Italy's Livio Zampieri gets in some practice yesterday in the downhill elite men's section of the mountain bike world championships in Rotorua. Picture / Greg Bowker
Heads are being shaken and questions asked as the Swiss continue to make the world mountain bike championships their own.
Clinton Avery, New Zealand's top hope in yesterday's gruelling under-23 cross-country race, had a ready answer.
"Mountain biking in Switzerland is like rugby here - there is heaps of money
being thrown at it," said Rotorua-based Avery after he finished 27th in his first attempt at the under-23 grade. "If the same kind of money was available for our sport as the Swiss get, I'm sure we would be a lot closer."
Nino Schurter continued the Swiss invasion with his hard-fought 50s victory over Italian Tony Longo.
But it was not easy. Persistent overnight rain made the 5.9km circuit an even bigger challenge than usual. Within 250m of the start most riders were off their bikes and running.
"I did not like it when I heard the rain at night," said Schurter. "In the first two laps I ran a lot but I'm not a good runner. But in the last two laps, when I knew Tony [Longo] was closing, I rode all the way.
"I did more running today than usual. I like mountain biking, not mountain hiking."
Canadian Max Plaxton finished third - the only non-European in the top 15.
Switzerland had five riders in the top 12, including ninth-placed Lukas Fluckiger, older brother of Mathias, who won the junior title 24 hours earlier.
Swiss team doctor German Clenin said that while skiing was the closest thing to a national sport in his country, mountain biking was making inroads.
"Our skiers are not succeeding as much today so maybe mountain biking is catching up," said Clenin.
Of the course, which climbs from virtually road level to the top of the gondola and weaves around the luge circuit before a breath-taking descent, Clenin said: "It is much like the course in Switzerland and certainly worthy of hosting a world championship."
Schurter's gold yesterday was his second - he was a member of the winning relay team on the opening day.
The 30-strong Swiss team have been outstanding and their success has not been confined to cross-country.
In the first of the trials finals, Karin Moor turned in an outstanding effort to beat the six-woman field comfortably.
