Rocky Trail Entertainment is one of the major mountain bike events promoters in Australia and its Race Director, Martin Wisata, is once again taking on the oldest mountain bike stage race himself, the Crocodile Trophy, which will start tomorrow in Cairns, QLD. For the fifth time the Austro-Australian from the Central Coast in NSW will be at the start in Cairns at this infamous international stage race, which is world-wide regarded as the hardest of its kind. This year Wisata has recruited four team mates to complete nine days and more than 900km in Queenslands tropical North and the Il Pastaio / Rocky Trail Racing was officially launched in Cairns today.
Under blue skies and in hot conditions, which herald the huge challenge ahead, the five Il Pastaio / Rocky Trail Racing team riders met for the official photocall in Cairns today. “We’ve spent the last few months preparing for this gruelling race and after all the training and preparations, we’re just happy to be finally here in Cairns”, said team manager Martin Wisata from Rocky Trail Entertainment today who proudly presented his “Crocateers” today.
The 2014 Il Pastaio / Rocky Trail Team riders are:
- Martin Wisata, Managing Director, Rocky Trail Entertainment // AUT // Wyong NSW – 37 yrs old
- Grant Webster, Food Safety Supervisor // AUS // Teagardens, NSW – 37 yrs old
- Garrett Sherman, Beer Brewer // CAN // Scotland Island, NSW – 34 yrs old
- Tim Nelson, RAAF Aerospace Engineer // GBR // Newcastle, NSW – 34 yrs old
- Clayton Locke, NASA Antenna Technician // AUS // Canberra, ACT – 46 yrs old
An experienced Crocodile Trophy racer, Wisata said today that he tried to support his team mates who are all first-time Crocodile Trophy racers in the lead up to prepare them for the nine days of racing that lie ahead. “We are a strong group this year and we are certainly very motivated to give it our best. To compete nine days in a row and 100km on average daily is a massive undertaking, but we’re ready for it”, he added. Grant Webster is a former pro-road cyclists who competed for two seasons in Europe and has returned to Australia recently and has become a strong endurance mountain bike racer, winning Rocky Trail’s SHIMANO MTB Grand Prix Series in the elite men’s category in 2013. Garrett Sherman, a beer brewer from Canada who lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, worked as a mechanic at the Crocodile Trophy for two years before catching the racing bug. Tim Nelson is an Aerospace Engineer and regular Rocky Trail racer and the hill-climbing whippet among the team. NASA Antenna Technician Clayton Locke from the ACT is the only Master (40+) competitor in the team is one of the strongest mountain bikers on the East Coast.
Over the nine days, the Il Pastaio / Rocky Trail Racing Team will compete in a field of 100 racers from more than 20 countries and will have to endure racing along dusty dirt roads, through dramatic rainforest roads, on old 4WD trails, sand tracks, across spectacular river crossings, up steep climbs, descending on rough downhills and along historic bullock tracks. Starting in Cairns this Saturday, 900 km and more than 15,000m of elevation are in between them and the tropical paradise of Port Douglas, which will host the finish on Sunday, 26th October.
“We are really excited to represent our team sponsors at the Crocodile Trophy – one more sleep!”, said Wisata about the strong support the Il Pastaio / Rocky Trail Racing team has secured for this year. Head-line sponsor Il Pastaio is also the official pasta and pasta sauce supplier of the event, providing the more the 200 riders and staff with nutritious and hearty food throughout the event. Gloryfy Unbreakable provided various different sunglasses for the team to give them the highest level of protection in the harsh conditions. Shimano Cycling Australia and JetBlack Cycling are the two major equipment and spare parts suppliers, keeping the team wheels rolling and ZeroFive Custom Sports Wear supplied high-quality and comfortable – and bright – team kits.
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