Welcome to Quake City - Christchurch, New Zealand. Training grounds for Sam Blenkinsop and home to some of the country's best backcountry riding. The penultimate round of the New Zealand Downhill National Series rolled into town this weekend and gave riders a rude wake-up call for what South Island racing is all about. No groomed trails or padded trees to be seen. Just a shit load of rock & sketchy trails cut into tall tussock.
Out of the trails the race had to choose from, they chose to use
Lava Flow in Victoria Park. Not many's first choice for a race track, but after the Port Hills fire almost one year to the day, it was one of the hardest options that the organizers had to choose from. It sure as hell delivered though.
| Had a mint day on the bike, but in my race run, I rode off track and had to run back up the hill. Loved racing a super rocky and dusty track which is the kind of stuff I regularly ride!—Finn Hawkesby-Brown |
| I had a bit of crash in my race run today but I'm still stoked to pull a 3rd on the very rocky lava flow.—Guy Johnston |
| Lava Flow lived up to its name - it felt like riding on the moon. Awesome day out on the hill today. The wind stayed away and the open, exposed track was getting better each lap. Was epic to race some rocks and good to be back on the downhill bike after 9 weeks off! Looking forward to National Champs next weekend.—Ashley Bond |
| Ah yeah it was really fun, we don't ride Lava Flow that much because it's always windy or overgrown but the weather was perfect for the race today and I'm sure everyone had a great day!—Rupert Chapman |
Results
Elite Men's Results
1st - Sam Blenkinsop ( 2:13.79 )
2nd - Brook MacDonald ( 2:14.87 )
3rd - Keegan Wright ( 2:16.63 )
4th - Rupert Chapman ( 2:16.81)
5th - Guiy Gibbs ( 2:21.57 )
Elite Women's Results
1st - Kate Weatherly ( 2:50.41 )
2nd - Shania Rawson ( 3:09.15 )
3rd - Ashley Bond ( 3:43.19 )
Full Results
Mentions: @cameronmackenzie
Zalev, thanks for your educated and nuanced analysis of the situation. That was sarcasm, you probably need that to be pointed out.
Would love to see the results of Juniors & Groms included in these round-ups.
It's cool to see the stars emerging.