Sian A’Hern crashes in seeding as Sacha Mills, Luke Meier-Smith go fastest

The women’s downhill competition has been turned on its head after pre-race favourite Sian A’Hern (Canberra Off-Road Cyclists) crashed during seeding at the GWM Mountain Bike National Championships today.

The three-time elite national champion had been widely touted as the rider to beat ahead of this week’s competition at Mount Buller.

However, A’Hern was among several top riders who fell victim to the dusty alpine trail.

With defending champion Ellie Smith out injured, Sacha Mills (Kooralbyn Valley MTB Club) set the first benchmark in the elite women’s event, stopping the clock in 3:36.884.

Sacha Mills was fastest in elite women's seeding.

All eyes turned up the track, expecting to see A’Hern eclipse that initial time.

Instead, the Canberran crossed the line despondently, shaking her head. A’Hern clutched gingerly at her right shoulder, where a streak of dirt told the story.

“I had one of the biggest crashes of my life,” A’Hern said, perhaps with some hyperbole. “I’m a little sore, but yeah, we’ll dust it off and get ready for tomorrow. I’m just pretty frustrated.”

“I made a mistake at the top, and then I just tried to get back in a rhythm after that, but I felt quite messy.

“All I did was push it pretty hard into an off-camber bit and then my front wheel got snagged, and I just went straight over the bars down the hill. It was a pretty heavy landing.”

A'Hern looked disappointed after her crash-marred run.

Despite the fall, A’Hern’s was still fast enough for second place, one second ahead of Ashleigh Weinert (Greenvalleys MTB Club).

Mills, who will start last in tomorrow’s final, said it was difficult to adjust to the ever-changing course and its loose, sandy dust.

“It’s a bit of a challenge, but it's fun to learn how to adapt and stuff. I guess that's kind of what makes a good rider,” Mills said.

In the elite men’s seeding, Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) laid down a strong statement on his quest to win three in a row, topping the standings by one second ahead of Troy Brosnan (Canyon Factory Racing).

The leading pair, who share 10 elite national titles between them, were the only riders to surpass the three-minute barrier.

Defending champion Luke Meier-Smith set the men's benchmark of 2:58.699.

“It’s tough to keep the intensity on this track,” Meier-Smith said. “It’s super physical and lots of little sprints out of turns, so I was feeling it a bit at the bottom. I almost got a bit excited at the top, got a bit loose, but cleaned it up after that.

“I’ll hopefully try and find a little bit more pace tomorrow. The track’s deteriorating fast, so I'm looking forward to the challenge.”

Brosnan said he was happy with today’s seeding, despite finishing second to the defending champion.

“The run was really good. I was stoked with that,” Brosnan said. “Still a second off of Luke, so I’ve got some work to do, but there's nothing to complain about.”

Troy Brosnan was happy with the second-fastest time.

Jackson Connelly and Jackson Frew also delivered strong runs.

Kye A’Hern and Connor Fearon were among the other contenders to crash today. Both were able to finish without any obvious injury.

Like Sian, they will need to regroup for tomorrow’s finals. The question on everyone’s lips will be: can she shrug off today’s mishap? Or, will a new women’s champion be crowned?

Results – Downhill Seeding

Elite Women

1. Sacha Mills (Kooralbyn Valley MTB Club) 3:36.884
2. Sian A’Hern (Canberra Off-Road Cyclists) 3:43.001
3. Ashleigh Weinert (Greenvalleys MTB Club) 3:43.970   

Elite Men

1. Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team / Manning Great Lakes Tip Riders) 2:58.699
2. Troy Brosnan (Canyon Factory Racing / Inside Line) 2:59.718
3. Jackson Connelly (The Alliance / Jindabyne Cycling Club) 3:01.951

Click for full results.

Photos: AusCycling