Dylan Cooper (Trek) took out the inaugural Real Insurance XCM Series after beating Ben Mather (Avanti Plus)and Matt Fleming (Rockstar Racing) at the Briars Highland Fling.
In a thrilling finish, Cooper finished just one one hundredth of a second in front of Mather. Although he crossed the line first, it was an anxious wait for Cooper and Mather as the final times were calculated.
At the presentation, Cooper was relaxed and relieved, a very different sight from the focussed looking Cooper who rolled into the event centre that morning. At the KOM mark, Cooper was 10 seconds off the pace as Dan McConnell took the top points, followed by Mather, Marc Williams and Andy Blair. At the KOM point, Matt Fleming was five minutes behind the pack, and he finished 11th overall.
Despite being 20 seconds behind at the 70km mark, Cooper courageously fought back to claim the win along with the $6,500 prize money, $4,000 for winning the Real Insurance XCM Series and $2,500 for the Highland Fling win.
"The Real Insurance XCM Series has really lifted the profile of mountain biking. I'm really pleased to be the inaugural winner," Cooper said.
Mather took home the $2,000 KOM prize money after edging out Cooper and Fleming. "That hundredth of a second was the most costly ever," Mather joked.
In the women's competition, Jenny Fay (Rockstar Racing) dominated the women's field to win the Fling along with the Real Insurance XCM Women's Series and the QOM. Sue Thompson (GU Energy) was rewarded for her consistency throughout the series, claiming second overall.
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The rankings for the Real Insurance Half Marathon XCM Series are still being calculated and will be announced shortly.
The 7th Briars Highland Fling attracted a record number of participants with more than 2,000 riders taking part in the event.
