Petch wins her second Oceania jersey
Dominates elite women’s racing in BMX
Te Awamutu rider Rebecca Petch swapped bikes and breeds to add another Oceania jersey (Oceania Cyling Championships, featuring all major cycling disciplines) to her collection after dominating the elite women’s racing in BMX competition at the Sleeman Track at Chandler in Brisbane.
After winning an Oceania jersey with victory in the team sprint on the track, Petch, 23, returned to her roots to dominate the elite BMX competition, unbeaten in the competition to claim the elite women’s title for the first time.
“It’s nice to get some racing with the girls. They were really pushing me,” said Petch.
“With the time difference, I haven’t really adapted since I have been here but I need to be able to adapt.
“It is a good stepping from nationals to Oceanias and on to world cups. It is good to get this under the belt and hopefully on to some international racing soon.”
Petch, who also raced in the Superclass BMX competition on Saturday, said she was starting to feel the effects of two hard days of track cycling and now BMX.
“I’ve been riding a bike for 20 years. I guess my foundations were built over that time. Getting used to the track has been really cool learning for me because I am seeing such big improvements and I am enjoying doing both at present.”
The women’s competition was combined with elites, under-23 and juniors.