Mountain Biking: Rocky road lies ahead

By DAVID LEGGAT


A word of warning from someone who knows: watch for a mild dose of carnage in tomorrow night's men's Olympic mountain-biking race.

The course for the cross-country discipline is difficult and is expected to take its toll on the 50-strong field.

New Zealander Kaschi Leuchs will line up at the Mt Parnitha course about 30 minutes north of central Athens.

He should be in the frame to push for a medal. He was 17th at the Sydney Games, fourth at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002 and seventh in last year's world championship.

The 26-year-old Dunedin student has been a consistently steady performer on the top international circuit.

His world ranking is 16, but has been several places higher. In short, he knows what this game is all about.

He has done seven practice laps of the awkward six-lap circuit, more than he would normally do, and can see an interesting day ahead on the rugged, spectacular range.

"It is very difficult, a really challenging race," he told the Herald yesterday. "The problem is the ground is very loose and sandy with small rocks. So it is hard to get good traction.

"A lot of people are falling just because the tyres are slipping out underneath them. I had one little crash, hopefully there's not too much damage. Descending and climbing are steep."

Warming to his theme, Leuchs said the course - a 1.4km start loop then seven laps of 6.1km - was highly technical "but in a different way to normal, because of the looseness of the dirt".

"You have to get very focused. As soon as you are off line you get into the really soft, sandy stuff."

Translation: You're in deep doodoos.

This is the third time mountain biking has been on the Olympic programme.

Both defending champions, Paolo Pezzo of Italy and Frenchman Miguel Martinez, are back chasing more gold.

Martinez also won the bronze in Atlanta's inaugural Olympic event.

New Zealand has Robyn Wong in the women's race tonight, which is two laps shorter than the men, but she's unlikely to figure at the business end.

Leuchs, however, is a different story.

He rates his form as good, having got some solid racing under his belt, including winning a round in the Swiss Cup this month.

A period of altitude training in France was thrown in. Leuchs has found in the past sleeping at altitude has helped him lose weight and get quicker.

"A few years back I was getting podium finishes on the World Cup. This year has been tougher.

"Normally at this time I'm in good form and I feel I can ride pretty well.

"All the top riders will be competing here."

Not quite all.

The world champion, Belgian Filip Meirhaeghe, would have been the leading contender but for failing a drugs test recently.

Leuchs is scathing, recognising it is bad for the sport.

"He'd been riding road at the same time and he was caught through a road race test.

"There's always drugs in sport but in mountain biking it's very rare and when it comes in it's often from the road side.

"That was a bad blow for mountain biking to have that happen but it's important it does happen. It opens doors for the ones of us who are clean."

So what are Leuchs' chances? He believes there are "five or six" riders who could win the gold medal. Around seven will share the three medals, he believes. The figures suggest he's a contender.