Cycling: Dutch success for BMX pair

Marc Willers and Sarah Walker of New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images

BMX riders Marc Willers and Sarah Walker claimed a double success for New Zealand and laid down a marker for next year's Olympics at the second round of the UCI Supercross World Cup in the Netherlands today.

Willers and Walker both won their respective finals on the challenging new Papendal circuit near Arnhem which is the blueprint for the track to be constructed for the 2012 Games in London.

Walker's win takes her to the top of the Supercross World Cup rankings after two rounds while Willers, who recorded his first Supercross World Cup win in four years, is up to third in the men's standings, with the next round the Olympic test event in two months.

Cambridge's Walker, the 2009 world champion, led into the all important first corner in the final and from there she controlled the race to win from top qualifier Romana Labounkova (Czech Republic) and Australia's Caroline Buchanan.

"I am absolutely rapt. That was pretty scary out there today," Walker said. "It is such a big track and that was just so hard.

"I had a scary moment in the final on the first corner but from that point on I just had to concentrate. It was such a hard day but the win makes it all worthwhile."

Willers was almost brought down by Australian Sam Willoughby in the first corner of the final, but he stayed upright and pushed clear to finish ahead of local Jelle van Gorkom and Frenchman Joris Daudet.

The first corner scare brought back unwelcome memories for Cambridge-based Willers.

"It was nearly like what he did to me at the world championships. I saw him coming and thought he was going to clip my wheel but I got clear and from there I just had to concentrate on jumping clean," he said.

"I was burning out there all day. I didn't really get a clean run until the final. It was such a long and hard day but I got the jump out of the start all day and that was the key," said Willers.

"My form and my confidence are so much higher with the regular top competition and training in the US.

"That was exhausting and I will definitely need to look at the fitness factor to survive six races today was tough but I am absolutely stoked. That's been a long time overdue."

Earlier Cambridge rider Kurt James did not progress into the quarterfinals after finishing seventh in his qualifying group.

Results (New Zealand unless stated):

Elite men (final): Marc Willers 40.963, 1; Jelle Van Gorkum (NED) 41.698, 2; Joris Daudet (FRA) 42.800, 3.

Elite women (final): Sarah Walker 36.985, 1; Romana Labounkova (CZE) 37.305, 2; Caroline Buchanan (AUS) 37.897, 3.

- NZPA