Hanlen and Cooper win final round of New Zealand cross country cup

Karen Hanlen on her way to winning in Hunua

Karen Hanlen on her way to winning in Hunua (Image credit: Simon Watts BW Photography)

Olympian Karen Hanlen blitzed the elite women's field to win at the final round of cross country racing at the BikeNZ MTB Cup in Hunua, Auckland on Sunday. Among the men, junior world champion Anton Cooper earned top honors.

Women

Hanlen took the victory in a time of 1:38:50, almost five minutes ahead of second-placed Kate Fluker, who finished in 1:43:33. Fiona MacDermid took third place in a time of 1:49:05.

Hanlen, who controlled the race right from the start, was pleased with the win. "I was pretty happy. Last weekend was the opposite, so I really wanted to work on my start," Hanlen said.

"It was quite different compared to the other courses (in the series). It was pretty flat, but with some really tight sections in the trees. It's always good to be able to ride on some different courses."

Hanlen will be lining up in Rotorua next weekend, with her hopes set on taking the New Zealand cross country national champion's jersey once again.

"I'm looking forward to it. I think I'm ready. I'll give it a good go. I've had a lot of support in the last weeks from BikeNZ, and I've been real rapt to get that."

Men

In the elite men's race, junior world champion Anton Cooper snatched the win from elite rider Dirk Peters, after the under 23 and elite categories were combined into one race.

Cooper's winning time of 1:44:12, showed the phenomenal talent the 18-year-old possesses. Dirk Peters finished second in a time of 1:45:50, and Mike Northcott came across the line in 1:48:52 to take third.

Cooper was well aware of the tough competition he would face from his more experienced competitors lining up in the race, especially current national champion Peters,

"It was really hard work out there today. It's been really tight racing with Dirk. He's an amazing rider, and is super talented. He's come a long way recently, and is riding so well. It was tough. He's got a great future ahead of him."

Cooper hopes that his current form will be enough to win him the national champion's jersey next weekend, ahead of his professional season with Cannondale Factory Racing in Europe, racing in the under 23 category for the first time.

"I can't wait for the nationals. I think I've got in it me," said Cooper. "I've been working really hard and would love to be able to take that jersey racing overseas. It would be awesome for both me and my team."

The New Zealand mountain bike national championships will take place next weekend in Rotorua, in the Whakarewarewa forest, with both downhill and cross country categories.

Full Results

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Elite and U23* men
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Anton Cooper*1:44:12
2Dirk Peters0:01:38
3Mike Northcott0:04:40
4Samuel Shaw0:04:43
5Carl Jones0:05:56
6Tom Bradshaw0:06:05
7Adrian Retief0:09:52
8Alex McGregor0:13:07
9Matt Andrew0:13:54
10Graham Norman0:15:19
11Elliot Pearce*0:15:42
12Louis Crosby0:16:02
13Nick Miller0:18:26
-2lapsNicholas ReevesRow 13 - Cell 2
-3lapsLogan Horn*Row 14 - Cell 2
-3lapsConnor Dove*Row 15 - Cell 2
-3lapsRyan Hunt*Row 16 - Cell 2
-3lapsNick Flutey*Row 17 - Cell 2
DNFMathew WaghornRow 18 - Cell 2
DNFJosh Parkin*Row 19 - Cell 2
DSQMartin McCrudden*Row 20 - Cell 2
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Elite and U23* women
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Karen Hanlen1:38:50
2Kate Fluker0:04:43
3Fiona Macdermid0:10:15
4Ingrid Richter0:11:08
5Sasha Smith*0:12:30
6Kim Hurst0:12:51
-3lapsSophiemarie Bethell*Row 6 - Cell 2
DNFMegan BlackettRow 7 - Cell 2
DNSRaewyn MorrisonRow 8 - Cell 2
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U19 men
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Samuel Gaze1:10:35
2Craig Oliver0:03:12
3Ben Oliver0:03:48
4Brett Stokman0:05:11
5Gareth Cannon0:06:03
6Mitchell Campbell0:06:34
7Cosmo Bloor0:08:46
8Simon Lawson0:09:26
9Sam Dakin0:09:56
10David Ashby-Coventry0:10:07
11Thomas Wood0:13:15
12Elliot Wright0:14:06
13Tom Coombes0:17:10
14Peter Bethell0:18:15
DNFKyle LockwoodRow 14 - Cell 2
DNFJack CromptonRow 15 - Cell 2
DNSBrad JonesRow 16 - Cell 2
DNSCameron HowellRow 17 - Cell 2
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U19 women
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Harriet Beaven1:05:58
2Amber Johnston0:01:28
3Samantha Hope0:01:38
4Olivia Miller0:05:46
5Charlotte Rayner0:07:53
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U17 men
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1215 Nathan Johnston1:17:01
2123 Scott Barr0:02:00
3234 Robert Stannard0:02:07
4158 Aaron Carr0:04:32
5243 Robin Page0:04:58
6119 Paul Wright0:05:30
7252 Kim Wright0:06:05
8246 Connor McRae0:07:30
9115 Ben Friel0:08:02
10165 Lewis Ryan0:08:23
11237 Josh Reilly0:10:59
12221 Matias Fitzwater0:12:00
13242 Alex Beaven0:12:47
14157 Ryan Craggs0:14:23
15176 Robbie Bradshaw0:16:07
16220 Joe Sutton0:17:25
17231 Dylan Lee0:17:31
18218 Harrison Mudgway0:19:29
19240 Finn Welsford-Ackroy0:19:32
DNF229 Zach MedichRow 19 - Cell 2
DNF244 Kalen WeirRow 20 - Cell 2
DNS251 Josh LeeRow 21 - Cell 2
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U17 women
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1108 Jemma Manchester1:06:56
2126 Shannon Hope0:03:32
3236 Brooke Hudson0:11:02
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U15 men
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1164 Eden Cruise0:56:36
2156 Jake Craggs0:09:13
3121 Janus Staufenberg0:09:15
4120 Luke Wright0:11:00
5117 Alex Young0:13:39
6122 Julius Staufenberg0:13:55
-1lap238 Jeevan Gossage KrishnaRow 6 - Cell 2
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U15 women
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1155 Jessica Manchester0:50:00
2241 Isobel Welsford-Ackroy0:12:36

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