Zane laps up a winning thrill

By Gavin Staindl
UNDER-17 State School mountain bike winner Zane Hunter was so focussed on taking the championship title in Upper Beaconsfield that he rode an extra lap after winning – thinking he still had another to go.
The Kambrya College student last Sunday crossed the line first in the under-17 male category but misinterpreted the congratulatory cheers from the crowd as cries for him to keep pedalling.
It wasn’t as if the extra lap was a comfortable ride in the park either. After having already ridden five laps, Hunter proceeded to ride another 2.2 kilometre lap through the treacherous conditions at Sir Dallas Brooks Scout Camp.
“I thought I heard people yelling well done and to keep going,” Hunter said.
“When I finally finished (event organiser) Terry Trevena just said ‘you silly duffer’ and I realised what happened… I’ll just use it as a victory lap or something.”
Along with Hunter, nine-year-old Berwick Grammar student Sam Clarke took out the under 11-male category, while St. Margaret’s Elise Hutchinson finished first in the under-13 female category.
The under-17 St Margaret sisters Sophie and Alexandra Weston enjoyed a tussle for bragging rights, with Sophie pipping her older sibling to finish second.
Trevena, who is the event organiser and coach of the combined team of cyclists from St. Margaret’s and Berwick Grammar School, dubbed the championships a success.
“Numbers have gone from 50 three years ago to 120 or 130 and we had students coming from all around the state, including Albury-Wodonga and Shepparton,” Trevena said.
“We’re getting better at running it.
“There were a few events that didn’t go like clockwork but all the feedback has been positive and all the kids were having a good time.”
Hunter could not have agreed more and said the event was “pretty chilled out” and was a good way to spend a Sunday.
But it was a difficult task for Trevena, who needed to find a balance where the course could be challenging for the nationally and internationally ranked riders but not confronting for the beginners.
“We had some really great riders and kids who aren’t yet that good, so we needed to find that balance,” Trevena said.
“It’s not just about racing, but about developing kids in cycling and in the community.”
With the help of CycleSport Victoria and Upper Beaconsfield dirt bike president John Bucknell, Sunday was the third successive time the event has been staged after the previous junior state mountainbike championships folded seven years ago.
Of the eight age categories, Shire of Cardinia councillor Brett Owen sponsored five of the largest categories and awarded trophies to the schools with the best overall score in each.
The combined pair of St Margaret’s and Berwick Grammar School took out two of the trophies, while Berwick Secondary College finished with one.