Rotorua teenager, Joe Millington led the kiwi elite riders at the demanding two-day UCI MTB Enduro World Cup in Italy.
The 19-year-old finished fifth in the highly competitive elite men’s field with more than 100 starters in the fifth round of the world series at Val di Fassa in the Dolomites of northern Italy.
The Yeti NZ Development rider produced a strong performance on day two, with four top-10 stage finishes to move to fifth place overall, 39 seconds down on winner and series leader, Slawomir Lukasik (POL).
Rotorua’s Millington finished one place ahead of national champion Charles Murray (Christchurch) with the Specialized Gravity rider starting strongly with fourth placings in the opening two stages today before an issue on the penultimate stage where he lost over 30 seconds.
Murray recovered to finish sixth overall for the two-day contest, which drops him just one spot to third on the overall standings, only 20 points off second.
Bay of Plenty’s Matthew Walker (Pivot Factory), who splits his World Cup ventures betweendownhill and enduro, was an impressive 14th overall, finishing fourth on the final stage.
Nelson Yeti-Fox Factory rider, George Swift enjoyed a strong two days, finishing ninth in the elite women which moves her to sixth on overall points.
Christchurch teenager Winni Goldsbury (Specialized Gravity) did not finish, still suffering the effects of illness and with a time penalty looming to repair her bike on day one, Goldsbury decided to withdraw to focus on the next round this weekend.
Likewise Cooper Millwood did not finish in the junior men’s competition after a fall, with fellow Yeti-Fox NZ Development rider Marcus Sayers, also from Alexandra, was the leading kiwi in 17th. Millwood retains his second placing in the overall standings.
The competition finished in the heart of the event village at Val di Fassa after over 15km of special stages and over 60kms of liaison riding with a total elevation gain of over 3000m in a demanding test.
Riders remain in Italy for the penultimate round of the world series next weekend, moving to La Thuile, nestled in the Alps in the north-west.
Results:
Elite men: Slawomir Lukasik (POL) 34:41.943, 1; Rich Rude Jnr (USA) 34:55.801, 2; Jesse Melamed (CAN) 34:59.353, 3. Also NZers: Joe Millington (Yeti NZ Devel, Rotorua) 35:21.290, 5; Charles Murray (Specialized Gravity, Christchurch) 35:22.773, 6; Matthew Walker (Pivot Factory, Kawerau) 35:41.722, 14; Ed Masters (Pivot Factory, Taranaki) 36:21.338, 27; Lachie Ross (Upper Hutt) 37:13.214, 49; Oliver Jenkins Jablonski (Christchurch) 37:53.304, 67; Asher Hart (Tauranga) 39:36.618, 104; Regan Doig (Mt Maunganui) dnf.
Elite women: Ella Conolly (GBR) 40:23.277, 1; Nadine Ellecosta (ITA) 40:51.747, 2; Simona Kuchynkova (SVK) 40:59.273, 3. Also NZers: George Swift (Yeti-Fox Factory, Nelson) 42:30.612, 9; Winni Goldsbury (Specialized Gravity, Christchurch) dnf.
Junior men: Melvin Almueis (FRA) 36:32.007, 1; Aron Babo (HUN) 35:58.079, 2; Rhys Blair (CAN) 37:32.816, 3. Also NZers: Marcus Sayers (Yeti Fox, Alexandra) 38:33.882, 17; Eli Robertson (Nelson) 40:36.22, 22; Sam Cameron (Mt Maunganui) 44:11.567, 25; Cooper Millwood (Yeti Fox NZ, Alexandra) dnf.
Junior women: Lacy Adams (AUS) 44:03.915, 1; Lucile Metge (FRA) 44:05.570, 2; Chloe Bear (USA) 45:14.686, 3. Also NZers: Poppy Croucher (Rotorua) dnf.