Mountainbiking: Dismal day for bikers

New Zealand competitors had a disappointing opening day of action at the world mountainbiking championships in Canada.

The relay team finished 16th after lead out rider Mike Northcott's bicycle chain twisted and jammed.

In the junior women's cross-country championship race, Rotorua's Alexa
Peters wilted in 32C at the Mont Sainte Anne venue on the Canadian east coast and pulled out suffering from hyperventilation after trying to battle back from a mid-pack fall on the first lap.