Motatapu race record under threat

The Motatapu mountainbiking race record will be under serious threat when the sixth edition gets under way from Glendhu Bay, near Wanaka, tomorrow.

Four-time winner Marcus Roy set the current mark of 1hr 57min 47sec in 2008.

Both Roy and Kashi Leuchs, the only two riders to win the race, have had their preparation limited by other commitments and 2010 could see a new champion.

Race director Tracey Neil said extensive work by landowners had resulted in significant track improvements.

The developments would mean the mountainbike course would be shorter and faster.

One of the riders to watch will be 15-year-old Anton Cooper, from Christchurch, who is the national under-17 cross-country champion.

A dark horse in the race could be Invercargill's Ryan Cull.

The former Commonwealth Games track cycling representative is the recently crowned Southland mountainbiking champion.

Cull has ridden the course a couple of times before in a support role and could challenge the leaders, although he was playing down his chances yesterday.

About 2400 mountainbikers will tackle the course tomorrow, with almost 800 marathon runners and a further 500 runners competing in the new two-person adventure run and 15km Miner's Trail.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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