Forty Kiwi mountain bikers head to the Alps on the Italy-France border in the shadow of Mont Blanc for a pivotal round of the Whoop UCI MTB World Cup for Enduro and Downhill riders.
The latest stop in the UCI MTB World Cup is the stunning mountain village of La Thuile in the Aosta Valley where Enduro riders compete in the penultimate round with results vital to overall aspirations.
The downhill competition reaches the midway point with several New Zealanders threatening podium standings, with double rounds in Italy and Andorra next weekend, critical to season hopes.
Recovery will be a key for enduro riders, after an exhausting two-day competition at Val di Fassa last weekend.
Despite a flat tyre that proved costly to podium hopes, Christchurch rider Charles Murray (Specialized Gravity) lies third in elite men, just 20 points behind second placed Jesse Melamed (CAN) with Yeti Development NZ rider, Joe Millington (Rotorua) in 12th place.
“I was super-proud of my riding at Val di Fassa. I was riding fast but unfortunately got a flat on the key stage which pushed me back to finish sixth,” said Murray. “I am still in the hunt and looking forward to this weekend in La Thuile.”
In elite women, George Swift (Yeti-Fox Factory) from Nelson is in sixth place, 40 points behind fifth placed Lily Planquart (FRA), while teenage rookie Winni Goldsbury (Specialized Gravity) is in eighth despite scoring in just three of her five starts.
There are podium hopes in the junior men, where Alexandra’s Cooper Millwood (Yeti Development NZ) is second, 250 points behind leader Melvin Almueis (FRA) but 235 points clear of third place.
This weekend’s racing on Saturday (local time) is over four stages. The day stages total 13.6kms of racing along with 35kms of liaison, with 1.3km of climbing and 1.7km on the gondola. The competition finishes with the first-ever night stage over a 600m track with 151m of descending which is sure to make for an exciting conclusion.
In downhill men’s elite, the leading kiwi rider is Rotorua’s Lachie Stevens McNab (Trek Factory) in 23rd achieved in only two of his four final runs.
In elite women, Queentown’s Jess Blewitt (Cube Factory) leads the way in 10th place on the back of two fifth placings.
In junior men, Yeti-Fox Factory rider Tyler Waite (Hawkes Bay) is in second overall on 175 points, sandwiched between French brothers Max and Till Alran, lying 30 points from the lead and seven clear of third.
Compatriot Oli Clark, the MS Racing rider from Kaikoura, is fifth overall on 140 points despite not scoring in one final, while Jonty Williamson (Yeti-Fox Factory, Palmerston North) is fifth 30 points behind his compatriot. Malik Boatwright (Team High Country, Queenstown) is 11th with this group combining for six podiums already this season.
In junior women, Tauranga’s Eliana Hulsebosch from the crack Santa Cruz Syndicate team, is in second place behind Austria’s Rosa Zierl, with the Rotorua pair of Bellah Birchall (Team High Country) and Kate Hastings fifth and seventh respectively.
While La Thuile is a regular stop for enduro riders, this stunning region is hosting the UCI World Cup downhill for the first time, with five-time world champion, Loic Bruni a fan of the steep, fast and technical track.
Downhill qualifying is set for Saturday afternoon (local time) with the enduro competition starting at 11am but finishing with the night stage from 8.30pm local time.
Action reverts to downhill on Sunday local time with finals from 11.30am (9.30pm NZT) through to elite men’s final from 2pm (midnight NZT).
New Zealand entrants are:
Enduro Round 6:
Elite men: Regan Doig (Mt Maunganui), Asher Hart (Tauranga), Oliver Jenkins Jablonski (Christchurch), Edward Masters (Taranaki, Pivot Factory), Joe Millington (Rotorua – Yeti NZ Development), Charles Murray (Christchurch, Specialized Gravity), Lachie Ross (Upper Hutt), Brady Stone (Nelson), Matthew Walker (Kawerau, Pivot Factory).
Junior Men: Sam Cameron (Mt Maunganui), Cooper Millwood (Yeti Development NZ, Alexandra), Eli Robertson (Nelson), Marcus Sayers (Yeti Development NZ, Alexandra).
Elite Women: Winnie Goldsbury (Specialized Gravity, Christchurch), George Swift (Yeti-Fox Factory, Nelson).
Junior Women: Poppy Croucher (Rotorua).
Downhill Round 5: Men Elite: Angus Ferguson (Christchurch), James Macdermid (Hamilton), Wyn Masters (Taranaki), Toby Meek (Queenstown), Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (MS Racing, Rotorua), Lachie Stevens-McNab (Trek Factory, Rotorua), Luke Wayman (Continental Atherton, Christchurch).
Junior: Seppy Binsbergen (New Plymouth), Malik Boatwright (High Road, Queenstown), Oli Clark (MS Racing, Kaikoura), Rory Meek (Queenstown), Sterling Stevens-McNab (Rotorua), Tyler Waite (Yeti Fox, Clive), Jonty Williamson (Yeti Fox, Palmerston North).
Women, elite: Jess Blewitt (Cube Factory, Queenstown), Sacha Earnest (Trek Factory, Auckland), Jenna Hastings (Pivot Factory, Rotorua), Erice van Leuven (Norco Race, Hutt Valley).
Junior: Bellah Birchall (High Country, Rotorua), Indy Deavoll (Yeti NZ Development, Queenstown), Kate Hastings (Rotorua), Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Synd, Tauranga).