HOME course knowledge has helped Bathurst’s Dan Watson to move into the lead of the solo male class in the Central Tablelands Mountain Bike Club’s annual interclub series.
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After placing second in the opening round at Rydal in June, Watson was determined to finish on top of the podium when his home club staged the Chilla in Bathzilla.
The hours of training he put in on the Bathurst track paid off as he finished Saturday’s three-hour race more than 12 minutes clear of of his nearest rival.
The result not only gave him a 37-point lead over his D2F team-mate Jarrod Bell in his class, but helped Bathurst to a 368-point advantage over Orange in the club standings.
“I worked pretty hard for it because I really wanted to win this round. To get up and have all that work pay off is fantastic,” Watson said.
“It was a mass start, so you are jostling for position at the start and trying to find your rhythm. I'd been training on that track a fair bit, so I was confident that once I could get into my own space, I could put all that hard work into practice.
“After lap one I had a lead of around 30 seconds, so I just had to focus from there and do my own thing and I was lucky enough to win on the day.
“I knew with an hour to go that it was my race to lose, so I just had to be sensible and focus, I just did what I had done over the first two hours.”
Of the 70 riders who competed at the Chilla in Bathzilla, 12 were in Watson’s class.
The Bathurst talent covered six laps, with his average time for each of those laps just over two minutes quicker than any of his rivals.
Both Watson and his fellow Bathurst rider Bell were able to crack the 30-minute mark for at least one of their laps as they both pedalled their way on to a podium.
Watson revelled in the conditions as he clocked a time of three hours, one minute and 37 seconds to take the win, with Bell (3:13.44) second and Dubbo’s Brett Robertson (3:21.37) third.
“It was really, really dry and it’s sort of a really loose track, but that’s how I like it,” Watson said. “I've raced there before when it's been a lot grippier, but I prefer a loose, dry track, so that really worked into my hands.
“It was great to race with Jarrod, we've been team-mates for years now, so we are always there to help each other out. I was really stoked to see him get second, it was good to have two of us D2F riders on the podium together.”
Bell and Watson were two of six Bathurst club riders to earn a podium on Saturday, with juniors Jake Scrimshaw and Erin Orpwood both winning their class.
Luke Patterson and Pat Dallimore were third in mixed teams, while Danielle Patterson and Christine Porter placed second and third respectively in the solo women’s +40.
The series will continue at Clandulla on August 13, before rounds at Yellowmundee (September 17), Dubbo (November 5) and Orange (November 26).
"I plan on doing the other races in the series, it's fantastic that all the clubs in the area support this series,” Watson said.
