It’s mountain biking but not as we know it and Taupō athletes, Coen Nicol and Sammie Maxwell, have become national champions in cyclo-cross – in the under 19 men and under 23 women divisions respectively.
Cyclo-cross, a mountain biking event that draws inspiration from cross-country running, was only introduced to New Zealand in 2019 though it has existed as a sport since the early 20th century.
Competitors cycle through rough terrain and around or over deliberately placed obstacles but, at certain points, have to dismount and carry their bikes across a particularly hazardous section of the track, often involving mud or small barriers.
Nicol, a 16-year-old student at Taupō-nui-a-Tia College had competed in about three races prior to earning his title at the Cyclo-Cross National Championship in Hutt Valley on August 15, and raced in a division involving competitors between 18 and 19-years-old.
Winning the title meant recognition from the Union Cycliste Internationale and also earned Nicol points that seed him for future national events.
His race plan was simple – go out strong at the start and put everything into it.
Covid had made training more convenient, he said, since there were fewer people on the road, and he had only four hours of online learning a day.
Despite the cyclo-cross title win – in the sport he had only been doing for five months, Nicol said his main focus had always been mountain biking and was still, with plans for it to become a career.
Time spent training, parental guidance and coach Cam Durno had made all the difference, he said.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”
Maxwell, a Taupō born rider who is currently studying biomedical science at Victoria University, is no stranger to competitive mountain biking and started competing in her early college years.
She has competed at the Youth Olympic Games, in numerous World Cup races and won four different age groups, and one elite, national championship.
The cyclo-cross race felt great, she said, as she had come back from a year-long break due to suffering from relative energy deficiency, a condition that particularly affects athletes who don’t properly fuel their bodies.
But assistance from the Victoria University-sponsored nutritionists she works with, meant she didn’t suffer from any loss of energy during the race.
Maxwell too is eyeing up a career as a professional mountain biker – with cyclo-cross as an enjoyable sideline – though is under no illusion as to how difficult it will be, as she has heard of few mountain bikers being sponsored in the past 5 – 10 years.
She put her success down to her coach Sam Thompson of the Mountain Bike Academy and former coaches Dave Harding Shaw and Alex Fierro, as well as assistance from the university with grants, nutritionists and psychologists, as well as fellow mountain bike rider Victoria Barrett and the Barrett family, who helped keep her spirits up when she was recovering.
Credit: Stuff.co.nz
