7 days ago
Regional riders in strong world championship team
Malik Boatwright. PHOTO: ODT FILES
Four Otago cyclists have booked their ticket to Switzerland.
Queenstown downhill riders Jess Blewitt, Malik Boatwright and Indy Deavoll, and Alexandra enduro rider Cooper Millwood, are part of a 47-strong team representing New Zealand at the UCI world mountain biking championships later this month.
Mountain Bike New Zealand president Ryan Hunt said it was arguably the strongest overall team the Kiwis had sent to the world championships across the mountain bike disciplines.
There are riders racing in cross-country, downhill, enduro, e-enduro and cross-country marathon.
Fifteen New Zealanders rank in the top 10.
Leading the way is No 1-ranked women's elite cross-country rider Samara Maxwell, who is also ranked fifth in short-track.
Elite downhill riders Blewitt and and Rotorua's Lachie Stevens-McNab are ranked in the top10.
There has been a strong crop of next-generation talent coming through.
Millwood has been consistent this season and sits second overall in the world junior men's series.
Eight Kiwis sit in the top 10 for the junior downhill.
Hawke's Bay rider Tyler Waite is second, followed by Kaikoura's Oli Clark (fifth), Palmerston North's Jonty Wiliamson (sixth) and Boatwright (ninth).
In junior women, Tauranga rider Eliana Hulsebosch is third in the rankings with Bellah Birchall (Rotorua) fourth, Kate Hastings (Rotorua) seventh and Deavoll 10th.
There are eight separate UCI world championships to be contested across different venues from August30 to September14. — Allied Media
