Williams wins New World Tour De Wakatipu
06.04.2010
Queenstown ace mountain biker Mark Williams successfully defended his title at the 2010 New World Tour de Wakatipu on Saturday (April 3) completing the 45km course in 1hour 41.52mins to set the fastest time over the 840 strong field.Williams says he was pleased to take the title again, which he achieved, even after taking a wrong turn on the course. “I ended up in someone’s orchard off Slopehill Road but fortunately a few of the other elite riders followed me as well. It was a great event again, taking us on some awesome trails and it was exciting to have Wanaka warbirds flying above us during some of the race.â€
The majority of competitors entered in the 36km recreational event starting at Millbrook Resort following the Wakatipu Trails Trust trail through Millbrook West to Speargrass Flat Road. From there the course led over Slopehill Road to a single track alongside the Shotover River and across the restored Lower Shotover Bridge. Off the bridge a very tight track led on to the wide gravel roads of the Shotover Delta, followed by 300metres of single track along the banks of the Kawarau River.
The next stage rode through Remarkables Park, on to the state highway and across the Kawarau Bridge, followed by another short section of state highway to the privately owned Kawarau River road on Coneburn Station, finishing at Chard Farm vineyard.
Sport and elite riders completed a circuit on the Lake Hayes track taking their event to 45kms.
Williams made a race of it with James Olvanhill (Alexandra) who crossed the line in second place in 1.44.36 while the fastest women overall was Ruth Lee (Moa Flat) riding in the elite open division to clock a creditable 1.53.25. Tim Rush 19 (Oamaru) was the quickest junior over the field winning the elite junior title in 1.55.10.
The sport division was hotly contested with veteran Mike Plimmer (Wanaka) pipping fellow veteran Warwick Jones (Arrowtown) by one second to win in 1.47.39. Lucy Cruickshank (Masterton) competing in the sport open women section was fastest in 1.55.44, while the best junior male was Nick Ewen 17 (Whangarei) in 2.01.10 and Harriet Brown 19 (Dunedin) put up the best junior women’s performance in 2.13.49.
The fastest recreational competitor was veteran Dean Broadhead (Timaru) in 1.42.15 while Pamela Hepburn (Queenstown) riding in the open recreational section was the first woman across the finish in 1.51.36. Fifteen-year-old Queenstown junior Casey Strachan put on a blistering pace to win the junior division in 1.48.42. while Annabel Kennedy 12 (Invercargil) was fastest recreational junior woman in 2.13.29.
Race Director Geoff Hunt says the event this year built on the reputation of last year’s inaugural Tour de Wakatipu.
