Rotorua mountainbikers finish in top 50 at worlds

Rotorua mountainbikers Louis Hamilton and Lawrence Cawte have finished in the top 50 in the elite junior men's section at the UCI Moutainbike World Championships.

Hamilton was the best of the two riders finishing in 34th, while Cawte, both 17 finished 43rd behind eventual winners France's Loic Bruni in a time of 3:29.139, American rider Richard Rude was second in a time of 3:32.260, followed by Australian Connor Fearson 3:34.083.

Hawkes Bay rider Brook MacDonald was the best of the Kiwi riders competing at the championships held in Austria today.

MacDonald, the world No 5 ranked rider, fell behind the clock in the first section of the 2.4km track at the Leogang Bike Park in the Alps. The 20-year-old pushed hard, with only champion Greg Minnaar (RSA) faster over the bottom part of the course, clocking 3:26.651, to finish five seconds behind the winner.

The MS Mondraker professional was the only Kiwi to finish in the top-10 on the course that had dried and rutted after two days of rain.

Last year's bronze medallist Sam Blenkinsop (Wanganui) placed 11th, his Lapierre International teammate Cameron Cole (Christchurch) finished 16th, Justin Leov (Trek World Racing) in his final world championship before retiring was 21st and an injured George Brannigan (Hawkes Bay, DeVinci Global) 26th.

Minnaar claimed his second world title and his seventh championship podium with an impressive run to edge out Great Britain's 2008 world champion Gee Atherton while favourite Aaron Gwin (USA) was never a threat after suffering a mechanical problem.

The French were favoured to dominate the women's title but it was a surprise in the form of Morgane Charre who prevailed over favourite and compatriot Emmeline Ragot.

Auckland's Sophie-Marie Bethell and Nelson's Veronique Sandler finished 24th and 26th respectively in the elite women's competition.

Earlier Coatesville teenager Sophie Tyas placed eighth in the junior women's contest while the best of the junior men was Takaka's Reece Potter who was 18th.

Potter, who slipped his pedal out of the start hut, said the changing conditions were difficult to prepare for after slippery, wet and muddy conditions for practice.

"I missed the first jump after slipping my pedal but after that the run was okay," Potter said. "With the conditions getting drier and rougher, we actually had problems through the forest section with the morning sun making it difficult to see.

"We had not practiced in those conditions so it was difficult to judge, and tyre choice was important."

Tyas said she was a little disappointed with her run but motivated to move up to the elite ranks next year.

The action moves to nearby Saalfelden in Austria for this week's cross country world championships which begin on Friday (NZ time).

Results:

Elite men: Greg Minnaar (RSA) 3:21.790, 1; Gee Atherton (GBR) 3:22.371, 2; Steve Smith (CAN) 3:23.004, 3. Also New Zealanders: Brook MacDonald (Napier, MS Mondraker) 3:26.651, 8; Sam Blenkinsop (Wanganui, Lapierre International) 3:28.165, 11; Cameron Cole (Christchurch, Lapierre International) 3:29.073, 16; Justin Leov (Dunedin, Trek World Racing) 3:30.324, 21; George Brannigan (Havelock North, DeVinci Global) 3:30.855, 26.

Elite women: Morgane Charre (FRA) 3:50.654, 1; Emmeline Ragot (FRA) 3:51.853, 2; Manon Carpenter (GBR) 3:52.144, 3. Also New Zealanders: Sophie-Marie Bethell (Auckland) 4:23.113, 24; Veronique Sandler (Nelson) 4:24.778, 26.

Elite junior women: Holly Feniak (CAN) 4:01.622, 1; Tahnee Seagrave (GBR) 4:09.717, 2; Danielle Beecroft (AUS) 4:19.567, 3. Also: Sophie Tyas (Auckland, NZL) 4:32.541, 8.

Elite junior men: Loic Bruni (FRA) 3:29.139, 1; Richard Rude (USA) 3:32.260, 2; Connor Fearson (AUS) 3:34.083, 3. Also New Zealanders: Reece Potter (Takaka) 3:42.449, 18; Louis Hamilton (Rotorua) 3:48.204, 34; Leo Sandler (Nelson) 3:48.506, 35; Lawrence Cawte (Rotorua) 3:51.632, 43; Dan McCombie (Dunedin) 4:01.728, 60.