Picture: TREVOR JACKSON
MOUNT Gambier mountain bike racer Callum Morrison stood atop the podium on Sunday after an impressive weekend at the Valley Lakes.
Morrison took part in round six of the Inside Line Mountain Bike Club South Australian state downhill series and was the fastest rider down the tough course all weekend.
In the seeding for the elite riders on Sunday morning Morrison set the benchmark with a time of 2:17.429, six seconds clear of his nearest rival Sam Walsh.
Fellow Mount Gambier rider Justin de Jong managed a top five seeding, but was some 13 seconds off the pace.
Morrison’s run in the final was more controlled, but the 2:20.029 was enough to claim the honours by two seconds from Walsh.
Morrison also competed in the chainless category for extra time on the track and won that by seven seconds in a strong display.
He said he was pleased to claim the win in a tough field of competitors.
“I was stoked,” Morrison said.
“It was a pretty good feeling to win in front of the home crowd.
“It was probably one of the biggest fields we have had all year so there was a fair bit of talent stacked in between them.”
Morrison said he felt good heading into the weekend, after winning the initial Valley Lakes event, but missing the next tow due to injury.
“I was not confident I was going to win, but confident I could do a good run,” he said.
“A lot of people came down and it is not a long track, so it is easy for the times to be close.
“I was blown away by how much I ended up winning by.”
With a strong qualifying run Morrison was able to ride conservatively in the final to ensure a good finish.
“After qualifying I realised I had a bit of time to play with, so a couple of sections I possibly could have come unstuck in, I relaxed a bit more and went a bit slower so I did not have a crash,” he said.
“I thought that was the best thing to do.”
The final was made a bit tougher due to fog and mist rolling in.
That meant the already-tough course was owed a bit more respect, especially at the top with steep drop offs and little room for error.
“I did not push too hard through the top section, because a crash there will lose it instantly for you,” Morrison said.
“I pushed hard after that, then at the rock garden towards the bottom I made sure I got through, then started pushing again.”
Despite the risks, Morrison has nothing but praise for the track.
“I love the track because it is so tight,” he said.
“It is short, but does not give you a breather the whole way down and every section has a hard bit in it.
“I think it is amazing what we now have with all the local blokes building the track and the help from council.
“We used to have to do so much travelling to go riding and now we have it here.
“To us it is just the mountain, but people come down from Adelaide and you stand at the top and see the whole of Mount Gambier and look into the lake – it is amazing scenery.”
For now Morrison has time to reflect on his victory, before he kicks off a big push to make the Australian team for the world titles next year.
That will include a six-round Victorian series, with a run down Thredbo in December.
The nationals take place in March next year, along with an Australia v New Zealand challenge.
Morrison said it was important to perform well at those races to be in with a chance of making the national team.
Considering he has been back racing after a car accident for just two months, it appears there is no mountain high enough to stop the determined 22 year old.
