Samara Maxwell managed a solid fifth placing in the short track women’s race on the opening day of the UCI MTB World Cup finale in Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada.
World champion Jenny Rissveds (SWE) took out the race in 21:40, finishing 18 seconds clear of Evie Richards (GBR) who claimed the short track season title.
Maxwell was a further two seconds back in fifth, with her lead now 141 points over Rissveds in the XCO overall title race to be decided on Monday (NZT).
Meanwhile several the kiwi gravity riders made strong performances in downhill qualifying.
Christchurch teenager Luke Wayman (Continental Atherton), impressive last week at Lake Placid, led the kiwis in elite men, qualifying 12th fastest in the first round, along with Rotorua’s Lachlan Stevens-McNab (Trek Factory) in 19th, while fellow Rotorua rider Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (MS Racing ) qualified in the second round.
Auckland’s Sacha Earnest continued strong form after her breakthrough podium in elite women last week, qualifying eighth fastest, and joined by Rotorua’s Jenna Hastings (Pivot Factory) who grabbed the 10th and final qualifying spot.
In junior downhill qualifying, the Yeti-Fox pair of Tyler Waite (Hawke Bay) and Jonty Williamson (Palmerston North) were fourth and fifth fastest respectively while Oli Clark did not finish after a crash.
Tauranga’s Eliana Hulsebosch impressed to qualify second fastest in Junior Women and will be joined in the final by Rotorua’s Bellah Birchall who was second fastest.
The downhill finals are tomorrow ahead of cross-country on Monday.
