NZ MTB Champs

Whakatane’s Karen Hanlen scored an upset victory to claim the elite women’s honours RaboDirect New Zealand Mountainbike Championship in Nelson today.

The 31-year-old closed down the early lead set by Beijing Olympian and defending champion, Rosara Joseph mid-race, going on to win by three minutes on a testing five-lap course.

Hanlen, the national Xterra champion, followed her recent strong form in winning the opening two rounds of the New Zealand Mountainbike Cup, including a win over Joseph in Dunedin.

The 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, who rides professionally for the European-based Rabobank team on the world circuit, started strong to hold a slight 10 second advantage over Hanlen after the first of five laps on a 5.2km circuit at the Cougars Mountainbike Park in Nelson.

Joseph stretched the advantage to 30 second on lap two but Hanlen closed the gap on the third lap and gradually pulled away to win impressively in 1:30:53.

Joseph, currently ranked 24th in the world after her seventh placing at the world championships last year, was disappointed with her performance today although she has been focussing on a heavy training phase as she builds up for the northern hemisphere season.

It was a strong performance from Hanlen who, like Joseph, is chasing Olympic selection for London.

Rotorua’s Carl Jones was attempting to defend his title in the elite men’s race but it proved a successful day for another Rotorua rider, Dirk Peters. He had a narrow advantage over Tokoroa’s Mike Northcotte after the first of six laps, but gradually rode away to win in 1:36:34, nearly three minutes clear.

However all attention was on brilliant Christchurch schoolboy Anton Coope, who was in a class of his own to win the junior boy’s title.

Starting two minutes behind the elite men, the world junior silver medallist rode through the entire elite field to win his five-lap under-19 championship in 1:16:07, more than seven minutes clear of his nearest rival, Sam Gaze.

While the elite men had to ride an extra lap, Cooper, who will compete for the Trek World Racing pro team this year, was consistently faster than any male rider today. He lapped with remarkable consistency more than a minute per lap faster than the best of the elite men.

The championships conclude tomorrow.

Full details: www.mtbnz.org

Provisional results, elite men, 7 laps: Dirk peters (Rotorua) 1:36:34, 1; Mike Morthcotte (Tokoroa) 1:39:13, 2; Brad Hudson (Christchurch) 1:39:58, 3.
Elite women, 5 laps: Karen Hanlen (Whakatane) 1:30:53, 1; Rosara Joseph (Wellington) 1:33:52, 2; Fiona Macdermid (Palmerston North) 1:40:42, 3.
Junior men, 5 laps: Anton Cooper (Woodend) 1:16:07, 1; Sam Gaze (Cambridge) 1:23:21, 2; Nigel McDowell (Rotorua) 1:23:42, 3.
Junior women: Mary Gray (Dunedin) 1:25:18, 1; Samanta Hope (Dunedin) 1:27:55, 2; Amber Johnston (Rotorua) 1:31:41, 3.