George Brannigan, from Hawkes Bay but now living in Queenstown, claimed his third national elite men’s downhill title at the Christchurch Adventure Park.
Outstanding teenage downhill prospect Jess Blewitt had initially only planned to complete practice in her comeback from a raft of injuries, after crashing at the UCI World Cup in the US last year.
However, all went well, as she managed to not just complete the practice but dominate in defending her national elite women’s title.
It has been a long time between drinks for Brannigan. The Propain Bicycles professional was runner-up in 2011 and 2012, before claiming victories in 2014 and 2015, both in Rotorua.
With competitors split into two groups under the Red light Covid restrictions, it meant a long day before the elite riders competed in the late afternoon with cool conditions, but thankfully no rain on the challenging course.
Brannigan topped the field in seeding, 4sec faster than brilliant Rotorua teenager Lachlan Stevens-McNab, who finished on the podium in the junior race at the world championships last year.
He just headed off local Christchurch veteran Sam Blenkinsop, with the Norco Factory professional chasing his third straight elite title.
Brannigan showed his class in the final, clocking 2min 54.53sec. He was 2sec clear of another brilliant young prospect, Rotorua’s Tuhotu-Ariki Pene, a former junior world medallist, who will join the strong MS Mondraker pro team on the world stage this year.
He managed to pip fellow Rotorua rider Stevens-McNab, showing the exciting quality of the young downhill riders.
Blewitt (19) enjoyed an impressive season on the UCI World Cup until the final stop in Snowshoe, where a crash resulted in a broken femur and clavicle and injuries to her vertebrae and wrist.
Blewitt said her recovery had gone well and, while she had not been riding, she got a clearance to start, initially thinking of doing the practice and possibly the seeding run.
She topped the charts throughout, more than 6sec clear in the seeding run, and won the final in 3min 25.79sec, 4sec ahead of another exciting prospect in Rotorua’s Jenna Hastings, who claimed the under-19 title.
All things look rosy for Blewitt, who has been signed by the renowned GT Factory professional team in Europe this year.
Stevens-McNab won the under-19 men’s title ahead of Toby Meek (Queenstown) and Cameron Beck (Rotorua).
- Staff reporter
