Page 50 - Demo

48
MOUNTAIN BIKE REPORT
The rst big event I competed in this year was the Na onal Champs which were held on the Wright’s Farm in Hawea Flat. This venue was a last minute decision a er a
big snow fall at Cardrona made that track un-rideable. A er a strong start I found myself in a group of three ba ling for 2nd. My legs felt good and on the second last lap I managed to get a gap and ride to the nish in second place.
Next up was the New Zealand Secondary School Championships in Rotorua. Coming into the race with high expecta ons a er the Na onals, I was determined to have
a good race. A er not the best of starts, I managed to make my way in to the front group of six riders, which stayed together for most of the race. Two riders dropped on the second last lap and it was down to the four of us. I managed to get a small gap going into the sprint nish to win my rst ever Na onal tle.
The next day I ew over to Canberra for my rst Junior World Series race. The course was extremely technical which, combined with the
Josh Burne
heat, made the racing very tough. I managed togeta9thonthe rstdayand7thonthe second day. I was pre y sa s ed with these results for my rst ever interna onal race.
Soon a er the Canberra race, I was no ed that I had been selected for the U19 Boys’ team for the World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. A er 4 months of solid training, before and a er school most days, I ew out to Zurich for a couple of smaller races before heading up to Lenzerheide.
There were 120 riders in the Junior Boys’ race and star ng in 75th on the start line,
I had my work cut out for me. A er a very hec c start I started to nd my rhythm un l a puncture on my second lap ended things early. I was pre y disappointed but it was s ll an unreal experience, especially watching 30,000 passionate Swiss fans pack into the small mountainous town for the elite race.
Overall I had a really fun, successful year and I’m looking forward to the challenge of racing the U23 category next year, while studying at Otago University.
CORBIN STRONG
Corbin has had an amazing year, with the following results:
Interna onal
Currently ranked as UCI World Number 1 U19 Omnium
Junior Track World
Gold Team Pursuit – 4th Omnium
Oceania
Gold U19 IP
Gold U19 Omnium Gold U19 Madison
Junior Tour of Wales – 5th stage 4
Bundaberg Int. Spectacular
3rd Overall Individual Points and 3rd Team
Na onal
New Zealand Junior Male Track Cyclist of theYear
Subway Na onal Track Series Series’ Winner
Calder Stewart Elite Road Series 1st Timaru Classic Elite Men’s
Regional
SIT Southern Performance Hub U19 Rider of the Year
Cycling Southland Junior Rider of the Year 10th overall in 2018 Tour of Southland –
(2nd in U23 sec on)
Josh Burnett
Corbin Strong