Results - NZCT North Island Cross Country Cup Round 2 Woodhill

Another exciting day of racing for round two of the RaboPlus NZ Mountain Bike Cups presented by Nature Valley in Auckland today with perfect conditions at Woodhill Mountain Bike Park.

 

Stuart Houltham (Lower Hutt) took first in the Elite Men category just ahead of Mike Northcott (Taupo), the two riders swapping positions from round one the week prior. First in Elite Women was Monique Avery (Rotorua) who kept Samara Sheppard (Wellington) right on her wheel for the Women’s race, drawing away in the final stages for a well deserved win.

 

Woodhill Mountain Bike Park was the venue for the well-received 11.5km course built by Park Manager Haydn Shore. The track was a step up on the technicality rating from previous races in the park and followed various trails throughout the purpose-built facility. The trails are renowned for being sandy which often slows the wheels in motion, however, this did not stop Rotorua rider Dirk Peters from placing first in the Under 19 Men category. Peters said of the course that ‘it was a fun course with some good downhill, I really enjoyed the sandy sections, but the heat made it a testing race’.

 

Event Organiser and Auckland Mountain Bike Club President Marke Jennings-Temple was pleased with the turnout of 134 racers who enjoyed a great atmosphere in the event village and spectator support on-course.

 

Jafakids, the junior academy division of the Auckland Mountain Bike Club had a strong presence with several racers competing, under the watchful eyes of coach Sadie Parker-Winyard. Jafakids rider Sasha Smith (Manakau) placed first in the Under 19 Women category whilst another Jafakid, Adrien Retief (Auckland) placed third in the Under 19 Men. Hannah Lane (Muriwai), Sammy Lane (Muriwai) and Sophie Tyas (Auckland) also Jafakids, placed first, second and third respectively in the Under 15 Women.

 

This was the second race in the North Island Cross Country Cup of three, with the last round being held in Wellington on January 18th, 2009. The South Island Cross Country Cup is held in February with races held in Dunedin, Timaru and Queenstown. The best four results from the six North Island and South Island Cups accrue points for riders towards the overall 2009 Raboplus MTB Cup title in each category.

 

Next weekend brings Downhill racers to Rotorua for the second round of the North Island Downhill Cup in the Whakarewarewa Forest. Spectators wanting to see the action are welcome and can find the venue by heading south towards Taupo on SH5. Pass SH30 then take the next left onto Waipa Mill Road - Mtb Tracks and then follow event signage.

 

Results - North Island Cross Country Cup Round 1 – Rotorua

Elite Men

1 Stuart Houltham Lower Hutt, 2:20:12 hrs, 2 Mike Northcott Taupo 2:24:49 hrs, 3 Gavin McCarthy Wellington 2:25:02hrs

Elite Women

1 Monique Avery Rotorua, 2:09:26 hrs, 2 Samara Sheppard Wellington 2:10:21hrs, 3 Nicole Swain Lower Hutt 2:14:26 hrs

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