Kiwi mountain bikers eighth in team relay

Anton Cooper. Photo / Alan Ofsoski

New Zealand finished eighth in the team relay which kick-started the UCI mountain bike world championships in South Africa today.

It's the first time New Zealand have competed in the cross-country team relay since the championships were hosted in Rotorua in 2006.

The relay comprised a lap each for a male and female elite, male under-23 and male junior. With no male elite, the New Zealand team included two under-23 riders - last year's junior world champion Anton Cooper and Dirk Peters along with Olympian Karen Hanlen and junior Sam Gaze.

The sport's powerhouses Italy and France finished in the same time with Italy holding on in the photo-finish to claim the title.

Canada changed their order significantly to claim the lead on the third lap, but they were rounded up in the final lap.

Cooper started strongly to push into a challenging spot before running off the track.

"It was a super-fast pace and I went off the track into the soft stuff at the base of the first climb in a tussle for a good position,'' Cooper said. "I had to run up the first steep hill which wasn't much fun. The legs weren't able to recover after that so I settled into a slightly steadier rhythm.''

Peters produced a strong lap of 14:39, only a few seconds slower than Cooper, to push the Kiwis up to fourth, but they fell back to ninth after Hanlen's loop before Gaze gained a spot in the last lap for a creditable eighth.

The championships proper begin tomorrow with Amber Johnston (Rotorua) in the junior women's cross-country before Gaze (Te Awamutu) and North Canterbury brothers Ben and Craig Oliver contest the junior men's race.

Results from the team relay at the UCI mountain bike world championships in South Africa today: Italy 58:12, 1; France 58:12, 2; Germany 1:00:33, 3. Also: New Zealand 1:03.58 (Anton Cooper 14:31, Dirk Peters 14:39, Karen Hanlen 19:36, Sam Gaze 15:12).