, Austria.

“It just wasn’t with me” said a resigned Crosbie at the end of the race, referring to the luck that he might have needed to get a clear run. “I worked pretty hard to get through the field, but I just wasn’t on fire today”.

Both riders will contend the Cross Country Eliminator to be held through the streets of Saalfelden on Sunday.