(PRWEB) February 03, 2015
Monster Energy’s defending 2014 Enduro World Champion Jared Graves has done it again and takes the overall win at the Rock Shox Enduro Challenge set in Mount Buller located North East of Melbourne at the foot of the Australian High Country in the first of a two-stop series. His teammates Troy Brosnan and Sam Hill took second and fifth place respectively.
The Rock Socks Enduro Challenge was the biggest Enduro event Australia has ever seen, and it didn’t disappoint. Headlining the event was Graves with both Brosnan and Hill giving Enduro a crack on their shorter travel bikes. Also down in the mix was French Enduro master Jerome Clementz, Graves’ Yeti teammate Ritchie Rude and Hill’s CRC teammate Mike Jones making it an international affair.
“I‘m super stoked to take the win,” said Graves. “It’s really early in the season, but it’s nice to know I have some speed. It’s great to have guys like Jerome come all this way and the downhill boys all pushing themselves.”
The riders had four hours to complete the 30km loop with six stages over 1000m of climbing, and roughly 25-minutes of timed stages. With all athletes commenting on how physical both the liaison stages and timed stages were, it was a great start to the season.
With Graves preparing for the EWS round in New Zealand at the end of March, it was important for him to stamp his authority on the first big Enduro in Australia. Seeing this as an important piece of training for the World Cup Downhill season ahead, both Hill and Brosnan, who are more than capable, have expressed an interest in Enduro.
With times being stored on the chips riders carried with them, it was not until the riders rolled back into the village center that we had any idea of times and placing’s. Out on track however, Graves was on another level clearly dominating.
Graves of Yeti/Fox destroyed the field by nearly a full minute with a total time of 23.28.05. Brosnan secured second place with a time of 24.27.04, and Hill of Chain Reaction Cycles managed an impressive fifth place with 24.45.73.
Brosnan was stoked to be on the podium in second and Hill was happy with fifth place.
“It was hard, said Brosnan. “There was a lot of climbing in the liaisons, and the descents were quite pedally for a Downhiller, My legs are pretty blown out right now. It was the biggest Enduro I’ve ever ridden and it’s awesome to be in front of some big names.”
“I really enjoyed today, said Hill. “I had a little bit of a crash in stage one, and it took a while to get the legs going, but I am really happy to be top five. That was my goal coming into this weekend.”
Keep an eye out for these three as they continue blazing trails down under at the next Rock Shox Enduro Challenge in Toowoomba, and or Australian National Downhill Series in Thredbo, NSW.
Visit monsterenergy.com for more on Graves, Brosnan, Hill and the rest of the Monster Energy team.
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About Monster Beverage Corporation:
Based in Corona, California, Monster Beverage Corporation is the leading marketer and distributor of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Beverage Corporation supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers and fans. See more about Monster Beverage Corporation including all of its drinks at http://www.monsterenergy.com.
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