Cole Best of Kiwis in Weather-hot World Cup Mountain Bike

The Scottish mist rolled in literally to wreak havoc with riders in the third round of the UCI World Cup Downhill at Fort William today.

The dry and dusty conditions in qualifying gave way to rain as the wet weather turned the 2.8km run down the famed track in the Scottish Highlands into mud and the fog that descended intermittently caused serious issues with visibility at the top of the course.

Christchurch rider Cameron Cole was the best of the New Zealanders in 10th place, just ahead of his Lapierre International teammate Sam Blenkinsop (Wanganui).

Twenty-year-old George Brannigan from Havelock North enjoyed another solid effort in 21st while national champion Justin Leov from Dunedin had to settle for 32nd riding in the worst of the conditions as did Napier’s Brook Macdonald (MS Mondraker) who fell in poor visibility on the second section.

While the track did not cut up too much, it made the rock section difficult and those riders caught in the fog were at a significant disadvantage.

Last round winner Aaron Gwin (Trek World Racing) took advantage of an early seeding run after crashing twice in qualifying and again in practice today, to fly home to win in 4:48.210. He finished nearly a second clear of the Great Britain pair of Danny Hart and Gee Atherton.

The riders get no rest, crossing the Atlantic for rounds of the downhill and crosscountry at Mont Saint Anne in Canada on 23-24 June and Windham in USA the following weekend.

Results, World Cup Downhill, Rd 3 Fort William:
Elite men: Aaron Gwin (USA, Trek World Racing) 4:48.210, 1; Danny Hart (GBR, Giant Factory) 4:49.044, 2; Gee Atherton (GBR, GT Factory) 4:50.726, 3. Also New Zealanders: Cameron Cole (Lapierre International) 4:55,774, 10; Sam Blenkinsop (Lapierre International) 4:56.245, 12; George Brannigan (DeVinco Global) 5:02.342, 21; Justin Leov (Trek World Racing) 5:04.551, 32; Brook Macdonald (MS Mondraker) 5:27.394, 69.
Standings after three rounds: Gwin 650, 1; Greg Minnaar (RSA) 565, 2; Atherton 495, 3. Also NZers: Cole 217, 11; Blenkinsop 214 12; Leov 204, 14; Brannigan 189 equal 17; MacDonald 166, 24.
Elite women: Emmeline Ragot (FRA, MS Mondraker) 5:27.089, 1; Rachel Atherton (GBR, GT Factory) 5:28.404, 2; Myriam Nicole (FRA, Commencal) 5:36.505, 3.

CAPTION: Cameron Cole, best of the kiwis at the UCI World Cup downhill in Scotland, in action from the last round in Italy.
(Credit: Adventure Media Group)