{Mountain biking tips| Mountain Bike Tips| How to mountain bike| mountain biking
The Short Track Cross Country event was raced around a dirt criterium style circuit, winding in and out of the Downhill event village. An enthusiastic and vocal crowd urged the Short Track racers on, with the Open Womens field first on course for their 20 minute multi lap sprint. Newly crowned Cross Country National Champion Nic Leary (Rotorua) demonstrated that an attack from the front approach also works in this shorter format of event. Leary pressured the rest of the Womens field from the gun and stretched her competitors, just like yesterday with another brutal display of aggressive riding. The real contest was taking place for the minor podium spots between Fiona McDermid (Palmerston North), Monique Avery (Rotorua) and early on from Sara Taylor (Christchurch). McDermid retained just enough gas to cross the line only seconds in front of Avery.
The Mens Short Track was a tactical duel right through to the last lap of the 28 minute mens race. Brendan Sharratt (Wellington), Mike Northcott (Tokoroa) and Mark Leishman (Rotorua) were locked in a three way battle for much of the race until Sharratt faded. Leishman and Northcott then traded attacks for the remainder of the race, until 2010 National Cross Country Champ Northcott backed up yesterday’s success to gap Leishman on the second half of the last lap to take the win. Sharratt discovered new legs after fading mid race and slipping back into the clutches of Patrick Avery and Kyle Wood, to then clear out on his own to claim the third podium spot.
The Downhill race for National Championship titles was under way at 2pm. The morning’s seeding session produced a mixed bag of results across the age group categories, with many strong favourites being gathered up in the clutches of the gusting wind to fall off the pace. However, come race time and the summer form book regained its worth – deserved champions crowned across the board. Of note was the performance of George Brannigan (Hastings) who was racing in the Under 19 category for this title after a summer racing in the Elites. Brannigan convincingly won today, in a time that would have placed him 6th in the Elite field. Likewise Local Wellington rider Dan Meilink – like Brannigan Meilink seeded first in Senior Mens and backed that up to win his first Senior Mens Downhill National title.
In the Elite Womens race Harriet Harper (Blenheim) was after back to back National Championship titles in the prestiguous Downhill discipline. And she did this in style, winning over the fast improving Sarah Walker. BMX Olympian Walker was all praise after her foray into downhill racing, recognising first hand just how tough and uncompromising this sport is. Walker may just have enjoyed this experience so much that it won’t be the last seen of her on a 26″ downhill race bike.
The Elite Mens race was missing New Zealand’s two highest ranked racers – Sam Blenkinsop through injury and Justin Leov. However, the quality of field chasing this 2010 National title was extremely high, with all of NZ’s other top professionals and several visiting international athletes in the field. Wyn Masters (New Plymouth) seeded first, and the rest of the top ten seeded riders were right on his tail time-wise. But this race was to be Wyn Master’s finest moment and he followed through on his top seeding time to take the Elite Mens National Championship title from Wanganui’s Glenn Haden. Haden had won at Long Gulley before in similar conditions, and lost out to Master’s typically powerful and controlled display by only 0.3 seconds. Levin’s Nathan Rankin took third, with Cam Cole (Christchurch) and Four Cross National Champion Matt Walker (Kawerau) 4th and 5th. For Masters this title win seems to have been a long time coming, and for the likeable and charismatic Taranaki streak, totally deserved this year.
The RaboPlus Mountainbike National Championships finish tomorrow with the Hillclimb event on Mt. Victoria at midday.
Photo Credits – Caleb Smith
#6 – Cam Cole
#257 – Dan Meilink
#62 – George Brannigan
#110 Louis Hamilton (Under 17 National Champion)
#26 – Matt Scoles
#7 Nathan Rankin
#11 – Wyn Masters
Further information contact:
Chris Mildon, MTBNZ Event Coordinator
021 2309120
Photo Credits – Caleb Smith
#6 – Cam Cole
#257 – Dan Meilink
#62 – George Brannigan
#110 Louis Hamilton (Under 17 National Champion)
#26 – Matt Scoles
#7 Nathan Rankin
#11 – Wyn Masters
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Mountain biking accessories come in all different forms and you do not need all of them. They also have the added advantage of reducing your bike insurance premium in addition to potentially saving your life.
If you are only just starting out in the world of mountain biking, then it is possible that you are currently feeling a little confused as to which accessories you need. With so many different accessories out there to purchase for mountain biking, it can often be difficult to know which ones will come in useful and which ones are better left alone.
Really you do not need every single accessory which has been brought out for mountain bikes. It all depends upon how often you use your bike and what you will be using it for. So before you purchase anything, it is a good idea to know what each of the different accessories does and whether it would be useful to you. Ideally you will want to purchase accessories which enable you to be as safe as possible so here you will find out about the best safety accessories available to purchase.
The Best Safety Accessories
If you are looking for the best safety mountain bike accessories then the first thing you need to look into is a helmet. This may sound obvious but there are some bikers who think that they do not need a helmet because mountain biking is different to ordinary biking. However, no matter which type of biking you take part in, a helmet is an essential accessory that every rider must wear. You could potentially suffer a very serious head injury if you were to fall off your bike or collide with something. So a helmet is not something that can be forgotten.
The next accessory which you may not have thought about is mountain bike gloves. Now most people wear gloves whilst they are riding because they keep the hands warm. However they do much more than that and they can in fact be a really good safety accessory. They help you to have a better grip on the handlebars which can be really helpful when you are going over rough terrain. They also provide a higher level of comfort which means that you can cycle for further without feeling the strain on your hands. Finally they can also help to cushion the hands when you fall. You always put your hands out to stop you when you fall and that can lead to nasty injuries. So wearing gloves can potentially stop these injuries from occurring.
Another important safety accessory is eye protection. The reason you need toprotect your eyes whilst out riding is because bits of debris can easily fly up and land in your eye. This can hurt a lot, cause an injury to the eye and the temporary loss of vision could make you fall off your bike too. So it is obviously a very serious worry if you were to get something in your eye whilst riding.
Overall the above mentioned are the main safety accessories that you will need for mountain biking. If you protect yourself as much as possible you will be less likely to receive an injury if you were to fall off your bike.
The Short Track Cross Country event was raced around a dirt criterium style circuit, winding in and out of the Downhill event village. An enthusiastic and vocal crowd urged the Short Track racers on, with the Open Womens field first on course for their 20 minute multi lap sprint. Newly crowned Cross Country National Champion Nic Leary (Rotorua) demonstrated that an attack from the front approach also works in this shorter format of event. Leary pressured the rest of the Womens field from the gun and stretched her competitors, just like yesterday with another brutal display of aggressive riding. The real contest was taking place for the minor podium spots between Fiona McDermid (Palmerston North), Monique Avery (Rotorua) and early on from Sara Taylor (Christchurch). McDermid retained just enough gas to cross the line only seconds in front of Avery.
The Mens Short Track was a tactical duel right through to the last lap of the 28 minute mens race. Brendan Sharratt (Wellington), Mike Northcott (Tokoroa) and Mark Leishman (Rotorua) were locked in a three way battle for much of the race until Sharratt faded. Leishman and Northcott then traded attacks for the remainder of the race, until 2010 National Cross Country Champ Northcott backed up yesterday’s success to gap Leishman on the second half of the last lap to take the win. Sharratt discovered new legs after fading mid race and slipping back into the clutches of Patrick Avery and Kyle Wood, to then clear out on his own to claim the third podium spot.
The Downhill race for National Championship titles was under way at 2pm. The morning’s seeding session produced a mixed bag of results across the age group categories, with many strong favourites being gathered up in the clutches of the gusting wind to fall off the pace. However, come race time and the summer form book regained its worth – deserved champions crowned across the board. Of note was the performance of George Brannigan (Hastings) who was racing in the Under 19 category for this title after a summer racing in the Elites. Brannigan convincingly won today, in a time that would have placed him 6th in the Elite field. Likewise Local Wellington rider Dan Meilink – like Brannigan Meilink seeded first in Senior Mens and backed that up to win his first Senior Mens Downhill National title.
In the Elite Womens race Harriet Harper (Blenheim) was after back to back National Championship titles in the prestiguous Downhill discipline. And she did this in style, winning over the fast improving Sarah Walker. BMX Olympian Walker was all praise after her foray into downhill racing, recognising first hand just how tough and uncompromising this sport is. Walker may just have enjoyed this experience so much that it won’t be the last seen of her on a 26″ downhill race bike.
The Elite Mens race was missing New Zealand’s two highest ranked racers – Sam Blenkinsop through injury and Justin Leov. However, the quality of field chasing this 2010 National title was extremely high, with all of NZ’s other top professionals and several visiting international athletes in the field. Wyn Masters (New Plymouth) seeded first, and the rest of the top ten seeded riders were right on his tail time-wise. But this race was to be Wyn Master’s finest moment and he followed through on his top seeding time to take the Elite Mens National Championship title from Wanganui’s Glenn Haden. Haden had won at Long Gulley before in similar conditions, and lost out to Master’s typically powerful and controlled display by only 0.3 seconds. Levin’s Nathan Rankin took third, with Cam Cole (Christchurch) and Four Cross National Champion Matt Walker (Kawerau) 4th and 5th. For Masters this title win seems to have been a long time coming, and for the likeable and charismatic Taranaki streak, totally deserved this year.
The RaboPlus Mountainbike National Championships finish tomorrow with the Hillclimb event on Mt. Victoria at midday.
Photo Credits – Caleb Smith
#6 – Cam Cole
#257 – Dan Meilink
#62 – George Brannigan
#110 Louis Hamilton (Under 17 National Champion)
#26 – Matt Scoles
#7 Nathan Rankin
#11 – Wyn Masters
Further information contact:
Chris Mildon, MTBNZ Event Coordinator
021 2309120
Photo Credits – Caleb Smith
#6 – Cam Cole
#257 – Dan Meilink
#62 – George Brannigan
#110 Louis Hamilton (Under 17 National Champion)
#26 – Matt Scoles
#7 Nathan Rankin
#11 – Wyn Masters
Related Posts
This is a brand new bike fresh from the factory. This bike was made in Taiwan alongside all the top brands. These are well constructed frames, made to last. This i…
Extreme 24 Speed Mountain Bike
This is a brand new bike fresh from the factory. This bike was made in Taiwan alongside all the top brands. These are well constructed frames, made to last. This i…
Tomahawk 24 speed Mountain bike
This is a brand new bike fresh from the factory. This bike was made in Taiwan alongside all the top brands. These are well constructed frames, made to last. This …
The Forge Sawback 5xx hard-tail mountain bike offers brand name components and is awesome on dirt trails and single tracks. Shimano Deore drivetrain and shifters with a Truvativ ISOflow crankset, Rock…
Outfitted with a Schwinn N-Litened Gold Label TIG welded aluminum frame with off-road, ride-tuned geometry, the Schwinn Mesa GS adult mountain bike is versatile enough for both dirt and street riding….
Mountain biking accessories come in all different forms and you do not need all of them. They also have the added advantage of reducing your bike insurance premium in addition to potentially saving your life.
If you are only just starting out in the world of mountain biking, then it is possible that you are currently feeling a little confused as to which accessories you need. With so many different accessories out there to purchase for mountain biking, it can often be difficult to know which ones will come in useful and which ones are better left alone.
Really you do not need every single accessory which has been brought out for mountain bikes. It all depends upon how often you use your bike and what you will be using it for. So before you purchase anything, it is a good idea to know what each of the different accessories does and whether it would be useful to you. Ideally you will want to purchase accessories which enable you to be as safe as possible so here you will find out about the best safety accessories available to purchase.
The Best Safety Accessories
If you are looking for the best safety mountain bike accessories then the first thing you need to look into is a helmet. This may sound obvious but there are some bikers who think that they do not need a helmet because mountain biking is different to ordinary biking. However, no matter which type of biking you take part in, a helmet is an essential accessory that every rider must wear. You could potentially suffer a very serious head injury if you were to fall off your bike or collide with something. So a helmet is not something that can be forgotten.
The next accessory which you may not have thought about is mountain bike gloves. Now most people wear gloves whilst they are riding because they keep the hands warm. However they do much more than that and they can in fact be a really good safety accessory. They help you to have a better grip on the handlebars which can be really helpful when you are going over rough terrain. They also provide a higher level of comfort which means that you can cycle for further without feeling the strain on your hands. Finally they can also help to cushion the hands when you fall. You always put your hands out to stop you when you fall and that can lead to nasty injuries. So wearing gloves can potentially stop these injuries from occurring.
Another important safety accessory is eye protection. The reason you need toprotect your eyes whilst out riding is because bits of debris can easily fly up and land in your eye. This can hurt a lot, cause an injury to the eye and the temporary loss of vision could make you fall off your bike too. So it is obviously a very serious worry if you were to get something in your eye whilst riding.
Overall the above mentioned are the main safety accessories that you will need for mountain biking. If you protect yourself as much as possible you will be less likely to receive an injury if you were to fall off your bike.
