Joseph Impresses at Mountain Bike World Championships

The Olympic aspirations of Christchurch’s Rosara Joseph are back on track with a fighting top-10 performance in the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Switzerland today.

Joseph finished seventh in today’s 31.8km cross country race at Champery to record her best world championship finish since her fifth placing at Fort William in Scotland three years ago.

The 29 year old, who enjoyed a top-10 finish at the Beijing Olympics, has been out of the racing limelight for the past two years as she completed her Doctorate in Law at Oxford University while also battling a thyroid problem.

Joseph graduated recently and with her health issues behind her, has come back to the sport at the highest level after picking up a professional contract with the Rabobank-Giant team.

After two top-20 finishes in World Cup races, Joseph looked to a big performance at the world championships.

Starting 25th on the grid today, Joseph worked her way up to 12th after the opening prologue loop and first lap. She worked with Switzerland’s Nathalie Schneitter to move into the top-10 before passing Canada’s Emily Batty on the penultimate lap and hold on for a strong seventh placing.

Canada’s Catharine Prendel led virtually from the start, taking advantage of a puncture to defending champion Maja Wloszczowska (POL) to win the women’s title.

Wanganui’s Karen Hanlen, in her first elite championships, finished a highly creditable 23rd, after passing 16 riders on the final three laps.

New Zealand’s chances in tomorrow’s downhill finals suffered a blow when Cameron Cole (Christchurch) broke his forearm in practice. He blew a tyre on a fast downhill section and crashed.

Two riders, Sam Blenkinsop and Matthew Scholes, finished in the top 10 in the official timed sessions and will be joined in the finals by fellow kiwis Justin Leov and Brook MacDonald, while Reuben Olorenshaw qualified fifth fastest in the junior men with five kiwi girls in the top 10 qualifiers in the junior women, led by Sarah Atkin.

Results, cross country:

Elite women, 31.8km: Catharine Pendrel (CAN) 1:46.14, 1; Maja Wloszczowska (POL) at 28s, 2; Eva Lechner (ITA) at 1:36, 3. Also: Rosara Joseph (NZL) at 4:24, 7; Karen Hanlen (NZL) at 10:21, 23.
Elite men: Jaroslav Kulhavy (CZE) 1:44.30, 1; Nini Schurter (SUI) at 47s, 2; Julien Absalon (FRA) at 1:26, 3. Also: Carl Jones (NZL) at 1 lap, 52.