Mountainbiking: Pryde wins silver for NZ

Susy Pryde suffered facial cuts in a crash during the women's mountainbike cross country race but soldiered on to add a third silver to New Zealand's Commonwealth Games medal collection late last night (NZ time).

Pryde, a silver medallist in the road race at Kuala Lumpur four years ago, was badly shaken by the spill part way through the first of four laps on the testing circuit 40km northeast of Manchester.

But she recovered to almost overhaul Canadian winner Chrissy Redden, who won the 34.5km race in one hour 32 minutes 10 seconds.

The 28-year-old Aucklander cut the Canadian's lead to six seconds twice on the final lap but a tentative descent down the treacherous "Snakebite Alley" ensured the Kiwi had too much ground to make up in the final sprint to the line along tarmac, a surface expected to favour her predominantly road racing background.

New Zealand's other entrant Sadie Parker-Wynard needed hospital treatment after crashing heavily while descending Snakebite Alley on the third lap.

Sadie-Parker, who was running seventh, had a bad arm injury and extensive cuts and grazes after taking a high-speed tumble.

A jubilant Pryde crossed 16 seconds behind Redden in 1hr 32.26secs.

She never considered quitting after her fall although "it is quite dangerous to keep racing hard when you hit your head".

"I may pay for it the rest of the season and be in a bit of a hole but this was one race where you're willing to take the risk."

Pryde gambled by using high pressure tyres to minimise the risk of puncturing on the Alley, a freewheeling downhill section pock-marked with jagged cobblestones. She said a lack of control on that section led to her fall.

"I was skidding everywhere but I was willing to take that chance so I wasn't out of the race if I punctured.

"I was really shooting for this race."

Pryde had not raced the World Cup circuit this year and considered herself a sleeper in the 15-strong field.

"I haven't done a whole lot but I was quietly confident and didn't want to say anything to anyone."

"I was rapt I was at least in the race. It would have been nice to catch Chrissy at the top (before the last descent down Snakebite Alley) but silver is close to gold," Pryde said.

She needed ice on her face after the race and was headed for medical treatment unsure if she would be able to compete in the road race next Saturday.

Pryde was 1min 16secs down on Redden at the halfway point but narrowed the gap to 32 seconds entering the final 7km trawl through a mixture of steep climbs and tricky technical sections.

Bronze medallist Mary Grigson of Australia had closed to within 17 seconds of Pryde as the pair started the last lap but laboured slightly on the final circuit to cross 23 seconds behind the Kiwi 1hr 32min 49secs.

Pre-race favourite Caroline Alexander of Scotland was an early casualty when her rear wheel punctured on the Alley during the first lap.

Comfortably leading, she paid the penalty for using tubeless tyres in a bid to keep her weight down. Her ploy backfired because she could not carry a replacement.

Pryde sympathised with Alexander, saying she would have "smoked" the field if she had not been forced to retire.

- NZPA

Full coverage:
nzherald.co.nz/manchester2002

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