Mountainbiking: Rhodes Scholar benefits from road racing

Rosara Joseph in Melbourne. Picture / John Borren

Rosara Joseph has been running up the kilometres in preparing for the World Mountainbiking cross-country championship. Yes, running.

"The general feeling is that course in Rotorua is a fair test," says Joseph from her Christchurch home before heading north tomorrow. "But, if it becomes muddy it will be tricky. Now we are at the end of our competitive season, we really don't want a running race."

But, if it does come to that, Joseph will be ready.

"I have been practising my running."

And her riding - on the Port Hills and the roads.

Joseph, who won silver for New Zealand in mountainbiking at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, has continued to mix it up by racing on both her mountain and road bikes.

"I have probably had more road races in the United States than mountainbike races in Europe," says Joseph. "Racing on the roads helps build strength and speed. And, recovery is quicker."

Joseph, who is preparing to take up her Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University in early October, reckons she has benefited from road races (normally between three and four hours) and 60-90-minute criteriums.

"They are high-intensity and beneficial in preparing for mountainbike races which are normally around two hours," says Joseph. "Mountainbiking requires a bigger mental effort than road races in which, as part of a team, you can switch on and off at times."

Joseph lines up against, among others, Canadian Marie-Helene Premont on Sunday week. It was Premont who headed the field in Melbourne and goes into the championships as second seed behind the reigning world and Olympic champion Gunn Rita Dahle-Flessja (Norway).

Joseph, who with Swiss-born, Rotorua-based Annika Smail, holds New Zealand's hopes, admits any element of surprise she might have had disappeared with her ride at the Commonwealth Games.

"I would be very happy with a top-10 finish. This is a very strong field. I made the top 10 in the World Cup race in Madrid in mid-May - two months after the Games - which shows the different standard," says Joseph.

"My strategy will be realistic. I will start on the second line and hopefully be in a position to stay with the top riders. Anyone in the top 15 can win on the day but realistically, Gunn Rita is a class above the rest. No one other than Marie-Helene is expected to go with her."

There is a significant difference in the Rotorua course and the one ridden at the Games in Melbourne.

"That is a huge hill up by the gondola," says Joseph. "That will take between 8-10 minutes to climb each of the 20-25-minute laps. It is also more technical especially given the likely wintry conditions.

"The general feeling is that it is a fair test but could be tricky if muddy. There are some really steep bits where you could lose traction if your concentration wavers."

After the race - which precedes the elite men's race on the last day of competition - Joseph is looking forward to a break, but not for too long.

She will have to maintain her training and racing at Oxford to keep building up her UCI points, which are crucial for places at the Beijing Olympics.


World champs: What's on and when

Sunday: 8am, UCI course inspection.

Monday: 10.30am, Downhill course inspection (on foot).

Tuesday: 1.30pm, team relay world championships.

Wednesday: 10am, junior women world cross-country championship; 12.30pm, under-23 women world cross country championship.

Thursday: 11am, junior men cross country world championship; 2pm, downhill seeding run (all categories).

Friday: 10am, under-23 men cross country world championship, 3pm, 4X men/women world championship.

Saturday: 10.30am: junior women/men world downhill championship; 12.30pm, elite women downhill world championship; 1.30pm, elite men downhill world championship.

Sunday: 10am, elite women cross country world championship; 2pm, elite men cross country world championship.

Watch out for.-

Women's downhill: Vanessa Quin (NZ), Tracey Moseley (UK), Sabrina Jonnier (France), Emmeline Ragot (France), Rachel Atherton (UK), Scarlett Hagen (NZ, right).

Men's downhill: Steve Peat (UK), Greg Minaar (South Africa), Sam Hill (Australia), Gee Atherton (UK), Mick Hannah (Australia), Cedric Gracia (France), Nathan Rankin (NZ)

Women's cross country: Gunn Rita Dahle-Flessja (Norway), Marie-Helene Premont (Canada), Sabine Spitz (Germany), Irina Kalentieva (Russia), Nina Gohl (Germany), Rosara Joseph (NZ), Annika Smail (NZ)

Men's cross country: Julien Absalon (France), Jose Hermida (Spain), Christophe Sauser (Switzerland), Bart Brentjens (Holland), Liam Killeen (UK), Kashi Leuchs (NZ, right).