Leov, Sharratt, Joseph to feature in NZ Mountainbike Cup Opener
Wednesday 6 January 2010, 8:51AM
By MTBNZ
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The RaboPlus 2010 NZ MTB Cup launches this weekend in Christchurch. The six event national series in MTB Cross Country and Downhill disciplines takes competitors all over NZ in January and February, culminating in the RaboPlus MTB National Championships at the end of February in Wellington.
Christchurch is proud to host the first round of the 2010 Cup this weekend at a new venue on the national MTB circuit. The Living Springs Farm Park in Governors Bay will be the event base for the spectacular Downhill race on Saturday, and the gruelling Cross Country race on Sunday. Christchurch is also hosting the RaboPlus National Elite Road Cycling Championships this weekend, in what will be an amazing weekend of national level competitive cycling for the city.
Saturday's Downhill event has attracted a number of NZ's best gravity racers, with Dunedin's Justin Leov featuring. Leov, formerly of Christchurch is a world ranked top ten athlete and will have a high level of NZ and international competition this weekend. Leov squares off against several other current NZ MTB Team members as well as a number of international visitors. Fabien Pedemenaud (France) has raced previously in NZ, and returns again in 2010 to maintain a high level of off season racing experience before the 2010 World Cup which starts in May. Current downhill Junior World Champion Brook MacDonald (Hawkes Bay) has moved up into the senior Elite category this year, and will be wanting to stamp his mark on the Elite field as quickly as possible this summer. Another Hawkes Bay charger, George Brannigan will be racing his first year in Elite this summer and while still a junior, Brannigan is eager to kick on from his 2009 top ten Junior World Championship finish in NZ's premier Elite category.
The Cross Country race on Sunday also features several current NZ MTB Team athletes racing their first competitive national level event. Brendon Sharratt (Christchurch) returns to his home turf with a new sponsor and renewed enthuisiasm and will be hard to beat in the 40km Elite Mens six lap race. Olympian Rosara Joseph, also of Christchurch is expected to make a surprise appearance on the mountainbike this Sunday, after illness ruined her international racing season in 2009.
Downhill practice at Living Springs, Governors Bay runs between 9am and 5pm on Friday, with seeding and racing taking place on Saturday from 10.30am.
Cross Country racing at Living Springs, Governors Bay has age group categories on a 10.30am race start on Sunday morning, with Elite, U19 and U23 categories racing on a 2pm race start.
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