Queensland natives Brodie Gardener and Louise Betts win both rounds in the two-day TreX Queensland Back2Back Cross Triathlon…

SUNSHINE COAST—Round one winners Brodie Gardener (QLD) and Louise Betts (QLD) had to both come from behind to win round two and sweep the TreX Queensland Back2Back Cross Triathlon in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland this weekend.

The race is based on the banks of Ewen Maddock Dam, the Queensland Back2Back is held over two days with overall winners being determined by a cumulative time for both days.

The 28-year-old Gardener trailed Dan Neilson and Nick Moore out of the swim, before taking the lead on the mountain bike over Moore after Neilson was forced to abandon for the race for the second straight day due to a nagging foot injury suffered at the Cross Triathlon world championships last year.

The Marcoola native finished the 500m swim, 14km mountain bike and 7km trail run in a time of 1:12:03 ahead of Moore (1:12:04) and George Tamblyn (1:15:53) on the day. The trio also finished in the same order for the overall classification in the elite men’s division with Gardener leading Moore by 2 minutes 45 seconds with a cumulative time of 2:27:18.

“Dan led out of the water, but we knew he wasn’t going to be running again today, so that meant he wasn’t a threat,” said Gardener. “But with Nick, who was always going to be the strongest opposition on the day, the plan was to let him do the work and I could sit on him in the swim and put maybe 20-30 seconds on him on the bike. I already carried a buffer from round one so I didn’t have any pressure to chase on the run.”

In elite women’s action 27-year-old Betts trailed Cass Percival and Kim Beckinsale in the swim, but quickly moved up in the field after Beckinsale suffered a puncture on the first lap of the mountain bike. The Chermside native took the lead over mountain bike specialist Jodie Willett to take the win in a time of 1:21:23. Like the men, the day two podium mirrored the overall standings with Betts finishing with a 6-minute 23-second advantage over Willett with a combined time of 2:43:33.

“I wanted to minimise the amount of time I lost on the swim so I didn’t have to ride so hard with fatigue in my legs,” said Betts after the race. “It was a really great way to spend the weekend in a family-friendly environment with some really hard racing.”

Betts will be back on the road bike this summer and hopes to target a few marathon MTB races later this year, while Gardener will race Xterra Philippines in three weeks before lining up at the Oceania Cross Triathlon Championships against a stellar international field that includes Ben Allen (AUS) and Braden Currie (NZL)

In2Adventure will be presenting the AU$40,000 TreX Oceania Cross Triathlon Championships in the Snowy Mountains (NSW) next month (Feb 28 – March 1).

About TreX:

For seven years TreX has positioned itself as the pinnacle of the cross – or off-road – triathlon racing series in Asia-Pacific. Presented by the premier outdoor adventure event specialists In2Adventure, TreX consists of a reservoir swim, mountain bike and trail run. While each TreX event features an elite category with industry-leading prize purses, including $10,000 for the Australian Cross Triathlon Championships and $40,000 for the Oceania Cross Triathlon Championships, the TreX Cross Triathlon national series invites participation from all ages and skill levels. For more information visit TreX HERE

About In2Adventure:

In2Adventure are Asia-Pacific’s premier adventure event specialists. With a full calendar of national events scheduled throughout Australia, including adventure races, cross triathlon, XC Mountain Bike, trail runs and corporate events, In2Adventure fully embraces all things ‘off road’ and ‘off the beaten track’ and offers a unique, individual experience for all ages and skill levels. For more information visit In2Adventure HERE
<p”>Upcoming Events (2014/15):

• Snowies MTB Stage Race – Snowy Mountains, NSW, 21/22 February 2015
• Oceania Cross Triathlon Championships – Snowy Mountains, NSW, 28 Feb-1 March 2015
• TreX Cross Triathlon Championships – Sunshine Coast, QLD, 2/3 May 2015

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Photo Credit: Courtesy In2Adventure