The silent assassin strikes! Nick Smith earns first career Aussie CX National Series win at round 4 in Brisbane
The fourth round of the 2024 AusCycling Cyclo-cross National Series (CXNS) saw Nick Smith (NSW/Duke Flanders Racing) take his first win at the top level after more than a decade of participation.
In the Elite Women’s race, Fi Morris (VIC/MAAP Sixpence CX) made it two wins for the weekend, triumphing over Anna Kubilius (SA/Batch Brewery x Seight) by 50 seconds.
Conditions at the Victoria Park/Barrambin circuit were hard, dry and fast after a period of dry weather in the River City, with tyres rolling easily over the park that until recently was a public golf course. For the fourth round in a row at this year’s CXNS the skies were clear and the weather was warm on Yagera and Turrbal country, with the 23ºC temperatures belying CX’s reputation as a winter discipline.
Queensland definitely lived up to the Sunshine State moniker on race weekend.
Photo: CX Down Under
The course was unique among those in recent National Series history for having the start line and finish line in different places, with riders completing a start loop comprising the last third of the circuit before passing the finish line for the first time. There were a number of key features on the course - not only the fast descent through the switchbacks of ‘Palmageddon’, but also a slightly uphill sandpit around 50m long that challenged plenty of riders’ technical skills.
If we had to pick one, our favourite was ‘Pinball Alley’, a series of flowy, cambered corners in quick succession that catapulted riders from bend to bend with enough g-force to elicit a ‘wheeeee!’ from several grown adults.
The Sunday course was only slightly modified from the circuit used on Saturday, with the biggest changes being a short descent after the sandpit that broke up a long climb, and the omission of a long, bumpy straight in the back half of the lap. Some other corners were slightly adjusted to have different angles of entry and exit, but overall the course was far more similar than different to the day before.
The course’s sandpit formed several deep ruts as the day wore on.
Photo: CX Down Under
Age-group racing
The day’s action teed off at 9:30am with the men’s age group racing, with all races on the day being moved 90 minutes earlier than Saturday to simplify the process of interstaters catching flights home.
Notable rides in the men’s field came from Masters 3 (for riders with a racing age of 40-44), with age-group national champion Dave Nairn (NSW/Batch Brewery x Seight) taking the win after a tough battle with Dan Wilson (QLD/Hamilton Wheelers CC), Carlos Trujillo (QLD/University of Queensland CC) and Jovian Haidle (QLD/CORCA) – with those four riders making up 6 of the fastest times from all of the Masters fields.
In the women’s age group racing Corinne Dolan (QLD/Balmoral CC) went from a day of volunteering straight to the top of her Women’s Masters 4 race, while Lia de Gruchy (VIC/Brunswick CC) was able to put in a strong performance in her Women’s Masters 2 to turn a second place on Saturday into a win on Sunday.
The finish-line salute of the day definitely went to U17 Women’s winner Skye Cuthbertson (QLD/Batch Brewery x Seight), who busted out a golf-swing celebration as she took the chequered flag!
Elite Women
The elite women’s field was the same seven riders who’d taken to the course the day before, plus sole U19 rider Alicia Reynolds (WA/Cycling Development Foundation).
The Maroons were being proudly represented by the purple jersey of Maddison Taylor (QLD/Balmoral CC), the bright orange of Luca Turton (QLD/South Burnett MTB Club) and the light blue of race organiser Nina Wright (QLD/RATS Cycling Club). The interstate contingent consisted of Saturday’s winner Fi Morris (VIC/MAAP Sixpence CX), as well as Batch Brewery x Seight teammates Anna Kubilius (SA) and Kate Mathewson (NSW).
We branched out a bit and did a front-row preview of the competitors, in order from left to right on the start line: Kate Mathewson, Maddison Taylor, Luca Turton, Anna Kubilius, Alicia Reynolds, Fi Morris, Alanna van de Hoef and Nina Wright.
Kubilius and Mathewson were the quickest riders off the start line and led the field through the opening corner, with the rest of the field in hot pursuit.
By the time the riders approached the sandpit for the first time Morris, Wright and Kubilius – the podium finishers from day 1 – had established a small gap and were able to ride the sandpit cleanly. Things were a little messier behind, with Mathewson misjudging her line and having to dismount, which slowed up Turton and Van de Hoef.
As with Saturday’s race, the order of proceedings was established early on and didn’t change, with riders clearly feeling comfortable dictating their own pace and only one or two passes made after the completion of the first full lap. Morris looked particularly strong on the course’s main climb, gradually growing the advantage over her rivals.
Morris’ final margin of victory was 50 seconds over Kubilius and 2:51 ahead of Wright. Mathewson crossed the line in fourth, and Taylor’s fifth place meant that the wide-angle podium was the same as on Saturday.
The Elite Women’s podium (L-R): Anna Kubilius, Fi Morris and Nina Wright.
Photo: CX Down Under
Elite Men
As with Saturday’s race the Elite field on Sunday was stacked with talent, with seven of the fifteen men’s starters having previously represented Australia at the CX World Championships. After three straight wins at the CXNS, Tristan Nash (WA/Midland Cycling Club) was the favourite on the start line, though he’d been challenged by Max Hobson (QLD/Team BridgeLane) and Nick Smith (NSW/Duke Flanders Racing) the day before. The MAAP Sixpence CX pairing of Garry Millburn (VIC) and national champion Chris Aitken (NSW) are perpetual threats at the CXNS, while Domenic Paolilli (VIC/Duke Flanders Racing) had shown promising form early in the season.
We did a front-row preview of the competitors, in order from left to right on the start line: Markus Chandler (SA/Adelaide MTB Club), Domenic Paolilli, Finn Kane (NSW/Criterion Racing), Tristan Nash, Nick Smith, Garry Millburn, Chris Aitken and Josh Sek (VIC/Lush Desserts-CycleSpeed).
The early stages of the men’s race saw Nash looking ominous, with the West Australian gaining a four-second lead over Smith, Millburn, Aitken and Hobson by the time the field hit the first passage of the course’s sandpit, with Markus Chandler also looking strong in the early going.
Halfway through the first lap Nash had maintained his four-second lead into Pinball Alley, with two groups of three forming behind him. Hobson, Smith and Paolilli were battling for second, while a few seconds behind them a trio formed containing Aitken, Millburn and young new South Welshman Finn Kane.
By the conclusion of the first lap the U23 national champion had a gap of seven seconds over Hobson and Smith and continued to press his advantage through Palmageddon on the next lap, even getting a little loose with his rear tyre.
Nash’s day would come undone on lap 6, when his aggressive cornering through Palmageddon saw him come unstuck. Although the series leader would remount and pedal on, he seemed shaken up by the fall, and would ultimately come home in fourth place.
With Nash’s fall, the win was suddenly up for grabs between Hobson, Smith and Paolilli. Perhaps wanting to avoid being worked over by the two Duke Flanders Racing teammates, Hobson kept the pace high at the front of affairs, leading Smith over the barriers as the race approached the 40-minute mark.
With around a lap and a half to go Smith would make his move, able to distance Hobson on the course’s long climb.
Nicknamed ‘The Silent Assassin’ for his quiet demeanour and solid, consistent riding style, Smith has been a fixture of the National CX Series since 2013, has represented Australia five times at the World Championships and finished second in the Men’s Elite race at last year’s national championships.
After 1:02:57 in the saddle in Brisbane, he was finally able to come home for his first CXNS win, being warmly congratulated by fellow competitors and spectators alike after crossing the line. Hobson and Paolilli would cross the line in second and third respectively, with Nash in fourth, and Finn Kane making his first CXNS wide-angle podium in fifth.
The Men’s Elite podium (L-R): Max Hobson, Nick Smith and Domenic Paolilli.
Photo: CX Down Under
Disclosure: CX Down Under editor Tom McQuillan is the AusCycling National CX Series Director for 2024, and is assisting in the preparation, delivery and review of this year’s CX National Series events, including this event in Brisbane.
If you came along, he hopes you had a nice time.
Acknowledgement: This race took place on the traditional lands of the Yagera and Turrbal peoples. CX Down Under acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we ride, and their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.