Bay of Plenty mountainbikers proved unbeatable at Sunday’s RockShox Taniwha Downhill competition, with Rotorua’s Lachie Stevens-McNab and Eliana Hulsebosch from Tauranga taking first place in men’s and women’s events.
The event, which kicked off the Crankworx World Tour and the 10th anniversary of Crankworx Rotorua, was run on Whakarewarewa’s Taniwha trail. Despite the rain during Friday’s training sessions, the track was in good condition.
“You know there’s a bit more pressure with a local race, everyone’s ‘you’re the local boy, you know you gotta win’, but yeah, it feels unreal to win,” Stevens-McNab said in a media statement.
An all-Kiwi podium was celebrated in the women’s category as Jess Blewitt and Shania Rawson followed Eliana Hulsebosch on to the steps at the award ceremony.
Despite a challenging run, Hulsebosch maintained her lead with room between her and the first runner-up.
Lachie Stevens-McNab during the RockShox Taniwha Downhill at Whakarewarewa Forest. Photo / Clint Trahan
“It was really good in the first straight, and then I got to the first bog section and I hit a tree and got a little bit loose, but I quickly told myself to breathe, recompose myself and keep the tyres moving, which is always ideal in the muddy stuff. And then, it got sketchy a couple more times, one on the road crossing,” she said in the statement.
Bernard Kerr, who was last to start after dominating in Saturday’s seeding, crashed while going for the big new triple feature on the course.
This left the men’s podium to be rounded out by two Kiwis — Stevens-McNab and Sam Blenkinsop — and Canadian Jakob Jewett.
Stevens-McNab in the top spot was in good company with the South Island’s Blenkinsop in third. Young Canadian rider Jewett, who was tight on Stevens-McNab’s heels, sums up his strategy for the race: “I just wanted to have a clean run and see where my speed is at. Obviously, the New Zealand and Australia boys have had a lot of time to bike, so coming from the Canada winter I just wanted to be in the mix, and yeah, super-happy I’m on the podium.”
Samuel Blenkinsop during the RockShox Taniwha Downhill at Whakarewarewa Forest. Photo / Clint Trahan
Local athletes were particularly stoked about this year’s Taniwha Downhill track, attributed to Rotorua’s forgiving and fast-absorbing volcanic soil.
Rotorua’s Shania Rawson, said in the statement: “The dirt is perfect this weekend. I mean, it was a bit muddy, but I like it like that, it kind of evens out the field a bit more, and to race against these girls was so good.”
As the first weekend of Crankworx wrapped up, athletes were looking forward to the events coming up next week at Skyline Rotorua.
“Honestly, I just want to stay consistent over everything, but I think Pump Track is pretty fun. The atmosphere and everything is pretty sick,” Rawson said.
Eliana Hulsebosch during the RockShox Taniwha Downhill at Whakarewarewa Forest. Photo / Clint Trahan
The RockShox Taniwha Downhill was only the beginning of another eight days of action-packed schedule, moving to Skyline Rotorua for the Air DH, Whip-Off, Speed & Style, Specialised Dual Slalom, and the Crankworx Rotorua Pump Track Challenge.
The programme would conclude with the Maxxis Slopestyle in Memory of McGazza on March 24, the first diamond-level slopestyle to host both men’s and women’s categories.
Results:
RockShox Taniwha Downhill – Male Category (Elite/U19)
