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12 Hour Team Male
1st    Team Magellan Strava-tard       36 laps
2nd    Team Endura Gloworm Boys       35 laps
3rd    Team You Must Be Jafakidd       34 laps
4th    Team One 4 Five       34 laps
5th    Team Nature Valley Factor       33 laps
12 Hour Team Female
1st    Team Short And Sweet       25 laps
2nd    Team Bike Bunnies       21 laps
12 Hour Team Mixed
1st    Team Still Classy Avantip       35 laps
2nd    Team Endura Gloworm Mixed       32 laps
3rd    Team Limited Horsepower       30 laps
4th    Team Yeash It Yea       29 laps
5th    Team Optimum Tension       28 laps

6 Hour Solo Male
1st    Alex Roberts       16 laps
2nd    Ricky Nisbet       16 laps
3rd    Tristan Haycock       16 laps
4th    Craig Macdonald       15 laps
5th    Philip Browne       15 laps
6 Hour Solo Female
1st    Julia Mccracken       14 laps
2nd    Cati Pearson       12 laps
3rd    Elise Cullen       10 laps
4th    Maddy Barnard       7 laps
5th    Toshiko Knight       3 laps

6 Hour Team Male
1st    Team Rotorua Mtb Squad A       19 laps
2nd    Team Italy 1       18 laps
3rd    Team Matt Squared       18 laps
4th    Team Beyond Adventure Rac       18 laps
5th    Team Mtn To Road       18 laps
6 Hour Team Female
1st    Team Crank Sista’s – Auck       14 laps
2nd    Team Jafakids Fruit Loops       14 laps
3rd    Team The Woop Sister       12 laps
4th    Team Psycholing Femmes       11 laps
5th    Team Slow Burners       10 laps
6 Hour Team Mixed
1st    Team Zero Limits       15 laps
2nd    Team Team Judd       15 laps
3rd    Team Happy Hour       14 laps
4th    Team 2 Boys 1 Girl       14 laps
5th    Team The Skids       13 laps

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The first elite cross-country titles of the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano were awarded on Sunday in Albstadt, Germany, with Eva Lechner (Colnago Sudtirol) winning the women’s competition, and Daniel McConnell (Trek Factory Racing) taking the men’s.  Raphael Gay (Creuse Oxygene) won the Junior men’s competition held earlier in the day.

After sunny conditions a day earlier for the Under-23 races, the clouds moved in overnight, threatening rain.  The rain held off until late in the women’s race, and only fell for one hour, however, it completely changed the track conditions, turning the downhill sections slippery and treacherous.

The Under-23 world champion, Jolanda Neff (Giant XC), who was riding up a category with the elite competitors, took the early lead, and was quickly joined by Lechner, Eliminator World Cup leader Alexandra Engen (Ghost Factory) and Katrin Leumann (Ghost Factory).  While other riders faded and were replaced at the front, Lechner and Leumann remained consistently in the front three all race.

As Engen and Neff dropped back, former world champion Maja Wloszczowska (Giant XC) was moving up, joining Lechner and Leumann at the front at the halfway point of the six lap race, and the three remained together until Lechner opened a gap in the final half lap to win over Wloszczowska by eight seconds, with Leumann a further eight seconds behind.

“I had a really good start and good legs from the beginning,” commented Lechner, who last won a World Cup at Houffalize, Belgium, in 2010.  “It was a hard fight to the finish. I believed for the victory and I wanted the victory.  I am just so happy I am back here after the difficulties I had last season. I cannot describe it in words.”

“It was much more difficult [after it started to rain on the last lap]. It was slippery, it was like ice.  I had to be so careful, pay attention. I had a little gap on the last uphill, but I took no risk on the last descent.”

The men’s seven lap race began after the rain had stopped, but the damage had been done, leaving the course so slick and treacherous in the downhills that one major jump was closed after a lap for safety reasons.

Julien Absalon (BMC), the two time Olympic champion, jumped immediately into the lead, setting the fastest laps times for laps two through four.  The French rider, who holds the record for men’s World Cup wins at 25, looked to be well on his way to his 26th win, when he suffered a mechanical problem and was forced to drop out.  Sergio Mantecon (Wild Wolf Trek) moved into the lead when Absalon retired, and looked to have the win, until McConnell began an incredible surge.

The Australian champion, who had only one top-20 World Cup result previously, started the last lap in sixth place, 29 seconds behind Mantecon.  He steadily picked up places on the first long climb of the lap to move into second before the second climb, and then took the lead after the final descent to the finish.  With his victory, McConnell became the first Australian man to win a cross-country World Cup since Cadel Evans in 2000.

“I did not expect this,” admitted McConnell.  “I came into this looking for a solid top-15, so it’s unbelievable.  On the climb I made contact with the group of second through fifth, and then moved into second through the feedzone.  I could see Sergio in front of me, and at that stage just gave it everything, and caught him through the grass section at the bottom of the descent.  I got into the last corner with a little bit of a gap and nothing was going to get past me at that point, I was running on adrenalin.”

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Illness struck New Zealand mountain bike star Anton Cooper, who finished near the rear of the field in his debut in the under-23 ranks at the opening round of the UCI World Cup in Germany today.

Photo Credit www.cyclingnews.com

The 18 year old junior world champion suffered from a painful stomach upset and vomiting throughout the night but still decided to start in his first World Cup for his new Cannondale Factory Team at Albstadt.

However Cooper was well off the pace, struggling home in 85th place, a lap behind the winner Markus Schulte-Leunzum (GER).

“I spent the night with a terrible stomach ache and vomiting and got little sleep,” Cooper said. “I could not keep any food down. I guess these things happen. I need time to let the body recover and I hope I can be right for the next round at Nove Meso in a week.”

Rotorua’s Dirk Peters led the way for the Kiwis, finishing in a solid 22nd placing in his first World Cup in the under-23 ranks.

Peters produced a consistent display, reeling off laps in the low 14 minutes to finish just 3min 40sec down on the winner in a promising start to his European campaign.

Fellow Rotorua rider Sam Shaw was 71st while Auckland’s Adrian Retief did not finish.

Rotorua’s national junior champion Amber Johnston finished 20th in the junior women’s race.

Tomorrow Carl Jones will compete in the elite men, Samara Sheppard, Katie O’Neil and Kate Fluker in the elite women with Ben and Craig Oliver and Simon Lawson race in the junior men’s race.

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Round 1 Albstadt, Day 1:

Under-23 men: Markus Schulte-Luenzum (GER) 1:21.16, 1; Jens Schuermans (BEL) at 17sec, 2; Michiel van der Heijden (NED) at 33s, 3. Also NZers: Dirk Peters at 3:40, 22; Sam Shaw at 12:41, 71; Anton Cooper at 1 lap, 85; Adam Retief dnf.

Junior women: Greta Weithaler (ITA) 52:43, 1; Malene Degn (DEN) at 4sec, 2; Kate Courtney (USA) at 34s, 3. Also: Amber Johnston (NZL) at 6:17, 20.

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