Australians Max Neumann and Dimity-Lee Duke hold off hot off-road triathlon field in Bendigo to claim Australian titles

On a hot and sunny day along Bendigo’s Crusoe Reservoir in northern Victoria, Australians Max Neumann and Dimity-Lee Duke took out the 2014 Australian Cross Triathlon Championships and their share of a AU$10,000 prize purse on Saturday, 13 December over a loaded field which included reigning Australian and British national champions Ben Allen (AUS) and Jacqui Slack (GBR).

Neumann and race runner up Leon Griffin (AUS) trailed Allen (12:57) out the 1500m swim by 30 seconds and managed to ride with the current Xterra World Championship bronze medallist over the 30km mountain bike course until gaining a slight edge during the second transition over Allen and bolting onto the 10km trail run first and never looking back.

“Really tough day and was pushed all the way by Benny Allen,” said the 19-year-old Queenslander who won an Australian Youth Olympics qualifier in Sydney back in January. “We came of the bikes together and we were both cramping and I tried to hide it from Benny, and managed to hang on for the 10k and win the Australian championships.”
Neumann took the win in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 12 seconds in front Griffin (2:11:53) and an ailing Allen (2:17:29), who had suffered a torn hamstring a week earlier. Australian’s Brodie Gardner (2:24:09) and Russell Kennedy (2:25:50) rounded out the men’s elite field in fourth and fifth respectively.

For Duke, the 31-year-old Western Australia native took advantage of a bike mechanical suffered by race leader Slack midway through the race. Duke battled current TreX championship series leader Louise Betts (AUS) behind Renata Bucher (SUI) on the bike before she was able to pull ahead on the run.

Duke took the Australian title with a time of 2:29:02, followed by Bucher in second (2:32:52) and Betts in third (2:35:08). Slack (2:41:46) limped into sixth position behind Connie Silvestri (2:38:31) and Penny Hosken (2:40:36).

“It was quite surprising for me considering Cross Triathlon is not my true discipline so to speak, as I would call myself more of an Ironman triathlete,” said Duke who finished ninth at Ironman Western Australia in Busselton the week before – recording a personal best time of 9:12:xx in the process. “To race against quality athletes like Jackie and Renata and pull off a win is pretty special actually.”

“Bendigo turned on a cracking day for the 2014/15 Australian Cross Triathlon Championship and with a strong international and interstate field it was going to be a tough race to be first to the finish,” said event director Robyn Lazenby of In2Adventure.

“It was an enormous challenge for all involved and after the pain it was great to see so many smiles on the finish line.
“We are already looking forward to the Oceania Cross Triathlon Championships in February.”

On the following day, athletes participated in both a TreX sprint course (500m swim / 10km MTB bike / 5km trail run) and a 10km trail run to have their overall times combined with their previous Cross Triathlon results for a chance to be crowned either Dirt Master or Mistress.

A still-injured Allen took out the title just ahead of Australian fitness icon and former Surf Ironman champion Guy Andrews after Allen finished the sprint tri in 54:51.65 and the run in 39:28 for a combined time of 3:52:50.07. While Duke continued her weekend’s domination by taking out the Mistress title with a sprint tri time of 57:07.76 and a run time of (38:23) for a combined time of 4:04:33.75.

The Australian Cross-Triathlon Championships and Multisport Weekend is based in Victoria’s Gold Region in the City of Greater Bendigo just 90 minutes from Melbourne airport.   Located in the Murray Darling Basin, Bendigo is surrounded by parkland and nature reserves and Crusoe Reservoir, just 10 minutes from the heart of the city provides an idyllic backdrop for a weekend of off-road action. The feature race consists of 1500m Swim, 30km XC Mountain Bike and 10km Trail Run. The multisport component offers two trail runs and a free kids adventure run. For more information about the event or the training clinics visit the event page HERE

For seven years TreX has positioned itself as the pinnacle of the cross – or off-road – triathlon racing series in Asia-Pacific. Presented by the premier outdoor adventure event specialists In2Adventure, TreX consists of a reservoir swim, mountain bike and trail run. While each TreX event features an elite category with industry-leading prize purses, including $10,000 for the Australian Cross Triathlon Championships and $40,000 for the Oceania Cross Triathlon Championships, the TreX Cross Triathlon national series invites participation from all ages and skill levels. For more information visit TreX HERE
<p”>About In2Adventure:

In2Adventure are Asia-Pacific’s premier adventure event specialists. With a full calendar of national events scheduled throughout Australia, including adventure races, cross triathlon, XC Mountain Bike, trail runs and corporate events, In2Adventure fully embraces all things ‘off road’ and ‘off the beaten track’ and offers a unique, individual experience for all ages and skill levels. For more information visit In2Adventure HERE

Upcoming Events (2014/15):

• Australian Cross Triathlon Championships – Bendigo, VIC, 13/14 December 2014
• Snowies MTB Stage Race – Snowy Mountains, NSW, 21/22 February 2015
• Oceania Cross Triathlon Championships – Snowy Mountains, NSW, 28 Feb-1 March 2015
• TreX Cross Triathlon Championships – Sunshine Coast, QLD, 2/3 May 2015

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Photo Credit: Courtesy In2Adventure

Aaron S. Lee
Media Manager | Public Relations
+61 415 763 293
Aaron@in2adventure.com.au