UCI Mountainbike World Championships NZ Wrap Day 4

The New Zealand riders finished well off the pace set by the Europeans in the elite crosscountry events at the UCI Mountainbike World Championships in Canberra today.

Best was Rataehi rider Nicola Leary who was 35th in the elite women’s race on the gruelling and technical course in Mt Stromlo Forest Park.

Russian Irina Kalentieva recovered from a broken wheel that pushed her back to 21st on the first of five laps to take out the women’s title over 32.35kms. The Beijing bronze medallist added a second world title when she overtook Denmark’s Lene Byberg halfway around the final lap.

Leary fought well to finish 35th, 13min 34sc down on the winner and nestled just behind the Australian quartet, while Christchurch’s Jeanette was 45th, two laps down.

The men’s race created one of the biggest upsets in the sport when four time world and two time Olympic champion, Julien Absalon was beaten by young Swiss rider Nini Schurter. Last year’s under-23 world champion managed to hold on to the French superstar when he spread-eagled the rest of the leading pack and had too much speed over the last 500m to hand a rare defeat to the sport’s greatest rider.

Lower Hutt’s Stu Houltham was the only kiwi to finish, coming home in 58th place in 2:21.30.

The championships conclude with the downhill competition with a number of New Zealanders qualifying within the top-10. The under-23 starts at 12.30pm NZ time, elite women at 3pm and elite men at 4pm.

Results, crosscountry:

Elite women, 32.35km: Irina Kalentieva (RUS) 1:43.20, 1; Lene Byberg (DEN) at 1:55.50, 2; Willow Koerber (USA) 1:44.35, 3. New Zealanders: Nicola Leary 1:56.54, 35; Jeanette Gerrie 2 laps, 45.

Elite men, 45.35kms: Nino Schurter (SWI) 2:04.39, 1; Julien Absalon (FRA) 2:04.42, 2; Florian Vogel (SWI) 2:05.37, 3. New Zealanders: Stu Houltham 2:21.30, 58; Mike Northcott dnf, Brendon Sharratt dnf.

Full results: www.uci.ch