Te Awamutu rider Rebecca Petch and North Harbour’s Michael Bias successfully defended their elite titles at the BMX New Zealand National Championships in Rotorua.

Both riders had to withstand some stern challenges from junior elite riders to emerge on the top of the podium.

Petch, ranked 31 in the world last year, won all three motos in impressive fashion at the international race venue at Waipa.

“Things went well out there and it was good to get another race under the belt,” said Petch who will now wait anxiously for a green light for the UCI World Cup season and remaining events as she pushes her claims for a spot in the team for the Tokyo Olympics.

Local Rotorua rider Megan Williams, stepping up to the junior elite ranks, claimed that title and finished second overall behind Petch with 2019 junior world champion Jessie Smith third.

Both Williams and Smith are part of the Schick Civil BMX Performance Hub development programme.

“I was stoked with how things went today. I rode better than I have ridden before and I am really looking forward to the season ahead,” said Williams.

The elite men’s honours went down to the wire after defending champion Bias slipped a pedal and placed third in the opening of three motos. He recovered to win the next and then rode his way to victory in the third and deciding moto, finishing one point ahead of fellow North Harbour club rider Rico Bearman.

“It was a really enjoyable day here in Rotorua with five of us chasing that top spot in the last race and thankfully I came out on top in that final race,” said Bias.

“I am very proud to be national champ for another year. It was a wicked event. Everyone is racing so well and New Zealand riders are on a good path.”

Bearman claimed the junior elite title and was second overall with the elites, pushing Bias to the final moto.

“The national championships went really well. I managed to win all of the junior elite races today and I am super-excited to see what this year bring and hopefully see if we can get overseas,” said Bearman.

Bearman finished ahead of Bennett Greenough (Cambridge) both riders from the Schick Civil hub programme.

A number of riders repeated wins from the 2020 championships, none more so than Cambridge rider Leila Walker who claimed her ninth straight national title since starting in the sport as an eight-year-old.

Others to repeat included Cambridge rider Meg Cannon who also won all three motos in the Mighty 11 Test Team trial, Ben Anderson (East City), Lucas Matene (Mountain Raiders), Deacon Connor (North Harbour), Finn Cogan (East City), Dave Mohi (Rotorua) and Adam Coker (East City).

Coker was among the riders who won titles in both challenge and cruiser class, along with Holly Oldham (Alexandra), Cooper Richardson (North Harbour), Kurt Bagby (Te Awamutu), Mohi and Christchurch’s Roy Leaning, the oldest competitor in the 60 years plus category.

Results, Females:

Elite and Junior Elite: Moto 1: Rebecca Petch (Te Awamutu) 1, Megan Williams (Rotorua) 2, Jessie Smith (Hamilton) 3. Moto 2: Petch 1, Williams 2, Smith 3. Moto 3: Petch 1, Williams 2, Smith 3. Final points: Petch 3, 1; Williams 6, 2; Smith 9, 3.

Challenge, 8-9 years: Jaylar Jenkins (Tauranga) 1, Honor McCabe Southland), Nessie Rennie (Hamilton) 3. 10yrs: Holly Nilsson (Waitakere) 1, Sophie Penny (Te Awamutu) 2, Asher Nepia-Anderson (Gisborne) 3. 11yrs: Meg Cannon (Cambridge) 1, Nicola Mapu (Hamilton)2, Addison Rutherfurd (New Plymouth) 3. 12yrs: Madeleine Hunter (Mountain Raiders) 1, Danika Bergersen (Hamilton) 2, Milla Ellis (New Plymouth) 3. 13yrs: Paiton Taylor (Sunset Coast) 1, Nikita Clarke (Waitakere) 2, Molly Inia (Te Awamutu) 3. 14yrs: Renae Colman Savage (Hawkes Bay) 1, Lily Greenough (Cambridge) 2, Hannah Mason (Tauranga) 3. 15yrs: Jaydah-Lily Lees (Rotorua) 1, Sacha Earnest (Mountain Raiders) 2, Kiera Waite (Tauranga) 3. 16yrs: Leila Walker (Cambridge) 1, Brooke Penny (Te Awamutu) 2, Brooke Keown (Christchurch) 3. 17-24yrs: Abbey Simcock (Tauranga) 1, Holly Oldham (Alexandra) 2, Emma Pugh (North Harbour) 3. 25-29yrs: Toni James (Waitakere) 1, Chelsea Watton (Hamilton) 2. 45-49yrs: Nancy James (Waitakere) 1.

Cruiser: 17-24yrs: Holly Oldham (Alexandra) 1, Caitlin Georgantas (Hamilton) 2, Tayla Arnold (Tauranga) 3. 25-29yrs: Toni James (Waitakere) 1. 35-39yrs: Sonja Rennie (Hamilton) 1. 40-44yrs: Steph Hoek (Mountain Raiders) 1, Sherilyn Anderson (Gisborne) 2, Kyla Newton (Gisborne) 3. 50plus: Nancy James (Waitakere) 1.

Males, Elite and Junior Elite: Moto 1: Rico D’Anvers (Cambridge) 1, Rico Bearman (North Harbour) 2, Michael Bias (North Harbour) 3. Moto 2: Bias 1, Bearman 2, Bennett Greenhough (Cambridge) 3. Moto 3: Bias 1, Bearman 2, Greenough 3. Points: Bias 5 points, 1; Bearman 6, 2; D’Anvers 9, 3.

Challenge, 8yrs: Jai Matene (Mountain Raiders) 1, Finn Lawrence (Hawera) 2, Nixon Murphy (Christchurch) 3. 9yrs: Rico Ryan (East City) 1, Leon Dumbrell (New Plymouth) 2, Charlie Withington (Tauranga) 3. 10yrs: Ben Anderson (East City) 1, Max Hei Hei (Sunset Coast) 2, Dylan Fox (Rotorua) 3. 11yrs: Lucas Matene (Mountain Raiders) 1, Cees Silver (New Plymouth) 2, Seb Stettner (Christchurch) 3. 12yrs: Deacon Connor (North Harbour) 1, Bruno Nemedi (Tauranga) 2, Levi Banks (Hamilton) 3. 13yrs: Luke Brooke-Smith (Cambridge) 1, Tom Coleman (Kapiti) 2, Fred Cooper (Christchurch) 3. 14yrs: Finn Cogan (East City) 1, Cooper Richardson (North Harbour) 2, Jack Gebbie (North Avon) 3. 15yrs: Ben James (Alexandra) 1, Matthew Haigh (Waitakere) 2, Lewis Atkinson (Mountain Raiders) 3. 16yrs: Jesse-James Green (Christchurch) 1. Louis Hunt (Cambridge) 2, Jake Earnest (Mountain Raiders) 3. 17-24yrs: Marc Edwards (Waitakere) 1, Luey Cotton (Kapiti) 2, Logan Hirst (Taupo) 3. 25-29yrs: Cody Keach (Christchurch) 1, Ethan Wi (Waitakere) 2, Hayden Stockman (Hamilton) 3. 30-34yrs: Allan Frank (Tauranga) 1, Karl Ellis (Cambridge) 2, Joshua Clarke (Southland) 3. 35-39yrs: Adam Coker (East City) 1, Tim Ferguson (Cambridge) 2, Richard Stratford (Hamilton) 3. 40-44yrs: Kurt Bagby (Te Awamutu) 1, Derek Jelgersma (Dunedin) 2, Glen Ogle (Christchurch) 3.  45-49yrs: JT Nepia (Gisborne) 1, Ken Feist (Hutt Valley) 2, Zane Alexander (Hawkes Bay) 3. 50-54yrs: Dave Mohi (Rotorua) 1, Greg Hughes (Tauranga) 2, Carl Berryman (Hawkes Bay) 3. 60plus: Roy Leaning (North Avon) 1.

Cruiser, 13-14yrs: Cooper Richardson (North Harbour) 1, Ni k Cowie (Southland) 2, Jack Gebbie (North Avon) 3. 17-24yrs: Daniel Bowers-Wilson (North Avon) 1, Cory Walden (Te Awamutu) 2. 30-34yrs: Karl Ellis (Cambridge) 1. 35-39yrs: Adam Coker (East City) 1, Lance Dinsdale (Whangarei) 2, Scott Murphy (Christchurch) 3. 40-44yrs: Kurt Bagby (Te Awamutu) 1, Derek Jelgersma (Dunedin) 2, Rob Beattie (East City) 3. 45-49yrs: Dion Newth (Rotorua) 1, Philip Armstead (Waitakere) 2, Zane Alexander (Hawkes Bay) 3. 50-54yrs: Dave Mohi (Rotorua) 1, Greg Hughes (Tauranga) 2, Carl Berryman (Hawkes Bay) 3. 60Plus: Roy Leaning (North Avon) 1.

Mighty 11s Test Team Trial Results, Girls Team:

Meg Cannon (Captain), Nicola Mapu, Millie Waite, Emi Summers, Molly Buckley (Reserve)

Boys Team: Levi Banks (Captain), Taine De Thierry, Camden Rutherfurd, Bryson Joyce, Nico Cogan (Reserve).

Caption: Michael Bias and Rico Bearman capture some big air in the elite men’s race, while Rebecca Petch leads Megan Williams in the women. (Credit: Jessica Gosling – Cycling New Zealand)