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-fought final.
Rising Kaikoura teenager Oli Clark set the scene, with the Mondraker Factory Racing rider claiming the lead and the first under the three-minute mark down the 2.1km steep course that drops 320m in decent.
Clark clocked 2:59.99 to claim the lead under Pene, the local MS Racing professional, edged that time by just 0.04s to win his second national elite title.
Pene commented that the win was special and even better to achieve at the event and in Rotorua.
Outstanding Yeti Fox Factory teenager Tyler Waite from Hawkes Bay secured third place less than one second behind the winner.
It proved a double-double for Hastings, with the Pivot Factory Racing rider securing the fastest time in the seeding run and dominated the final.
The Rotorua rider produced a commanding effort as the final rider down the course, winning in 3:18.288 to finish four seconds ahead of Auckland’s Trek Factory Racing professional Sacha Earnest, who finished top-10 on the elite UCI world series last year.
It proved a family double with younger sister Kate Hastings, who was eighth in the junior world series rankings last year, claiming third place less than a second back.
The trio were clear of last year’s impressive junior riders Indy Deavoll from Queenstown and Bellah Birchall from Rotorua in fourth and fifth respectively.
There were some favourites who suffered with Rotorua star Lachlan Stevens-McNab losing time after a slide at the top of the course and crashes involving some key prospects including the luckless former junior world champion Erice van Leuven.
Results:
Elite women: Jenna Hastings (Rotorua) 3:18.288, 1; Sacha Earnest at 4.212, 2; Kate Hastings at 5.154, 3; Indy Deavoll at 15.503, 4; Bellah Birchall at 16.602, 5.
Under-19: Indy Deavoll (Queenstown) 3:33.791, 1; Ursula Summers (Rotorua) 3:35.971, 2; Millie Waite (Havelock North) 4:09.112, 3.
Elite men: Tuhoto-Ariki Pene 2:59.953, 1; Oli Clark at 0.037s, 2; Tyler Waite at 0.845, 3; James Macdermid at 1.143, 4; Jonty Williamson at 3.588, 5.
Under-19: Jonty Williamson (Yeti-Fox, Palmerston North) 3:03.541, 1; Dexter Lock (Taranaki) 3:04.493, 2; Seppy Binsbergen (Taranaki) 3:05.112, 3.
