KEY POINTS:
A talented young Auckland mountain biker was airlifted to Palmerston North hospital yesterday after smashing into a tree at a rally in Levin.
But while Matt Clouston, 15, and his parents Pete and Loreen were in hospital, his 14-year-old sister Charlotte was receiving trophies for winning her race and the series. She will ride in the cross-country course again today.
Matt was near the finish when he lost control, came off his bike and hit a tree on the Kohitere Forest circuit. He suffered chest and arm injuries but was in a stable condition last night.
Event organiser Ted Jones said the accident was part and parcel of mountain biking. "He just came off and collided with a tree. The course is no harder than others.
"I thought it was one of the safer ones."
Matt, from Kaipara College, finished 10th in the Auckland secondary schools mountain bike champs last year.
