Taberlay takes eliminator title

The 2012 Oceania Mountain Bike Championships finished Sunday with the downhill and cross country eliminator races in the Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua. Weather was very changeable, with just enough rain falling on and off all day to keep competitors guessing and gambling with the variable conditions. Competition was tough, and the strong international presence was felt again today in both feature races.

Evergreen Sid Taberlay (Australia) won the men's eliminator event ahead of the best New Zealanders on a very tough circuit in the knock-out format race - on a course that rewarded a good dose of nerve on the downhill section, and a strong pair of legs and a tolerance to sprinting burn on the uphill. Taberlay was beaten for outright honours by Switzerland's Patrick Luthi, who was ineligible for the title by virtue of having Swiss residency.

Tauranga's Vanessa Quin, the 2004 Downhill World Champion, made a successful return to mountain bike racing with a win in the women's race, and loved every second of the experience. Quin revelled in the dirt racing atmosphere and clearly enjoyed herself with this new dirt criterium style event, and expressed a strong desire to chase some more events in a sport that saw her international career span several years through the late 90s through to 2006.

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