Paris Olympian Samara Maxwell has an opportunity to become the first New Zealand female to win a UCI MTB Elite World Series title at the final round in Canada over the weekend.
The 23-year-old from the Decathlon Ford team carries a 183-point lead into the final round of cross-country with a maximum 330 points up for grabs – 50 in the short track and 280 in the MTB race.
Maxwell will be chasing a stronger start in the short-track race and if she finishes ahead of world champion Jenny Rissveds, then the title will be decided before the cross-country.
Rissveds won both races last weekend at Lake Placid but the course at Mont Sainte Anne, with its demanding technical tests and steep climbs, will play more to the strengths of the young kiwi.
Maxwell has impressed with her maturity in race tactics, like last week at Lake Placid where it was important to conserve energy.
“I spent the first few laps sitting back and letting other people do the work,” said Maxwell. “It was so hard. I just wanted to go but I waited and it paid off. That’s why I got on the podium. It wasn’t the legs; it was the tactics.”
Maxwell is not the only kiwi rider chasing season spoils with Yeti-Fox Factory junior, Tyler Waite from Hawkes Bay, lying third in the overall standings in junior men’s downhill with Jonty Williamson (Yeti Fox, Palmerston North) fifth and Oli Clark (MS Racing, Kaikoura) sixth.
Tauranga’s Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Syndicate) is fourth in the junior women’s standings, but only 10 points off third, with Rotorua’s Bellah Birchall (High Country) and Queenstown’s Indy Deavoll both in the top 10.
There have been superb performances in elite downhill led by Rotorua’s Lachlan Stevens-McNab (Trek Factory) who is closing on the top-10 overall, while Christchurch teenager Luke Wayman (Continental Atherton) will be hoping to build on his excellent 12th placing at Lake Placid last weekend.
Two-time junior world medallist Sacha Earnest (Trek Factory) will also be looking to follow on from her breakthrough podium in elite women.
Downhill qualifying and short-track cross-country is on Saturday (NZ time), downhill finals on Sunday and cross-country on Monday.
