Mountain Biking: Cooper holds back Gaze to gain title

Anton Cooper.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anton Cooper has reclaimed the New Zealand cross-country title after winning the elite men's race in Rotorua.

In a repeat of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Cooper held off fellow New Zealand representative Sam Gaze in the Whakarewarewa Forest on Saturday, during the Mountain Bike National Championships.

After both riders cleared out from the field early and headed into the last lap of the race side-by-side, Gaze made a mistake, with his front wheel getting wedged in a tree. This provided Cooper the opportunity to seize control and go on to win by 1min 10sec (finishing in 1hr 30min 40sec).

Rotorua's Dirk Peters finished third about three minutes back from Cooper.

"I really wanted to get the jersey again," an elated Cooper said. "I love wearing it overseas so I decided to focus on it [the elite race] a bit more, and it paid off.

"I just wanted to go out and hit most of the climbs hard. I did that but hit a flat spot mid-race and felt a bit sick.

"I came good though and for the last two laps of the race I felt really strong, although it was still really close and could have gone either way.

"But I was able to capitalise on a small fumble by Sam and stretched out a good advantage and pinned the ears back to the finish."

The result was a reversal of last year's race when Gaze triumphed in a sprint finish over Cooper.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Kate Fluker from Queenstown, who rides for the Rotorua-based NZXC Racing team, put in a dominant ride to retain her elite women's crown.

When her main rival, Olympian Karen Hanlen, had a fall on the first lap, Fluker was able to build a big lead.

Rotorua's Amber Johnston finished third and first in the under-23 women's class.

Rotorua's Connor Johnston, Amber's younger brother, also won a national title in the U15 boys division.

- Results:

Men: Elite and Under-23: Anton Cooper (North Canterbury) 1:30:40, 1; Sam Gaze (Cambridge) 1:31:50, 2; Dirk Peters (Rotorua) 1:33:51 3; Ben Oliver (Christchurch) 1:35:32, 4; Jack Compton (Wellington) 1:35:49, 5.

Women: Elite and Under-23: Kate Fluker (Queenstown) 1:30:59, 1; Karen Hanlen (Whakatane) 1:34:08, 2; Amber Johnston (Rotorua) 1:37:14, 3; Fiona Macdermid (Palmerston North) 1:38:32, 4; Mary Gray (Dunedin) 1:40:14, 5.