FIVE-TIME world solo 24-hour champion Jason English is an almost unbackable favourite to take out the first leg of the Fairfax Media Evocities MTB Series – the 2015 Ginja Ninja 250 - especially with the revelation the two riders most likely to trump him won’t be competing.
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Ginja Ninja organiser Rod Farrell nominated Swell-Specialised teammates Andy Blair and Shaun Lewis as the two riders who would push English the hardest before conceding, with a distinctly disappointed tone, that neither would contest the event.
“One has a wedding and the other is unavailable I believe, they were going to compete,”" Farrell lamented.
“It’s unfortunate they can’t compete, they would have given English a serious run for his money.
“Being teammates at Swell-Specialised, even with this being a solo event, I imagine they would have put some team-based strategies in place to try and knock him off.”
Farrell said he expected English to dominate the solo male open category - one of two main events, along with the solo female open - but said there would be chances for other riders to keep up with the Port Macquarie school teacher.
“I really think the Ninja will test him the most of all the legs,” Farrell said.
“The other events, with their lengths, really play into his strengths whereas the Ninja doesn’t, so he might be up against it.
“Jason is more used to the longer events, so jammed into four hours some of the shorter riders might give him the hurry up.
“But I would expect him to be on the podium to be honest.”
Farrell highlighted Orange’s Dave Coles as a potential title winner, while also labelling former champions Daniel Watson, of Bathurst, and Dubbo's Paul Schroder as two to watch.
In the Ginja Ninja 250 riders complete as many laps of the course as they can in 250 minutes.
Schroder won with 10 laps in 2013, while Watson won with nine last year.
Those numbers wouldn’t be good enough for anyone hoping to win this year, Farrell said, particularly if they wanted to finish ahead of English.
“He should be looking at around the 11 or 12 laps mark, around 100km, and the other riders will need to be doing something special to stop that being on the podium,” Farrell said.
“Honestly, more than anything, it’s just a really good opportunity for riders of any level to come out and see a world champion on the bike.
“Word is he’s very chatty on the course, happy to help, and very approachable so it’s a good way for people to learn from him as well as see him compete.”
The Ginja Ninja 250 will be held on Sunday at Kinross State Forest.
This will be followed by the rest of the Fairfax Media Evocities MTB Series legs at Wylde (western Sydney), Bathurst, Albury, Dubbo, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga.
matt.findlay@fairfaxmedia.com.au
