Hawkes Bay rider Tyler Waite and Auckland’s Sacha Earnest led the New Zealand charge in elite downhill qualifying for round two of the UCI MTB World Series at Loudenvielle-Peyragudes in the French Pyrenees today.
Earnest, 20, riding for the Trek Unbroken pro team, was fifth fastest qualifier in the elite women’s downhill to push through to the finals tomorrow.
She was joined by Tauranga’s Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Syndicate) who was eighth fastest in the first qualifying run, with the top-10 moving through. Meanwhile multi-national champion Jess Blewitt (Queenstown) had to fight hard to claim the fifth spot in the second qualifying run, to secure her place in tomorrow’s final for her new Scott Downhill team.
Waite, 19, was 12th fastest to move into the elite men’s final for his Yeti-Fox Factory team in the first qualifying session. The Hawkes Bay rider, third overall in the junior category last year, made his elite debut this year, and is the only kiwi in tomorrow’s elite men’s final.
National champion Tuhoto Ariki-Pene, who rides for MS Racing, finished 11th in his second qualifying run to miss out on a spot in the final by 0.04s, while fellow Rotorua star Lachie-Stevens McNab (Trek Unbroken) withdrew after falling at the rock garden in final training.
Junior men’s first round winner, Jonty Williamson was outstanding to top qualifiers in junior men with the Yeti-Fox rider again impressing. He led Rotorua’s Sterling Stevens-McNab (The Alliance, Rotorua) and Taranaki newcomer Jed Kuegler as qualifiers for tomorrow’s final.
Queenstown’s Indy Deavoll (Stoic Racing) was the sole kiwi gravity rider to qualify in junior women, fifth fastest in her run to move into the finals.
Meanwhile Christchurch teenager Winni Goldsbury finished fourth in the opening round of the Enduro World Series at Loudenvielle.
Goldsbury, who impressed in her debut last year, finished just five seconds off the podium in the opening round of the Enduro World Series, comprising five special stages and 50kms of liaisons with a total of 1262m of climbing.
She was second after the opening stage and third after stage two but was edged out of the podium by only five seconds.
Warkworth’s George Swift, the E-bike enduro world champion, finished eighth behind winner Ella Conolly from Great Britain.
Downhill Qualifying results:
Elite women, Qualifying 1 (Top10): Valentina Holl (AUT) 3:55.651, 1; Myriam Nicole (FRA) 3:59.717, 2; Gracey Hemstreet (CAN) 4:00.877, 3. NZers: Sacha Earnest (Trek Unbroken) 4:01.857, 5; Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Synd) 4:03.560, 8; Jess Blewitt (Scott Downhill) 4:08.405, 14; Bellah Birchall (The Alliance) 4:10.961, 17; Kate Hastings 4:15.653, 21.
Qualifying 2 (Top 5 to qualify): Jess Blewitt 4:10.719, 5.
Elite men, Qualifying 1 (top 20 qualify): Loris Vergier (FRA) 3:27.844, 1; Jordan Williams (GBR) 3:28.548, 2; Henri Kiefer (GER) 3:30.857, 3. Tyler Waite 3:31.751, 12. Qualifying 2 (top 10): Tuhoto Ariki-Penne 11th 0.04s off qualifying.
Junior men (top 20 qualify): Jonty Williamson (Yeti Fox Factory, Palmerston North) 3:37.021, 1; Sterling Stevens-McNab (The Alliance, Rotorua) 3:43.661, 8; Jed Kuegler (New Plymouth) 3:47.300, 17.
Junior women: Indy Deavoll (Stoic Racing, Queenstown) 4:11.378, 5.
Sacha Earnest. (Trek Shop)