Kiwi mountain biker Sammie Maxwell produced an outstanding performance to finish runner-up in the latest round of the UCI MTB Cross-country World Series in Italy.
The Decathlon Ford team professional, in her first season as an elite, retains her lead in the overall world series standings after the fifth of nine rounds at Val di Sole.
After a win in the opening round, the 2023 under-23 world champion has finished second in the next four rounds, where she has ridden to her own pace, rather than getting caught up going with every attack.
That proved the case at Val di Sole when Maxwell dropped nearly 40 seconds in the opening lap from an uncharacteristic start and the attacks by eventual winner, Dutch star Puck Pieterse.
Riding at her own pace, Maxwell began to eat into that advantage, and by the penultimate lap had caught the chasers and moved into second place behind Pieterse, closing on the Dutch rider on the final climb.
Maxwell leads the overall standings by 341 on Nicole Koller (SUI) and 433 on Pieterse.
“I just had a bad start again. I told myself to be composed. I felt good on the climbs. I knew where to burn matches and where not to,” said Maxwell. “If someone has 40 seconds on you on the start lap and you are racing for an hour and a half, you chip off 10 seconds a lap and you are going to be up there.
“On the last climb I saw her (Puck) and that I was closing her so I emptied the tank. I knew I had to go long and that closed the gap and I got super-excited but I was pretty cooked by then.
“Strategically I was not impressed because I had a really bad start, which probably took me out of contention for the win but I could still fight for the podium.”
In other racing, the Lapierre Racing rider Anton Cooper (Christchurch) finished 7:17 down on the winner after being shuttled back from his start position on the fifth row on the tight circuit, while Sam Gaze, still struggling from his recent illness and crash, did not start.
Christchurch rider Ethan Rose (Trek Future) enjoyed another solid race in the under-23 men, finishing 14th overall, 2:47 down on the winner, with Coen Nicol (Taupo) 70th while Amelie Mackay (Christchurch) was 43rd in the under-23 women.
The UCI MTB World Series moves to La Thuile Valle D’Aosta in north-west of Italy for the fifth round for downhill and sixth round for enduro next weekend, following by cross-country and downhill in two weeks in Andorra.
Cross-country Results:
Women U23: Valentina Corvi (ITA) 1:05.59, 1; Fiona Schibler (SUI) at 30s, 3; Sara Cortinovis (ITA) at 52s, 3. Also: Amelie Mackay (NZL) at 11:10, 43.
Elite: Puck Pieterse (NED) 1:29.08, 1; Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford, NZL) at 26s, 2; Laura Stigger (AUT) at 44s, 3. Jenny Rissveds (SWE) at 47s, 4.
Men U23: Rens Teunissen Van Manen (NED) 1:18.53, 1; Finn Treudler (SUI) at 34s, 2; Benjamin Kruger (GER) at 51s, 3. Also NZers: Ethan Rose (Trek Future, Christchurch) at 2:47, 14; Coen Nicol (Taupo) at 2 laps, 70.
Men Elite: Martin Kossmann (CHI) 1:27.42, 1; Mathis Assaro (FRA) at 23s, 2; Fabio Puntener (SUI) at 39s, 3. Also NZers: Anton Cooper (Lapierre Racing) at 7:17, 52.