Kiwi world champions Erice van Leuven and Sammie Maxwell were on-form in the opening day of the penultimate UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in USA today.
Van Leuven, the Hutt Valley professional, topped qualifiers in the junior women’s downhill at Snowshoe in West Virginia, USA in her return from injury.
The Commencal Les Orres rider clocked 4:07.743 down the 2.1km track to earn top qualifier ahead of tomorrow’s race as van Leuven pushes hard to top the World Series, currently third 65 points behind leader Valentina Roa Sanchez (COL) who was fourth fastest, 16 seconds back.
Fellow kiwi rider, Sacha Earnest, the world championship bronze medallist, was 10th fastest, while Christchurch’s Luke Wayman (The Alliance) was ninth fastest in the junior men’s downhill qualifying.
Meanwhile cross-country under-23 world champion, Maxwell finished second in the under-23 short track race.
Maxwell (NZ MTB Academy) finished just six seconds behind Swiss rider Ronja Blochlinger to set up a battle off the front row in the cross-country race on Monday (NZ time).
Of the other New Zealand females, Ruby Ryan placed 23rd, Annabel Bligh 32nd, Amelie Mackay 33rd in the under-23 women, while Ethan Rose and Team Talley’s NZ Collective teammate Matthew Walker were 33rd and 34th respectively in the men’s under-23 short track race.
Tomorrow’s focus is on the junior downhill race and qualifying for elite gravity riders, while elite cross-country riders contest the short track race.
Vision available: https://ucimtbworldseries.com/