Mountainbiking trio taking on the world

headed by national under-19 champion Cameron Jones, pictured, from Nelson.

Fellow Waimea College student Sam Gale has beens named in the under-19 downhill category, while Henry Jaine has been chosen alongside Commonwealth Games competitors Sam Gaze, Ben Oliver and Anton Cooper in a wider squad for elite and under-23 cross-country riders to be considered for selection for the world championships.

The trio’s selection followed a series of strong competitive performances in recent months.

After a second place at the UCI Altherm Oceania Mountain Bike Championships in Dunedin, Jaine claimed third place in the under-23 category at the national championships in Wanaka two weeks later. Jones won his under-19 title at the same event.

An accomplished multisporter who was the youngest two-day win- ner of the Coast to Coast, Jones finished in 65th place at last year’s world championships in Cairns, Australia. For 16-year-old Gale, he said the chance to compete overseas for the first time was an exciting challenge he was looking forward to. While he was uncertain of what to expect from the Swiss terrain, Gale said the quality of trails around Nelson and his future train- ing base at Queenstown offered an ideal way to prepare for the world championships.

He credited having a support network of like-minded friends and parents as being key to his success.

‘‘I’m pretty good mates with Cameron, so we’ll probably talk a bit about how to get ready, I suppose.’’

‘‘Mum and Dad are my biggest supporters. They have helped me out heaps, especially Dad – whenever I have an event, he’s there to drive the shuttle.’’

Eagle, 1,355 tons, unload fish, MCQN; Voyager P, 321 tons, unload fish, LU3; Taudre, 224 tons, berth only, CB; Amaltal Explorer, 1,386 tons, unload fish, load bunkers, Amatal; Sea Ranger, 334 tons, berth only, Slip; Captain MJ Souza, 1,468 tons, berth only, Amatal; Aleksey Slobodchikov, 4,407 tons, unload fish, load bunkers, LU1; Rehua, 2,483 tons, berth only, Sealord; Meridian 1, 4,407 tons, unload fish, load bunkers, LU3; Professor M Alexsandrov, 4,407 tons, unload fish, load bunkers, LU1; Amaltal Atlantis, 1,899 tons, berth only, Amatal; Oriental Iris, 9,305 tons, load Kiwifruit, MCQS; Great Reward, 19,994 tons, load logs, KQ.

Santa Bettina, 28,616 tons, containers, BQ, today; Bomar Rossi, 39,753 tons, MWS, Sunday; Maersk Jaipur, 28,340 tons, containers, MWS, Sunday; Spirit of Canterbury, 9,910 tons, containers, BQ, Monday; Cheryl Anne G, 154 tons, unload fish, Slip, Monday; Diana, 23,494 tons, load logs, KQ, Monday; Manchac Sun, 30,565 tons, unload petroleum, MWS, Monday; Te Raukura, 4,407 tons, unload fish, KQ, Wednesday; ANL Elaroo, 18,358 tons, containers, BQ, Thursday; Valiant Ace, 59,022 tons, unload vehicles, MCQS, Friday.