Ussher sees Xterra win as ideal preparation

A blast around the Xterra Rotorua course to score another title was perfect preparation for multisport legend Richard Ussher.
The 2009 and 2011 off-road triathlon champion heads to Australia on Wednesday for the first in the multisport Anaconda series.
It's his next challenge and one of a string of races the Coast to Coast champion is hoping to dominate this year. Among them are Xterra races in Europe before the world championship in Maui, Hawaii in October.
"To get on the podium there would be awesome," Ussher said at the Lake Tikitapu finish line.
"Winning here has given me confidence for the Anaconda - I've got some good speed.
"I have been to the Xterra world champs in Maui twice now.
"In 2009 my seat post broke and I finished 11th, in 2010 I crashed my bike and finished in seventh place. So I definitely have some unfinished business there - I want to go back and give it a better crack.
"I have really been working hard on my mountain biking, getting my technical skills up."
Ussher came from behind on Saturday to win in front of a crowd at Blue Lake.
He and last year's winner, Scott Thorne, worked together to catch Ben Allen after leaving the water 90 seconds behind the Australian.
They caught Allen just as they headed into the singletrack but couldn't get past until they exited the first trail - Frontal Lobotomy - and entered Huckleberry Hound.
"Scott used his initiative a bit and got in front of me. If I'd stayed in front of him I would have saved some time," Ussher, 34, said.
"Scott and I were trading blows the whole way up the hills. He got away from me on the down hills so I had to work hard on the ups."
The pair went on the run neck and neck but Ussher pulled ahead on the second lap around the lake and finished with more than a minute buffer.
"That was tough," Thorne said. "It reminded me of two years ago. I said to [Richard] it was like deja vu."
Rounding out the podium was Rotorua's Mark Leishman, who was unsure six weeks ago whether he would even make the start line.
"That was hideous," he said at the finish. "Those guys are just too good but I'm pretty happy.
"Five weeks ago mentally my season was over. I've only really had three weeks of training. I was bluffing it."
The Paymark Xterra Rotorua Festival annually hosts more than 2000 athletes in what is considered the world's largest single day Xterra off-road triathlon festival.
Competitors choose from walking, running and mountain biking as well as the individual and team Xterra events.
Results: Richard Ussher 2 hours 17 minutes 6 seconds 1, Scott Thorne 2h 18m 28s 2, Mark Leishman (Rotorua) 2h 22m 59s. Women: Karen Hanlen (Whakatane) 2h 42m 14s, Susie Wood 2h 43m 20s 2, Annika Smail 2h 48m 8s 3.