RACING to the lead, a crash, chasing, and then being overtaken were all part of a dramatic race for Castlemaine’s Lachlan Norris at the national mountain bike championships.
Norris, 21, sprinted to an early lead in the under-23 division of the cross-country action at Canberra’s Mount Stromlo.
A crash on the second of five laps left Norris with some cuts and bruises, but he rode on bravely.
‘‘I clipped a tree on a downhill run and went over the handlebars,’’ Norris said.
Such was Norris’ determination he caught his rivals and then regained the lead.
By the final lap the energy levels had decreased as he slipped to fourth overall.
‘‘It was a really tough day. The course is one of the most challenging I have raced on,’’ he said.
‘‘The course has a steep climb for about half a lap, and then a really technical section on the downhill run.
‘‘Although I started well and fought back after the crash, I was still disappointed with fourth place.
‘‘The race did show I have a fair amount of work to do leading into the Oceania championships in New Zealand in March.’’
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