Kaikoura junior rider wins at UCI World Series
- Dave Worsley
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 minutes ago
New Zealand downhill riders were on fire at the UCI World Series at Leogang in Austria with top-five placings in each of the four championship classes, topped by victory in the junior men.
The 18-year-old Oli Clark, from Kaikoura, who rides for the MS Racing pro team, scored the first UCI World Cup downhill victory by a New Zealand junior male, setting up an outstanding day on the slopes of Leogang.
LATEST HEADLINES:
Tauranga’s Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Syndicate) was third place in the junior women, before Queenstown’s Jess Blewitt showed her brilliant best to finish fifth in the elite women. The day was capped off by rising Rotorua star, Lachlan Stevens-McNab who was fourth in the elite men’s final.
The junior riders set the tone with Hulsebosch grabbing her second podium of the World Cup season after finishing third in Poland, with the 17-year-old already showing the benefits of the tutelage under the highly respected team head, Steve Peat.
After a conservative start, she was brilliant down the second half of the run for her podium finish.
Nipping at her heals was Rotorua’s Kate Hastings, 17, and younger sister for former junior world champion Jenna, who was fourth in her debut season on the world stage, ahead of fellow Rotorua rider Bellah Birchall (Team High Country) sixth and Queenstown’s Indy Deavoll ninth.
Clark became the first kiwi junior men’s downhiller to win a UCI World Cup since Tuhoto-Ariki Pene six years ago.
After finishing third in Poland, Clark was outstanding. Series leader Max Alran (France) set the marker in the penultimate run as he chased another victory. But Clark proved outstanding, behind by a blink at the midway point before proving fastest on the tight and technical second half to clock 3:00.724 and better the Frenchman by 0.6sec.
“I am pretty stoked with that. It hasn’t sunk it quite yet,” said Clark.
It proved a strong day for the kiwi junior men with Hawkes Bay’s Tyler Waite (Yeti-Fox) fifth, Queenstown’s Malik Boatwright (Team High Country) eighth and Palmerston North’s Jonty Williamson (Yeti-Fox) inside the top-10.
Waite remains in second on the overall standings behind Alran with Clark moving to fourth.
In the elite women, Blewitt enjoyed time in the hot seat with her best performance of the season, finishing a close fifth. The Cube Factory rider set the pace, second fastest behind French star Marine Cabriou as the pair remained in the hot seat until the last three riders pushed on to the podium. Blewitt finished fifth in her best showing of the season to move up to 10th overall.
Lachlan-McNab was keen to make amends after his fall last week in Poland in the elite men’s competition.
The Trek Factory rider set a blistering run, clocking the fastest speed of 66kph in a mistake-free performance. He was edged back to fourth by multi world champion Loic Bruni (FRA), Loudenvielle winner Jackson Goldstone (CAN) and German Henri Keifer. But none of the top-10 qualifiers to follow were able to better this quartet with Lachlan-McNab securing fourth.
There is a busy final day at Leogang tomorrow, with cross-country finals, along with a strong kiwi presence in the Enduro competition.
Results, Downhill:
Women elite: Gracey Hemstreet (CAN) 3:21.962, 1; Anna Newkirk (USA) at 0.866, 2; Valentina Holl (AUT) at 2.427, 3. Also NZers: Jess Blewitt (Cube Factory, Queenstown) at 3.970, 5.
Junior Women: Rosa Zierl (AUT) 3:29.379, 1; Aletha Ostgaard (USA) at 1.368s, 2; Eliana Hulsebosch (Tauranga, Santa Cruz Synd) at 5.427, 3. Other NZers: Kate Hastings (Rotorua) at 5.938, 4; Bellah Birchall (Rotorua, Team High Country) at 10.541, 6; Indy Deavoll at 13.704, 9.
Men, Elite: Jackson Goldstone (CAN) 2:57.229, 1; Loic Bruni (FRA) at 0.059, 2; Henri Keifer (GER) at 0.535, 3. Also NZers: Lachlan Stevens-McNab (Trek Factory, Rotorua) at 1.208, 4; Sam Gale (Nelson) at 4.406, 24; Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (MS Racing, Rotorua) at 10.555, 28.
Junior: Oli Clark (MS Racing, Kaikoura) 3:00.724, 1; Max Alran (FRA) at 0.608, 2; Asa Vermette (USA) at 1.231, 3. Also NZers: Tyler Waite (Yeti-Fox, Hawkes Bay) at 3.111, 5; Malik Boatwright (Team High Country, Queenstown) at 5.665, 8; Jonty Williamson (Yeti-Fox, Palmerston North) at 6.405, 10; Rory Meek (Queenstown) at 19.176, 20.
