Thredbo's Cannonball MTB Festival goes off
Record numbers hit Thredbo’s gravity trails for the Cannonball MTB Festival over a huge weekend of racing that showcased what you can do with Australia’s longest vertical drop in summer.
The stakes were high, the world’s best lined up and some of the hottest mountain bike action was guaranteed – the 2016 Cannonball Festival took gravity events in Australia to the next level. Over 600 riders raced in five big events across the weekend making this the biggest gravity inspired event in Australia.
The weather was at its alpine best with blue sky and sunshine across the weekend, with amateurs, pro’s, juniors and novice riders pulling out their best for a share of the $50,000 prize pool.
It was a roll call of the game’s big name riders included Troy Brosnan, Connor Fearon and NZ’s Brook Macdonald plus home town hero’s Andrew and Thomas Crimmins and Tegan Molloy.
On the famous 3.5km Cannonball Downhill track, Troy Brosnan took out the main event, the Go Pro Australian Open Downhill, in an scorching time of 4minutes 56, six seconds ahead of Luke Ellison and Thredbo rider Thomas Crimmins who took home 2nd and 3rd place respectively. The strongly contested event, pushed riders to their physical and mental limits, all vying for the biggest prize purse on the Australian
World Cup rider Troy Brosan was ecstatic with his win.
“Awesome – such a great event, I love coming here and to win for the second time is amazing. The track, the race, the whole vibe of the festival, is just amazing and something I love being part of” said Brosnan.
The weekend opened with the new event the Canyon All-Mountain Assault – where a mix of gravity and XC skills were key. Riders took on the epic 7km flowy descent through the diverse Thredbo alpine terrain, with a nice little pinch climb at the end, that left riders breathless to the finish. The ROCKSHOX Pump Track Challenge rounded out the first day of competition with young gun Remy Morton not missing a beat, tearing up the new look Pump Track to take home the coveted title.
The action was big in the SRAM Whip Wars with over 100 riders lining up to impress the judges. The flips, old school manoeuvres and massive whips excited the massive hillside crowd. Connor Fearon was eventually crowned the King of Style.
Playing the long game and Tegan Molloy used her home track advantage to take out the Maxxis Flow Motion Cup, the 4.5km track was certainly a test of endurance and stamina.
With both sides of the resort pumping tunes from DJs and live acts, and Thredbo’s stellar offering of bars and restaurants alive and pumping, Thredbo again proved why it’s the ultimate holiday destination for summer. The riding is not just for pros, with a range of new trails to suit all level of riders added to the already extensive network. Thredbo boasts 25 kilometres of epic riding in the region, including the latest and greatest Thredbo All-Mountain Trail.
Check out what you can in summer at Thredbo here
