NZ Mountainbike Team for World Championships Announced

Mountainbike NZ and BikeNZ have great pleasure in announcing the NZ MTB Team for the UCI World Mountainbike Championships being held in Champery, Switzerland between August 30 and Sept 4.

The 30 strong team covers the three UCI categories of Under 19, Under 23 and Elite in Cross Country, Downhill and Four Cross disciplines. The Cross Country contingent is led by Beijing Olympian Rosara Joseph and contains a number of athletes on the rise on the world stage. The Downhill part of the team is led by a quartet of elite athletes who have been regular World Cup podium and top ten performers this year - Brook MacDonald, Sam Blenkinsop, Cam Cole and Justin Leov, who will be backed by an exciting group of Junior athletes.

The full team assembles in Italy to lead into the World Champs through the final World Cup series event - taking place in Val di Sole, Italy on the weekend of Aug 20/21.

NZ MTB Team 2011
Cross Country (XCO)
Under 19 Men
Anton Cooper, Woodend
Mathew Waghorn, Palmerston North
Nigel McDowell, Rotorua
Tom Bradshaw, Wellington
Tom Filmer, Nelson
Under 23 Women
Katie O'Neill, Rotorua
Samara Sheppard, Rotorua
Under 23 Men
Dirk Peters, Rotorua
Brad Hudson, Christchurch
Sam Shaw, Rotorua
Elite Women
Rosara Joseph, Christchurch
Karen Hanlen, Whakatane
Elite Men
Carl Jones, Rotorua

Downhill Individual (DHI)
Under 19 Women
Sarah Atkin, Wellington
Sophie Tyas, Auckland
Madeline Taylor, Napier
Veronique Sandler, Nelson
Sophie-Marie Bethell, Auckland
Under 19 Men
Reuben Olorenshaw, Nelson
Daniel Franks, Christchurch
Reece Potter, Takaka
Jay Barrett, Napier
Elite Women
Amy Laird, Christchurch
Gabby Molloy, Rotorua
Elite Men
Cameron Cole, Christchurch
Sam Blenkinsop, Wanganui
Justin Leov, Dunedin
Brook MacDonald, Napier
George Brannigan, Hawkes Bay
Matthew Scoles, Alexandra

Four Cross (4X)
Elite Men
Daniel Franks, Christchurch