Norris fires in bike series

BARKERS Creek mountain biking champion Lachlan Norris has powered toward the top as he pursues consecutive national cross-country series victories.After starting his title defence with fifth placing at the You Yangs, Norris was runner-up in Saturday’s second round in Hobart.Round two in the Jayco-backed national series was dominated by South Australia’s Chris Jongewaard and Norris.They broke free of their rivals early on and kept powering away.Norris took the lead on lap four, but Jongewaard fought back to gain a 30-second lead on the fifth lap.“I worked hard to reel him back, but Chris was too strong,” said the young gun from near Castlemaine.By race finish Jongewaard was 18 seconds clear of Norris, who in turn was 16 seconds clear of Paul Van der Ploeg as Aiden Lefmann and Andrew Blair completed the top five.In the short-track action, Norris was runner-up to Jongewaard.“It was a solid weekend of racing and some really positive signs leading up to the national road titles and more of the MTB summer series,” said Norris.A dual monthly winner in the Bendigo Advertiser-WIN Television Sports Star of the Year, the cycling ace believes he goes into the nationals a lot stronger, mentally and physically, than a year ago.The Drapac Porsche cycling team member will start the new year by racing the criterium and road race at the national titles at Buninyong near Ballarat.A couple of weeks after that and he will head across the border to contest the national MTB championships at Eagle Mountain Bike Park in South Australia from January 13 to 17.Another leg in the national MTB series will be at Mount Buller on February 4, with round four to be raced at Shepparton’s Mount Major in mid-March.For Norris the long-term goal is to contest the mountain bike action at the 2012 London Olympics.Earlier this year he contested his seventh world titles campaign, and first as a senior on the rocky outcrops in Canada.“The world titles campaign was incredibly tough, especially being in seniors for the first time.”When not cycling, Norris is completing a science degree at Melbourne University.“It’s been really challenging switching from the road to the mountains and then back again, as well as studying” Norris said.Norris has tackled the roads and hills across Europe, Asia, North America, and throughout Australia.“I have racked up more than 50 flights this year to compete in all sorts of places.”Highlights of his year include second placing in the Tour of New Caledonia, the world MTB titles in Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada, and all World Cup legs.