Wagga man Daniel Beresford is off to a flying start at the Crocodile Trophy in far north Queensland.
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After two days of a gruelling eight-stage series, Beresford has sweated it out in ‘Best Amateur’ and ‘Aussie Leader’ jerseys at the Crocodile Trophy.
Despite immense success, Beresford’s no spring chicken; he celebrated his 41st birthday traversing the Atherton Tablelands on Sunday.
“Over five hours in the saddle and yes, it was painful,” Beresford said via Facebook.
“40km into the race I felt like throwing up and was getting shivers. It was so hot and my body shut down for a while, only to find out from other riders they went through the same thing.
“I wasn’t sure if I had eaten too much or not enough or not drunk enough or too much, but I came good and came to the finish strong.”
In stage one, leaving from Cairns, Beresford was the first Australian over the line, first in the ‘amateur men’ category, and ninth overall, behind eight riders in the ‘elite men’ category on Saturday.
In stage two, Beresford finished 11th overall, holding on to the Australian leader’s jersey, despite being pipped by fellow Australian, Lincoln Carolan, who finished eighth.
Belgium’s Jurgen De Witte leads Beresford’s category (amateur men aged 40-49) after a strong stage two performance.
By Saturday, all going to plan, Beresford will have covered 650km and climbed 13,000m.
Beresford’s riding to raise funds for Wagga’s Ronald McDonald House charity.
He has surpassed his target of $5,000 and hopes to raise more funds as the event progresses.
To donate, visit the ‘Croc For Kids’ Facebook page and follow the links to his Go Fund Me account.