Top three riders separated by 4sec in Epic race finish
SNOWCAPPED mountains, a glassy Lake Hawea and clear blue skies greeted more than 700 mountain bike riders when they arrived to compete in the Contact Epic around the lake on Saturday.
Riders chose from four events: the 160km Centurion, 125km Epic, 95km Classic and the 35km Traverse.
Race organiser Danielle Nicholson said it was an ‘‘amazing day’’.
The race of the day was the Classic, where the top three riders were split by just four seconds at the finish after they raced for nearly four and ahalf hours.
Sixteenyearold Archie Martinovich, of Christchurch, won the battle, crossing the finish line in 4hr 20min 46sec, beating Dunedin pair Jeremy Forlong and Andrew Fraser.
‘‘It was very closely fought. We couldn’t tell who was in the lead at various times.’’
Ms Nicholson said Martinovich showed great sportsmanship before his event, scrapping his own race preparation as he helped change a tyre for a woman who had a puncture on the start line.
‘‘It’s great to see a kid like that in our sport,’’ Ms Nicholson said.
Clinton’s Jo McKenzie won the women’s title in 5hr 28min 34sec, followed by Kara Wandless of Invercargill and Shelley Alexander of Hawea Flat.
In the Epic, Oamaru’s Tim Rush beat home threetimes champion Dougal Allan, of Wanaka, in 4hr 38min 49sec. Rush’s brother Kris was third.
In the women’s event, Wanaka’s Simone Maier beat seventimes champion Kath Kelly, of Roxburgh, crossing the line in 5hr 29min 37sec. Auckland’s Harriet Beaven was third.
Alexandra’s Mike Sangster won the gruelling 160km Centurion race in 6hr 43min 26sec. Mark Williams, of Queenstown, was second ahead of John Mezger, of Wanaka.
Ronel Cook, of Dunedin, won the women’s 160km race in 8hr 17min 06sec, ahead of Cromwell’s Teresa Noble and Christchurch’s Hannah Johnston.
Finally in the shortest race, the Traverse, Mitch Tawera, of Wanaka, defended the men’s title in 1hr 20min 09sec, followed by Tane Tawera, of Wanaka, and Jamie Henderson, of Christchurch.
Kim Cadzow (16), of Tauranga, won the women’s race in 1hr 31min 43sec ahead of Kaiapoi’s Sjaan Lykles and Christchurch’s Jane McDonald.