News
World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships 2010 Portugal
Posted: 14/07/10
The middle distance race today was held in the area surrounding Montalegre, where the event centre is situated. It was a very hilly course which tested the rider's endurance and strength. The start and finish were both very scenic and despite an overcast start, it soon turned into a beautiful day.
Today was a day of mixed fortunes. There was an error with control placement which caused both junior courses to be declared null and void. This proved unfortunate for Helen Clayton as she had a very good ride to finish on the podium in 6th place in the junior women's event. For Chris Brand-Barker however it was another matter after some poor navigation cost him a lot of time and he welcomed another chance to improve on his results in the junior men's event. They will be staged tomorrow on another area in place of the Long Distance Prologue.
On the women's elite course Emily Benham had a solid ride with good navigation, but lacked the strength of the more experienced women. Lucy Harris put in a good performance and finished well inside the top 40, her best placing at international level. She finished feeling strong and looking forward to the next event. Beth Clayton gained valuable experience and rode accurately, in readiness for the longer event that should suit her strengths.
On the men's elite course there were highs and lows. New team member Ben Plowman had a storming ride to finish 33rd, closely followed by Andy Conn who rode strongly to finish 44th. A couple of mistakes during Andy Windrum's ride spoiled his otherwise excellent ride. Mark Stodgell had a series of major mechanical issues which constantly interrupted his ride and meant he finished shortly after Andy W.
All in all today was an unpredictable day but the riders are looking forward to the next challenge.