How Good Is Caroline Buchanan

Caroline Who?

For the uninitiated, the immediate question has to be – four what? Buchanan juggles the very different pursuits of BMX, downhill and four-cross racing, but in September all her energies will be directed towards the most extreme of the three. For the layman, four-cross racing is the two-wheeled cousin to border-cross (snowboarding), which so excites spectators at the Winter Olympics. It usually features hair-raising descents of around 400m complete with rocks, logs and spectacular jumps. Numerous obstacles, both man-made and natural, make things decidedly hairy. Four competitors take part in each race and there’s no pacing or games of ducks and drakes – rather it’s a mad dash from go to whoa. If you’ve never seen it, do yourself a favour, take a deep breath and check it out.

Four-cross has “Gen Y” written all over it but, not surprisingly for such a helter-skelter sport, it’s a bit light on for female participants. Buchanan is bucking the trend. Those supporting her sometimes watch with their hands over their eyes, such is her roll-the-dice style of racing. A typical race sees her storm to the lead, punch out a few spectacular jumps, engage in a bumping duel

or two, and hang on for dear life. Buchanan’s no stranger to injury – she was knocked out and suffered kidney failure after one particularly nasty spill. But by four-cross standards that’s a walk in the park.

What’s Her Story?

This year’s Worlds will be held in the Stromlo Forest Park on the same course where Buchanan won a 2008 World Cup race in front of more than 7000 spectators. Indeed, the podium has been a second home to her over the years, with her resume boasting

a string of national and World Cup titles. Eleven times she’s been crowned Australia’s best and she’s been a regular fixture at the pointy end of the field in all the World Cup events. And that’s just on the BMX. On the mountain bike she’s been a multiple World Cup winner and was crowned Australia’s premier mountain biker at the 2008 Australian Cyclist of the Year awards.

Caroline Buchanan 18 yrs old. image: Getty Images

For those who juggle the three disciplines, something usually has to give and for Buchanan it may have to be the mountain bike. The closer we get to London 2012, the more her focus will narrow in on the BMX event. Buchanan spearheads the five-member Elite High Performance Development Squad, which will be globetrotting for the next few years notching up enough points to qualify Australia in the top five countries (which would ensure three men and two women are allocated Olympic spots). This year alone the squad will jet off to compete in the United States, Switzerland, Italy and France.

When not negotiating customs, Buchanan tackles a rigorous training regime that perhaps belies the “thrills and spills” image of the sport. Mountain bike and BMX racing demand a strong core and a mix of explosive power and endurance. Her training at the ACT Academy of Sport reflects this, with everything from swimming to plyometrics on the weekly agenda.

Buchanan was stiff to miss out on competing at the Beijing Games, as she fell short of the 19-year-old age restriction for “extreme” Olympic sports. Should she accomplish her goals in London, the logical next step would be into the world of track cycling. She looks tailor-made for the sport of team sprint racing and hinted to Inside Sport that she was keen to eventually cross over to the “dark side”. But for the time being Buchanan’s Olympic dream is focused squarely on BMX.

Who’s She Like?

The obvious answer is, “She’s like her dad.” Buchanan’s father was a crack track sprinter in Wales before uprooting the family and emigrating to Australia. The 2003 Canberra bushfires wiped out the family home, but the Buchanans stuck thick and in a sport where sponsorship and prize money is limited, they remain Caroline’s biggest supporters. The other obvious answer is, “She’s like the men.” Indeed she takes pride in taking on the boys at their own game and giving them windburn. Though they have distinctly different styles, American Jill Kintner, who’s won a hat-trick of four-cross World titles, as well as an Olympic bronze, is one of the few in the sport who can match her. Dutch speedster Anneke Beerten is another who’ll push her all the way.

− Jonathan Horn