Jack Moir’s miracle win at Coffs
The idyllic surrounds of Coffs Harbour are a long way from the World Cup Downhill circuit, but what the NSW town lacks in team trucks and pro mechanics, it makes up for in good old Aussie ingenuity.
Newcastle ace Jack Moir – a pro downhiller on the Intense Cycles factory team – popped up to Coffs to tackle the first round of the MTBA Downhill National Series as he continues his World Cup preparations for 2018… but he got a little more than he bargained for.
(PIC: Sam Routledge)
‘Shark Attack Jack’ – literally, he was bitten by a shark a few years back – had comfortably topped the seeding times, ahead of mate and former Trek factory racer Graeme Mudd, but the world’s fourth fastest downhiller noticed his rear tyre was deflating a little as he shuttled up for the final.
Intense Australia’s marketing manager Andy Threlfall rode his own bike to the top of the hill with a pump just in case, and during a delay in the race, all hell broke loose.
“The tyre was completely flat,” said Andy. “The tape had lifted and sealant was everywhere.”
Wheels for Jack’s prototype M90 downhiller weren’t exactly growing on vines, so with the clock ticking to Jack’s run, the race was on to find a fix.
The tape from Andy’s front wheel didn’t work, but fortunately he was running a tube in the rear wheel. With literally a minute to the start, the wheel was hastily reinstalled in Jack’s bike – only for the chain to jam between the wheel and the frame!
“I had to rip it out while he was in the gate,” said Andy. “He took off out of the gate with the multi-tool still stuck in the end of the axle rather than putting the proper expander cone and bolt back in. I half expected it to blow up halfway down… I couldn’t believe when he crossed the line.”
Neither could Graeme (below), who had already been announced as the defacto winner!
Despite the carnage, Jack took ten seconds off his seeding run, beating Graham by seven seconds. This is despite a brake rotor covered in sealant, the wrong air pressure and a tool hanging out off the rear end.
“Holy crap, it was full on,” laughed Andy.
“Huge props to the other riders who all tried to help, too. Jake Newell especially, who helped rip the bike apart instead of warming up for his run.”
“Yeah it was a bit dramatic," said Jack after the race, "but just raced through and hoped it held up.”
Round two of the series takes place in Awaba on February 2-3, while the National Championships return to Bright on March 2-4, where Jack will try and retain his green-and-gold stripes.
PICS: Paul Moir (@paulmoir57)
