Kiwi biker has real mountain to climb

PETER DRURY/Fairfax Media

MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB: Kiwi mountainbiker Kashi Leuchs has a real battle on his hands through asthma which has continually flared up this year to hamper his Olympics preparations.

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It seems like a result which would make you breathe easier, finishing fourth when first tackling the Olympic cross country mountainbiking course.

But as Kashi Leuchs explains, his season has gradually subsided downhill since that encouraging afternoon at Laoshan last October.

Any heart the 30-year-old took from the dry run has ebbed away as asthma attacks conspired to hamper his build-up to tomorrow's cross country double header.

The legacy of a cold and wet week of altitude training three months ago continues to linger for Leuchs, whose lung capacity has always been susceptible to inclement weather.

While Beijing's pollution issues have been well-documented, ironically it was a cool crisp camp in the French Alps that undermined Leuch's third attempt at parking up on an Olympic podium.

"It was four degrees and rained every day, the asthma flared up – it's sensitive to the cold and damp," he said.

Figuring his preparations would be better served in warmer climes, he targeted Canada's summer – only for the clouds to break unseasonally.

"The odd wet day is alright but when there's a week of it and you have to go out and train, my body doesn't handle that well," he said.

Leuchs could at least see a vaguely funny side, noting the irony of growing up in Dunedin and yet still having problems acclimatising to grim weather.

"I've used up all the wet days I can handle," he said, wryly.

Leuchs also thought his workload had not helped and he was looking forward to a long and languid off-season once his professional commitments end in mid-October.

"In the last few years I've had more struggles with asthma than ever before," he said.

"It could be a long-term fatigue issue, that's my gut feeling. I'll need a longer break to let the body recover."

There is no rest and recuperation in an Olympic year however, and Leuchs has plugged away despite his World Cup campaign tapering off since a solid early-season sixth in Spain and a ninth in Italy.

"I've been trying to bring all the form here that I possibly can. I haven't, the body is rebelling a bit."

The course has changed significantly from his first ride on it – some sections have been made steeper after concern it was not challenging enough.

"There's more steep climbs," said Leuchs, after a ride.

"It was pretty extreme already, now it's super extreme."

The weather might also conspire to turn the 4.5km loop into a quagmire, possibly levelling the playing field when the race starts at 7pm (NZ time).

"The track would get pretty disastrous, the downhills are very steep," Leuchs said.

"There's a lot of chutes where you have to go (downhill) fast. You have to brake fast at the bottom and if it's slippery. . ... it could be entertaining viewing for the spectators and TV."

The men's race could probably use grubby weather to put a spoke in the wheels of the favourites, headed by Athens gold medallist and 13-time World Cup winner Julien Absalon.

The Frenchman has been typically dominant this season though it was Swiss rival Christoph (correct) Sauser who won the world championship gold in Italy less than three months ago.

Rosara Joseph faces a similarly tough task in the first leg of double header (2pm NZT).

The Commonwealth Games silver medallist two years ago was 30th at the world champs. This was her comeback race after breaking an ankle and she has been understandably off the pace.

"I've had to reassess my goals, it's hard to know what's realistic," the 26-year-old Rhodes scholar said.

Norway's Gunn Rita Dahle Flesjaa is the defending Olympic champion but has also been plagued by injury and illness this year, giving the other 29 riders hope.

The women's race was originally scheduled for today but the torrential downpour that prompted the postponement of the BMX semifinals and medal races yesterday forced organisers to give the course a day to recover.

-NZPA