Christchurch mountain biker Charles Murray has finished a blink away from victory in the penultimate round of the UCI MTB Enduro World Cup in Italy today.
Murray (Specialized Gravity) was pipped by 0.05s for the overall honours after an exciting final stage, staged at night under lights for the first time, at La Thuile in the Alps near the Italy-France border.
Seeking his second World Cup enduro victory after a breakthrough win in Bielsko-Biala in Poland last season, Murray had an advantage of just 0.2s over series leader Lukasik Slawomir (POL) after the three day-stages held at high altitude in the high Alps.
Slawomir proved fastest in the exciting night stage under lights with Murray edged by the narrowest of margins for the win.
“It was awesome. A really tough day. We had three stages with almost 1000m of descending on one hit. We started at 2,600m so you really notice the lack of oxygen there. It was physically so hard in high altitude and quite hot,” said Murray.
“I am happy to be on the podium but it was so close. I knew I had the win in my but did not quite execute perfectly.
“The night stage was a bit hit for the fans and taking enduro to the people. But there was quite a break from the end of stage three.
“I will enjoy a break and get ready for the final round and the world champs and hopefully I can get that top spot on the podium.”
Murray has moved to second in the overall standings going into the final round, in six weeks at Haute Savoie, France.
Emerging teenage talent, Winni Goldsbury (Christchurch), who also rides for Specialized Gravity, finished fifth overall in the elite women. She dropped time on the second stage in a further impressive showing in her rookie season.
She shares seventh place overall with fellow kiwi George Swift, the Yeti-Fox rider from Nelson, going into the final round.
Alexandra’s Cooper Millwood was fifth in the junior men, after pushing to third on the day stages but dropped to fifth in the night stage. Millwood is second overall in the standings, well clear of his closest chasers.
Meanwhile the gravity riders were challenged in qualifying on the new downhill track.
The elite women led the way for the kiwis with multi-national champion Jess Blewitt (Cube Factory) sixth fastest in qualifying, seven seconds down on top qualifier Gracey Hemstreet.
She is joined in the finals tomorrow by two-time junior world champion Erice van Leuven who was seventh fastest in first round qualifying. The Norco professional from the Hutt Valley will race her first elite final after a late start to her rookie year following injury.
The kiwi riders continued to prosper in junior women, with four riders in the top 10 to qualify for the finals, headed by Rotorua’s Bellah Birchall (Team High Country) who was third fastest.
She is joined by fellow Rotorua rider Kate Hastings sixth, Queenstown’s Indy Deavoll eighth and Tauranga’s Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz) 10th and final qualifying spot for the finals.
Rotorua’s Lachie Stevens-McNab is the sole kiwi rider in the elite men downhill final, finishing seventh fastest in the second stage qualifying where the top 10 advanced.
Just missing out were Luke Wayman (Continental Atherton) 13th and Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (MS Racing) 15th with outstanding young Canadian Jackson Goldstone again leading all qualifiers.
The kiwis continued to prosper in the junior men’s ranks, led by in-form Hawkes Bay rider Tyler Waite (Yeti-Fox) fourth fastest, to be joined in tomorrow’s final by Kaikoura’s Oli Clark (MS Racing) fifth in qualifying; Queenstown’s Malik Boatwright (High Country) seventh fastest and Palmerston North’s Jonty Williamson (Yeti-Fox) 16th.