Mountain biking: Rotorua riders rule at Gravity Enduro

Giant 2W Gravity Enduro winner Keegan Wright. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

Undaunted by the international competition in the field, the Rotorua flag was held high on the podium at the end of yesterday's third round of the Giant 2w Gravity Enduro.

With overseas riders and some of the country's best converging on Rotorua to use the event as a shakedown for next month's Enduro World Series race to be held as part of Crankworx Rotorua, competition was always going to be tough for the locals.

But it was locals Keegan Wright and Ronja Hill-Wright who took overall honours in the men's and women's premier six-stage category.

Wright took the win over Blenheim's Justin Leov by six seconds. Hill-Wright's win was by an even smaller margin - two seconds - over Janine Kavanagh, also from Rotorua.

''I'm stoked - it was just a wicked day out riding,'' said Wright, who had won the opening round, but was runner-up to Joseph Nation in the second.

''It's good winning one leading up to the EWS, just to know where I am. Now i have to train hard and hopefully get a good result in the Enduro World Series.''

Before then he will head to Cardrona for the national mountain bike downhill and then to Australia for the Oceania Championships in Toowoomba.

Just one crash marred his day yesterday.

Hill-Wright finished third in the opening round with no training, but missed the second.

''It was a good, fun, hard day, with a lot of pedalling," she said.

''Training helps. I've got a coach now and I'm training seven days a week.''

She didn't fall on yesterday but said there were ''a lot of almosts''.

Hill-Wright will also travel to Toowoomba for the Oceania championships before retuning to Rotorua for Crankworx. Then she plans to head to Europe and Canada to race some of the Downhill World Cup races.

Riders were able to chose four or six stage options. Each stage was timed with the combined times of the four or six stages determining final positions.

The four stage event will comprise trails of a difficulty grade between 3-4 and the six stage event trails of a difficulty grade between 3-5+.

Results
Men four stage: 1, Connor Hamilton, 24:04; 2, Daniel Self, 24:08; 3, Cameron Beck, 25:23
Women four stage: 1, Frances James, 27:05; 2, Nicola Dixon, 30:41; 3, Abby Rickard, 31:15.
Men six stage: 1, Keegan Wright, 34:01; 2 Justin Leov, 34:07; 3, Joseph Nation, 34:14.
Women six stage: 1, Ronja Hill-Wright, 40:39; 2, Janine Kavanagh, 40:41; 3, Katy Winton 41:55.