RaboPlus NZ MTB Cups Presented by Nature Valley Results

The crowd watched the course in anticipation as Yeti/Fox rider Sam Blenkinsop (Wanganui) raced down the fast-paced track in the Whakarewarewa Forest today at the Raboplus NZ MTB Cups presented by Nature Valley. This was Blenkinsop’s first race since winning the final round of the 2008 UCI World Championships in Austria in September last year. Blenkinsop placed second in his seeding run and was hoping to knock off some time in his race run which he did, but, Ben Cathro (Scotland) took the win in the Elite Men category. Another Scottish rider, Joe Barnes, who is travelling around New Zealand for the NZ MTB Cups took third place.

Emmeline Ragot (France) kept her place at the top of the podium in the Elite Women’s category with Harriet Harper (Blenheim) placing second and Rita Langley (Wellington) third. The Senior Womens category is also one to watch with a growing field of women rising to the challenge of Downhill racing. The sport, traditionally male dominated is becoming increasingly popular with the ladies with 12 women entered in the open female category today. It is a very exciting sport with plenty of thrills and spills and riders need a high level of fortitude to compete.

The Rotorua course included several jumps that riders have to clear - choosing to jump these gaps of up to 14 metres can be risky but makes the race to the finish line faster. Madeline Taylor (Napier) placed first in Senior Women, and at just age 15 that is no mean feat. Taylor, who was introduced to the sport by a friend has been riding mountain bikes for just a year and quickly became addicted to the sport. Taylor said ‘it’s awesome to be riding with so many other girls, it makes us ride faster and more competitively, we all get along really well, but when it comes to the race, it’s all on’.

Race Organiser Dave Hamilton had a lot on his plate, with a huge race to run as well as both his sons entered and also racing himself. Hamilton placed first in the Masters 2 Men (over 40) whilst sons Louis placed 1st in Under 17 Men and Connor placed 5th in Under 15 Men. Hamilton said ‘it was amazing to see the top guys letting loose on the fast-paced summer course, with it being described as a wild roller coaster ride from top to bottom’.

This was the second race in the series of three, with the final round being held in Levin. Tomorrow sees Cross Country riders competing in the final round of the North Island Cross Country cup in Wellington. Both disciplines then move to the South Island Cup Series for another three rounds of racing before the RaboPlus New Zealand National Mountain Bike Championships being held in Nelson between the 26th Feb and 1st March.

Results - North Island Downhill Cup Round 2 – Rotorua

Elite Men

1 Ben Cathro, Scotland, 3:04.27; 2 Sam Blenkinsop, Wanganui, 3:07.44; 3 Joe Barnes, Scotland, 3:08.47.

Elite Women

1 Ragot Emmeline,France, 3:31.75; 2 Harriet Harper, Blenheim; 3:47.54, 3 Rita Langley 4:20.70

Full results available here for download and available at www.bikenz.org.nz/mtbcups