http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.cyclingnewzealand.nz en-us Mon, 06 Apr 2026 19:51:04 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/post/162384/experience-wins-out-in-enduro-and-short-track-mtb-nationals-in-rotorua/ Experience proved decisive whether a short-track sprint or full-day enduro on the final day of the UCI Mountain Bike Championships in Rotorua.Christchurch physiotherapist Mary Gray, who claimed Whaka 100 Marathon title last year, added the shortest of MTB titles, claiming the national short course victory on the final day of the championships in Rotorua.Gray edged out fellow Christchurch Singletrack Club rider Amelie Mackay and hometown Rotorua rider Ruby Ryan in the sprint finish to claim the C... Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:40:46 +1300 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/#post162384 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/post/162375/walker-and-bearman-dominate-bmx-racing-national-honours/ Paris Olympic Games riders Leila Walker and Rico Bearman claimed the elite titles at the BMXNZ National Championships in Te Awamutu today.Walker, from the nearby Cambridge BMX Club, earned her second national elite BMX Racing title with three straight wins in the three-moto format which mixed the best elite and under-23 riders.She grabbed the holeshot in all three motos and was never threatened. Walker finished clear of fellow international elite rider, Megan Williams (Rotorua) and Te Awamutu’... Sun, 22 Mar 2026 18:36:58 +1300 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/#post162375 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/post/162273/lucky-11-for-cooper-sheppard-back-home-for-national-mtb-championships/ Two 30-something mountain bike legends showed that class is permanent as they dominated the Cycling New Zealand Cross-country Championships in Rotorua today.Christchurch professional Anton Cooper, 31, claimed his 11th elite national XCO honours while Australian-based kiwi Samara Sheppard dominated the elite women at the sport’s spiritual home in the Whakarewarewa Forest.It was the fourth time that Cooper has claimed the title in Rotorua and the second time for Sheppard, 35, who was based in th... Sat, 21 Mar 2026 17:44:02 +1300 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/#post162273 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/post/162152/2026-uci-junior-track-world-championships-team-announcement/ Cycling New Zealand is excited to announce the Team selected to the 2026 UCI Junior Track World Championships.The 13‑rider strong Team will represent New Zealand later this year in Zolder, Belgium, and features a balanced mix of Sprint and Endurance riders.The Team consists of:Men: Remi Dalton (Counties Manukau), Cooper Nilsson (Te Awamutu), Jack Allan (Counties Manukau), Oliver Keast (Canterbury), Riley Crampton (Canterbury), Alex Botha (Counties Manukau).Women: Minni... Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:39:38 +1300 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/#post162152 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/post/162151/olympic-pair-to-defend-bmx-racing-national-titles-at-te-awamutu/ Olympians Leila Walker and Rico Bearman will be looking to extend their records at the BMX Racing New Zealand National Championships at Te Awamutu at the weekend.Sidelined with injury last summer, the 20-year-old Walker will be looking to add to her championship win in 2024.She claimed the Oceania elite title in New Plymouth last month in an impressive display by the Cambridge rider.Europe-based professional Rico Bearman will be hoping to build on his excellent 2025 season where he became the fi... Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:38:22 +1300 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/#post162151 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/post/162116/cooper-chases-lucky-no-11-title-at-mtb-national-championships-in-rotorua/ The king of cross-country mountain bike, Anton Cooper is set to extend his extraordinary run in the Cycling New Zealand XCO National Championships at the spiritual home of the sport in Rotorua this weekend.The 31-year-old Christchurch professional is the hottest of favourites to add to his remarkable 10 elite championship titles at the famed Whakarewarewa Forest on Saturday.Cooper will be hoping to make it lucky 11 elite wins before joining the new Lapierre PXR Racing, a five-strong German-based... Thu, 19 Mar 2026 13:48:07 +1300 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/#post162116 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/post/161933/repeat-hometown-downhill-mountain-bike-success-for-hastings-and-pene/ Hometown stars Jenna Hastings and Tuhoto-Ariki Pene both successfully defended their New Zealand National elite downhill mountain bike titles on home turf in Rotorua yesterday.The pair, who both won their first national elite honours in Rotorua last year, repeated down the spectacular Kārearea Downhill, which was run as part of the global Crankworx series currently running in the city.Both riders will get to wear the New Zealand sleeve in international competition this year after a closely-foug... Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/#post161933 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/post/161576/sprint-cyclists-edge-back-into-competition/ New Zealand’s female sprint cyclists dusted off the cobwebs in the opening round of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Perth.After a silver medal in the individual sprint, Olympic Games champion Ellesse Andrews and compatriot Olivia King narrowly missed out on the A Final in the keirin on the final day of competition.Andrews was second in her first round, missing on the A final by 0.2s before finishing second in the B Final, while King , second in her heat, missed the A final by a blink to be ... Mon, 09 Mar 2026 08:15:33 +1300 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/#post161576 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/post/161566/cooper-claims-ninth-elite-oceania-mtb-honour/ New Zealand star Anton Cooper claimed his ninth UCI Oceania Mountain Bike elite cross-country title at in Brisbane yesterday.Cooper, who will ride for the new Lapierre PXR Racing team on the UCI world circuit this season, dominated the Oceania race to add further to his outstanding record.After missing the title last year, Cooper established an 11 second lead on the opening loop and never looked back. He built on his advantage every lap to finish in 1:25:33, over three minutes clear of Australia... Sun, 08 Mar 2026 10:14:30 +1300 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/#post161566 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/post/161565/silver-for-andrews-in-world-cup-opener/ New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews settled for silver in her first UCI World Cup outing in Perth.In a low-key start to the racing season for the Olympic Games champion, Andrews pushed through qualifying in the individual sprint as the fourth fastest in 10.548s,Andrews won her opening round before accounting for five-time world champion Pauline Sophie Grabosch (Germany) in the quarterfinals in two straight rides.The kiwi rider followed with an excellent effort to beat top qualifier Mina Sato (Japan)... Sun, 08 Mar 2026 10:13:23 +1300 http://www.cyclingnewzealand.nz/blog/#post161565