NZ MTB Team Competition Final Day – Wrap

Sam Blenkinsop

Downhill competition filled the race programme today at the Mont Sainte Anne World Championships in Quebec, with the Junior and Elite Mens and Womens Championship races taking place. The changeable weather continued through the day, and just like the previous four days of events for the New Zealanders, so too did their fortunes.

The Junior categories started the programme off after a short practice period in the morning. Steady rain overnight had again turned the Mont Sainte Anne mountain into a variable surface race course, at times drying rapidly, with riders sometimes struggling to work out tyre choice, how far to push and hitting race lines learnt during such a long period of training in the dry. Sarah Atkin (Wellington) had the honour of being first starter in the championship race, but struggled to hold a clean run together with two crashes and a time that would be only good enough for fifth place. Charlotte Clouston (Waimauku) had wrenched a wrist in the morning’s practice session, and was tentative but determined to ride a strong race – sixth place. The third Kiwi off the line was Madeline Taylor (Hawkes Bay) – Taylor had struggled all week with the physical nature of the Mont Sainte Anne course, suffering through arm pump caused by the continual impact downhill racing on a mountain like this delivers. Taylor had saved her best effort for the final, and held podium pace right to the very last jump – however Taylor couldn’t hold on to her bike and crashed just short of the line, loosing so much time in recovering her bike that any hope of a top result was out of reach.  

The Junior Mens race had been much anticipated for New Zealand since the curtain went down on the 2009 World Championships. Second year junior George Brannigan (Hawkes Bay) had narrowly missed winning the 2010 World Cup the weekend before in Windham, New York and desperately wanted the World Championship title to finish his European season off on a high note. Brannigan was fourth to last starter, with 38 other riders completing their runs before him. Jimmy Wilson (Christchurch) and Sam Baker (Waimauku) nursed badly twisted ankles through their race runs, but on the physically demanding Mont Sainte Anne course, they were always going to be up against it. Daniel Franks (Christchurch) enjoyed some time in the leaders hot seat, holding the fastest time for a period covering several other riders. Jed Rooney (Oamaru) joined Franks in the hot seat and then Rupert Chapman (Christchurch) also bumped them down a spot on the leaders board. The small crowd of vocal New Zealand supporters held their breaths as Brannigan worked his way down the mountain at race winning pace, and couldn’t quite believe the big screen images of Brannigan loosing control of his bike and crashing on a section of course he had cleaned all week. The more than 10 seconds Brannigan lost in that off cost him any chance of claiming the win, and he had to settle for a bitterly disappointing fourth place. Brannigan’s nemesis over the European World Cup season Troy Brosnan (Australia) won the coveted title, completing a rare World Cup/Championship double.

Kieran Bennett

The feature event the crowds had come to see was the Elite Mens race. First New Zealander to start was Kieran Bennett (Nelson) who had an absolute nightmare run. Breaking his frame through the seat post and puncturing towards the bottom of the course putting an end to Bennett’s World Championships campaign. Outgoing Junior World Champion Brook MacDonald was confident, calm and composed leaving the start gate and had podium pace right through the first two splits, but a small wash-out sucked too much time from him – while MacDonald held provisional third for some time, he would eventually finish 12^th. Wyn Masters was next away, and after a reasonably unsuccessful season by his own standards, wanted to leave the World Championships having salvaged a top result. Masters didn’t have the legs today, finding himself unable to ride at the pace he needed. While the star of cult favourite WynTV was still able to turn on his crowd pleasing style, it didn’t translate to out and out pace on the scoreboard. Dunedin’s Justin Leov was next. Leov had this course dialled in practice but lost significant time in a similar course position to MacDonald. And his title shot was over in a matter of a few lost seconds, 14^th. All New Zealand hopes now rested on Sam Blenkinsop as the last New Zealand starter. Blenkinsop was more than capable of taking this one, but the weather had again played its part, starting to rain quite solidly for the last 20 starters. Blenkinsop was off winning pace right from the start, and in a sport where winning is often measured in the hundredths of a second, coupled with now greasy exposed corners, he couldn’t make any time up over the lower parts of the course to finish 9th. Australian Sam Hill’s return to top level competition after an early season shoulder injury had the ultimate conclusion, with Hill claiming the rainbow jersey World Championship title by a comfortable 2 1/2 second margin.

The New Zealand Team were disappointed in the range of results through the categories contested today, having had realistic and high hopes of bringing home titles in each. However, some consolation was gained as the UCI released the Nations Rankings post competition. New Zealand advancing up the rankings to number one nation for Junior Men, number two nation for Elite Men and number three nation for Junior Women.

The New Zealand Mountainbike Team now disperse to home bases. Many athletes returning to New Zealand over the next two days, with the balance scheduled to be back at home before the end of the month.

Full Results All Events

Photography (Patrick Fallon)

Note: Low Resolution images for Final Day Downhill available as attachments by following email, High Resolution by return email request.

Released by Mountainbike New Zealand Performance

Further Information contact:

NZ Team Manager Chris Mildon on +64212309120

NZ MTB Team Competition Days Three and Four – Wrap

Friday and Saturday have been all about Cross Country competition at the Mont Sainte Anne World Championships in Quebec, with a stunning Friday evening of Four Cross racing thrown in to mix things up a little.

The Junior (Under 19) Mens race took place on Thursday morning, and three New Zealand riders were amongst a fiercely competitive pack charging away from the start line. Absolute disaster struck Palmerston North’s Oceania Champion Mathew Waghorn within seconds of the gun on the first turn, as he was blocked into a barrier and left with nowhere to go. A heavy impact with the ground left Waghorn stunned and in real distress, and his race was over before it had even begun. Bradley Hudson (Christchurch) got away cleanly, and worked his way into the 30s, consolidating his position to a consistent 32^nd place finish in the 5 ½ lap race. Locky McArthur (Auckland) battled during this race, with an irreparable broken shoe binding on the 2^nd lap limiting any power he could generate and affecting control on the highly technical course –  McArthur was rewarded for his refusal to quit with a finish on the lead lap in 54^th.

The peripheral effects of Atlantic northbound Hurricane Earl ramped the heat and humidity up during the afternoon for the Under 23 Mens race. Dirk Peters and Carl Jones (both Rotorua) reflected the scale of this highly competitive category – Peters as a first year, and Jones in his final Under 23 season before stepping through to Elite. Like Hudson earlier in the day, Peters worked his way quickly into the 30s and then maintained that position through to his 36^th place finish. Peters had a rough patch in the middle of the race – “the pace in the early laps was being dictated by the speed off the front, and it took me a lap in the middle before I could find my own rhythm and get comfortable with riding my own race. But I’m really happy with this result given the level of competition in this class”. Jones raced a different approach – steadily working his way through the field from the mid 50s through to 39^th at the finish.

Friday evening was a long build-up to the 9pm elimination format Four Cross event, and the crowds pouring into the Mont Sainte Anne venue provided the atmosphere this exciting form of mountainbike racing is renowned for. Daniel Franks (Christchurch) had qualified 11^th, and was up against a strong heat eight. Franks jumped strongly from the gate and exited the first turn in third place, but couldn’t put together any effective passing opportunities on the difficult race course. He could take some consolation however from knowing he had been eliminated by eventual winner Thomas Slavik. Slavik (CZE) made a pass that will go down as one of the defining moments of these World Championships, passing 2009 World Champion Jared Graves on the second to last corner during the Four Cross final. Slavik almost couldn’t believe he had pulled this off, and the rainbow stripes of the Four Cross World Championship jersey will be a well earned reminder for the rest of his career.

The Elite Cross Country World Championship titles were up for grabs on Saturday. The morning’s race was the Womens, with Rosara Joseph (UK), Nicola Leary (Rotorua), Fiona MacDemid (Palmerston North) and Jenny Hopkinson-Smith (Gunnison) competing. The women lined up for a start after about eight hours of steady rain, and raced in conditions that were near perfect with the high humidity of previous days finally backing off. Joseph got away cleanly, but the terrible luck Waghorn suffered yesterday morning was about to repeat itself, this time with Leary who lost complete pressure in her front tyre in the first corner high speed manouevering. Leary had inadvertently clipped another riders rear wheel disc, which slashed right through the sidewall of her front tyre. Realising the tyre was completely irreparable, Leary ran her bike around the nine minute start loop through to the technical zone where she replaced the wheel, but although fighting as hard as she could to recover the significant lost ground from the very back of the field, was destined to not make the finish. MacDermid and Hopkinson-Smith battled all day, and also couldn’t make an impact. However, Beijing Olympian Joseph got away to her characteristic aggressive start and protected her position with typical Kiwi style, finishing 17^th. Joseph took great confidence from this result, after having a frustrating World Cup season this year on the comeback trail after illness in 2009.   

Mike Northcott (Tokoroa) and Stu Houltham (Wellington) competed in the Elite Mens race in the afternoon. Both were looking to work their way from poor grid positions to fight for position on the lead lap. However, first Houltham and then Northcott fell to the 80% lap out rule, and couldn’t complete the full seven lap race. Both athletes were all praise for their European competitors who demonstrated the ability to drive hard and at a level that devastated all comers today.    

Tomorrow (Sunday Canada time) is Downhill race day. New Zealand has competitors in all fields other than Elite Women, and has real potential to podium in the Junior Women, Junior Men and Elite Men categories. Sarah Atkin (Wellington) in 4^th,George Brannigan (Hawkes Bay) also in 4th and Sam Blenkinsop (Wanganui) in 5th New Zealand’s leading qualifiers in the three categories.

Full Results All Events

Low and High Resolution Images for Day Three

Rider #21 Locky McArthur

Rider #20 Bradley Hudson

Rider #33 Carl Jones

Rider #11 Daniel Franks

Rider #(unsighted) Dirk Peters

Samara Sheppard was a black and silver Cross Country mountainbike machine today at the Mont Sainte Anne World Championships in Quebec today.

Sheppard (Rotorua) was the sole NZ representative in the 35 strong Under 23 Womens race, run over 4 ½ laps of a brutal Mont Sainte Anne race course. From a start position mid pack, Sheppard found her racing zone within seconds of the start gun and worked her way immediately into top ten contention, holding her composure and intense focus to ride her race through to an 11th place finish. First sign of any emotion came on Sheppard’s last feed zone pass, where a huge smile lit her face with the knowledge she would be delivering a break-through result both for herself and her country. Sheppard was ecstatic with 11th and communicating the news to her family back home became an absolute priority. Her years of hard work and development as a Junior, with a solid European campaign this year in her World Champs build-up paid off in spades for the now Rotorua based Wellingtonian. Sheppard can’t wait for more and is already thinking forward to how she will approach 2011 given the massive gains she has made this year. Up front, Annie Last (Great Britain) made a valiant attempt to break the traditional European dominance in this event, leading through the middle of the race – however Last couldn’t hold off the fast finishing Swedish rider Alexandra Engen, who took the lead on the 3rd lap and wasn’t challenged again.

Downhill qualifying took place during the afternoon as temperatures again started climbing into the low 30 degree range. With little at stake in the unique World Champs qualifying format, riders made the most of the opportunity to ride against the clock, but tactical plans were put in place for the majority with few riders hitting absolute race pace. Sam Blenkinsop (Wanganui) hit a 5th in Elite Men, and has plenty of gas in the tank to improve on that time in Sunday’s final. Likewise George Brannigan (Hawkes Bay) in the Junior Men – Brannigan taking a 4th place into Sunday’s final but with the potential for massive improvement. Sarah Atkin (Wellington) recovered from a nasty crash on Wednesday to qualify 4th in the Junior Women’s field, and smiles came easily for Atkin in her first major international level mountainbike event.

Four Cross qualifying was run at 6pm. Daniel Franks (Christchurch) was comfortable with his dark horse status in the Elite Mens field – viewed by vastly more experienced racers as an unknown, Franks knew going to the gate for his qualifying run that this status was about to change. Franks produced a smooth and deceptively fast run to qualify 11th, which gives him a draw for Friday’s nights knock-out four man World Championship race in the preferred side of the field. Franks was happy “it was a good run for me – the BMX diet I’ve been on for six months has been hugely beneficial for my Four Cross, and it was good to put together a run like this first up”. More fancied riders didn’t do so well – current World Champion Jared Graves (Australia) continuing a run of practice punctures in his qualifying run, scraping through qualifying for the 32 rider knock-out heats in 29th.

Fridays programme is a busy one for the NZ Team. The Junior (Under 19) Mens race starts at 11am, with Bradley Hudson Christchurch), Mathew Waghorn (Palmerston North) and Locky McArthur (Auckland) in action. The Under 23 Mens race is underway at 2pm, with Dirk Peters and Carl Jones (both Rotorua) carrying New Zealand pride. Daniel Franks also races under lights in the Four Cross World Championships at 9pm.

Full Results All Events

Low Resolution Images Link

Rider 4 Sam Blenkinsop Elite Men Downhill Qualifying
Rider 81 Daniel Franks Four Cross Qualifying
Photography Credit Patrick Fallon

Released by Mountainbike New Zealand Performance
Further Information contact:
NZ Team Manager Chris Mildon on +64212309120

The 2010 UCI Mountainbike World Championships officially opened last night at a spectacular opening ceremony in Parliament Grounds in Quebec City last night. The stunning Parliament Buildings formed a beautiful backdrop for the teams presentation and a huge crowd welcomed the 750 athletes from 32 countries to Canada on a balmy evening in the old quarters of the city.

Competition began today, and New Zealand athletes were in action at the spectacular Mont Sainte Anne mountainbike venue in Quebec.

The Team Relay started the competition programme with a fiercely competitive tustle at the front of the field. With four riders cutting out a flying lap of the 4.8km course before tagging in their team-mate, tactics were always going to play a part. The Czech Republic were early leaders, with Germany and France right in the hunt through to the last lap. France sent their fourth and last rider out for the final lap with a 55 second lead, but hadn’t counted on a superb finish from Switzerland who drove from sixth through to race lead and the Championship title.

The New Zealand Relay team were ready for a serious hit out in this first event, but lead out rider Mike Northcott (Tokoroa) twisted his chain towards the end of the first lap which jammed his drivetrain. Northcott couldn’t free the jam and scooted back to the start finish line to tag in Bradley Hudson (Christchurch). Hudson made up places during his lap, bringing in Nicola Leary (Rotorua) and finally Carl Jones (Rotorua) for the final lap. While the NZ Team consolidated the ground that Hudson made, the damage had been done in that first lap, the team eventually finishing 16th.

The Junior (Under 19) Womens Championship race was next on the programme at 2pm. Rotorua’s Alexa Peters NZ’s representative in this event. With temperatures hitting 32 degrees and humidity hovering around 85% in this unseasonal Canadian East coast heat wave, Peters struggled from the gun. A mid pack fall on the first lap had Peters hyperventilating with the effort and she couldn’t recover, withdrawing early. France’s Pauline Ferrand Prevot lead from the gun, and produced a composed display in the 3.5 lap race to take the first individual Championship title of the World Championship programme.

Downhill and Four Cross practice continued today for all categories, and NZ riders across the board are comfortable with their race courses and are noticeably ramping up speed during their dial in sessions.

The NZ MTB Team has however been rocked with a withdrawal that some competing nations will no doubt feel relieved about – Blenheim’s Richard Anderson has had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from his Friday Junior (Under 19) Mens race after being unable to shake the effects of a heavy training fall last weekend. Anderson is suffering from delayed concussion, and will have to return home after this World Championships event satisfied that he has achieved and surpassed all his lead-up European campaign goals over the last three months, but without the World Championships podium he was on track to achieve. He is philosophical about future plans, and his hunger to continue his development to the highest world class level has not been diminished with this disappointing situation.

Thursday’s competition schedule will see Samara Sheppard (Rotorua) racing in the Under 23 Womens event. Sheppard is carrying great form into this race, and is relaxed, confident and determined to fight her race out at the front of the field.

Also on the programme tomorrow is the Downhill timed qualifying run at 1.30pm (with 13 NZ athletes competing) and the Four Cross qualifying run at 6pm, featuring Christchurch’s Daniel Franks.

Full Results All Events

Low Resolution Images Link
High Resolution Images Link

Rider 14D Carl Jones Team Relay
Rider 21 Alexa Peters Junior (Under 19) Women
Opening Ceremony – Quebec Parliament
Photography Credit Patrick Fallon

Released by Mountainbike New Zealand Performance
Further Information contact:
NZ Team Manager Chris Mildon on +64212309120

UCI Mountainbike World Championships, Mont Sainte Anne, Canada; Aug 30th to Sept 5th
New Zealand Mountainbike Team ? Preview

The 28 strong New Zealand MTB Team is now assembled at Mont Sainte Anne in the beautiful Quebec region of Canada?s west, making final preparations for a week of? championship racing.

World Championship racing begins on Wednesday, with the Teams Relay event. This event has traditionally been a stronghold of European strength for many years, however NZ has entered four riders this year who are intent on moving the NZ silver and black into a competitive position. Mike Northcott (Tokoroa) will lead the team out, handing over to Brad Hudson (Christchurch) after his flying lap. Nicola Leary (Rotorua) races the third lap, tagging Carl Jones (Rotorua) in for the fourth and final.?

Wednesday is also the Junior (Under 19) Women Cross Country Championship, with Rotorua?s Alexa Peters NZ?s sole representative. Peters is a second year junior, having represented New Zealand for the first time in Canberra at the 2009 World Championships.

The Under 23 Women?s race is held on Thursday. New Zealand has one representative in this event as well, Rotorua?s Samara Sheppard. Sheppard has been enjoying a recent and rapid form rise, having spent her World Championships build-up competing at selected World Cups and other high profile events, trading laps in the Olympic format sport with the world?s best.

Friday is the busiest day of competition with several NZ events on the schedule. At 11am the Junior (under 19) Mens Cross Country Championship race starts. Richard Anderson (Blenheim) has been racing in Europe since the end of May, and has several top ten results to his name against the best athletes Europe has in this class in 2010. The Mont Sainte Anne Cross Country course suits Anderson?s technical strength, and the Blenheim flyer is carrying high confidence into his race. Three other Juniors will be alongside Anderson ? Bradley Hudson (Christchurch), Oceania Champion Mathew Waghorn (Palmerston North) and Locky McArthur (Auckland). Hudson is straight off a podium third at last weekend?s New York World Cup, and is another athlete quietly confident of his form and ability to put together a competitive top of the field result on Friday.

Dirk Peters and Carl Jones (both Rotorua) line up for the Under 23 Championship race at 2pm. Peters has been campaigning in Europe with Anderson, regularly racing Europe?s best Elite athletes as part of his World Champs preparation. Racing the separate Under 23 field on Friday is something Peters has been looking forward to for some time now, and the tough racing he has under his belt from the last three months will stand him in good stead to compete at the front. Jones has also managed a compressed build-up campaign which has shown real promise with strong results over the last three weeks.

Christchurch?s Daniel Franks races the Four Cross under lights on Friday night. Franks is a dual code NZ representative ? having raced for the NZ BMX Team recently and returning to his favoured disciplines of Four Cross and Downhill. Franks likes his first look at the Mont Sainte Anne Four Cross course ? a true monster with spectacular jumps and berms working their way down the Quebec mountain.

Saturday is the feature Elite Cross Country Championship race day. The Women?s race at 11am and the Men?s at 2pm. Rosara Joseph (Christchurch), Nicola Leary (Rororua), Fiona MacDermid (Palmerston North) and Jenny Smith (Gunnison, USA) present a very strong NZ contingent, with Beijing Olympian Joseph leading the charge. Mike Northcott and Stu Houltham (Wellington) will be working together amongst a fiercely competitive mens race to make an impact this year. Both are highly experienced multi-lap racers, and have a preference for the technical riding this race course offers.

Sunday is Gravity day with the Downhill Championship races taking place. The Junior (Under 19) Men and Women start their race runs at 10.30am. Madeline Taylor (Napier), Charlotte Clouston (Muriwai) and Sarah Atkin (Wellington) are competing in NZ colours for the first time, but have a maturity in their approach to racing that is well advanced. All three riders could well be in the medal hunt after their runs on the Mont Sainte Anne course. George Brannigan (Hastings), Rupert Chapman (Christchurch), Jed Rooney (Oamaru), Sam Baker (Waimauku), Jimmy Wilson (Christchurch) and Jimmy Wilson Christchurch) bring a wealth of talent to this race. New Zealand carries a strong tradition of producing medallists in this category, and Brannigan especially wants the World Champion title, after narrowly placing runner-up in the 2010 World Cup Junior title hunt.

At 2pm on Sunday, the Elite Downhill categories take to the course. Sam Blenkinsop (Wanganui) and Justin Leov (Dunedin) are consistent top ten World Cup athletes, with Blenkinsop fresh off his overall third place in the 2010 World Cup. Showing real form coming into this event is current Junior World Champion Brook MacDonald (Napier) who has posted back to back top tens at the last two World Cup events. MacDonald has successfully made the step from the Junior ranks in 2009 to the Elite field this year and is carrying the kind of pace and poise that could see him challenge for the rainbow stripes. Wyn Masters (New Plymouth and Kieran Bennett (Nelson) round out the NZ Elite field and are both capable of breakthrough results this weekend.

Released by Mountainbike New Zealand Performance
Further Information contact:
NZ Team Manager Chris Mildon on +64212309120

Leov Charging the Garbanzo

Leov raced mid-week in the Canadian Open Enduro, an event that represents a growing genre of downhill racing pitting fitness and strength against nerve and skill – the fitness of a cross-country racer complimented with a major dose of speed. The Enduro is a mass start event with riders separated with an uphill sprint before jockeying for position into the downhill part of the course. Leov raced the world’s best exponents of this growing discipline, claiming an eighth place.
 
The Air Downhill took place on Wednesday – this famous race course on Whistler’s A-Line is renowned the world over as the benchmark for a downhill mountainbike course, containing a stunning sequence of over 100 jumps. Sam Blenkinsop was aiming to unseat five time Air DH champion Brian Lopes but couldn’t maintain enough momentum over the A-Line course to post a quicker time than Lopes, finishing second by only half a second. Other notable results came from Bryn Dickerson (Wellington) who won the Junior Mens category.
 
Saturday’s Slopestyle is aguably the highlight of Crankworx, and is the event that forms the hub of the week’s activity at Whistler. Kelly McGarry (Wide Open, Nelson) is New Zealand’s most well known semi-professional slopestyle rider, and has been following the European slopestyle circuit while building up for Crankworx. McGarry landed all his tricks clean in the first Slopestyle run to sit in fourth going into the second and final run – a few mistakes dropped him back to fifth overall and some well needed prizemoney – his best result at this event among the world’s best!
 
Sunday’s Canadian Open Downhill completed the Crankworx programme and Leov again emerged with a podium finish, this time a third. The Canadian Open runs on a course more closely resembling the steep, technical World Cup race courses Leov is primed for, and Junior World Champion Brook MacDonald (MS Evil, Hawkes Bay) also showed his race craft in his preferred racing environment to a seventh. Kieran Bennett (DRD Tomac, Nelson) had a forgettable day, a puncture close to the line and the resulting crash knocking Bennett around and back to a 32nd.
 
Full Results Garbanzo DHFull Results Canadian Open EnduroFull Results Air DHFull Results SlopestyleFull Results Canadian Open 
 
Quebec Cup, Bromont August 15; Leary Back in Action
 
While the downhill racers were taking on Crankworx in the west, New Zealand’s Cross Country contingent were competing at a UCI Category 1 event in Bromont on the east side of Canada. In terrain very similar to what they will face in the World MTB Championships, the Kiwis acquited themselves well with performances keeping them right on course for their personal targets in three weeks time.
 
The Men’s Elite race was a scorcher, with four NZ athletes lining up against a strong Commonwealth oriented field. Mike Northcott (Tokoroa) and Carl Jones (Rotorua) made the top ten with a 9th and 10th and Jones especially was extremely happy with his form – “As first Under 23, this is the best race I have ever had and my form is only just picking up”.
 
The Women’s Elite race was Nicola Leary’s first race back in the northern hemisphere after a three month training block back in NZ following her early World Cup appearances this year. Leary (Avanti, Rotorua) was coming off a brutal period of training, and wasn’t sure how much improvement she has been able to gain over NZ’s winter. A fourth place was the answer, and a healthy dose of encouragement to go with it. US based Jennifer Smith made the trip north from her Gunnison base as part of her lead-in to the World Championships, crossing the line three minutes back from Leary in fifth.
 
Full Results Coupe du Quebec, Bromont
 
Issued for MTBNZ Performance

It looks like bids will need to come from councils combined with funders and construction companies.  The centre must have access to a “quality mountain biking area”.

This is a sign of great progress for the sport in NZ and I’m sure there will lots of cities gunning to have this centre.

The complete document is pasted below

	Expression of Interest: Cycling Centre of Excellence Issued 28th July 2010

PURPOSE

Sport & Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) is planning to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) at the end of October 2010 for the development of a Cycling Centre of Excellence for New Zealand, and an ownership and operational model for its ongoing use. It is planned to notify the successful tenderer and announce the results publicly in mid-April 2011.

SPARC is seeking Expressions of Interest from parties who intend to submit proposals for consideration during the RFP process. Only parties that have participated in the Expression of Interest (EOI) process will be invited to submit proposals for the Cycling Centre of Excellence.

OBJECTIVES

In issuing this EOI, SPARC’s objectives are to:

• provide early notification of the upcoming RFP
• provide potential tenderers with sufficient information for them to determine their interest in participating in the RFP process
• enable interested tenderers to provide high level information about their capability and capacity to provide the required services, and
• learn more about the number and quality of potential tenderers, so it has the opportunity to make the best decisions for high performance achievement in cycling in New Zealand.

TIMEFRAME

Responses to the EOI are to be sent by email to kerry.martin@sparc.org.nz by 12 noon on Monday 30^th August 2010 or earlier. All responses will be acknowledged.

CURRENT SITUATION

On 11 June 2010 the Prime Minister, John Key, and Minister for Sport and Recreation, Murray McCully announced a major reshaping and expansion of high performance sports in New Zealand. Major features of the package included a significant injection of additional government funding for investment in high performance sport.

One of the key programmes included in the announcement is the development of a cycling centre of excellence, to build on the success of Bike NZ’s high performance programme.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

The following list details the services required of the cycling centre of excellence:

• Accommodation and facilities to form the BikeNZ headquarters, housing administrative facilities for the road, track, BMX and mountain bike disciplines;
• Meeting rooms, varying sizes, with good facilities;
• Proximity to, or in-house provision of, high performance training and support facilities for road, track, BMX and mountain bike disciplines;
• Proximity to, or in-house provision of, high performance sports science, gym, medical and physiotherapy facilities;
• Road Cycling:
  • Access to an extensive roading network from the facility, with light traffic and varied terrain.
• BMX:
  • Within the facility, specific tracks/jumps for technical training (not necessarily entire tracks);
  • Access to a BMX super-cross track.
• Mountain Biking:
  • Access to a quality mountain biking area.
• Track Cycling:
  • World-class, fast, indoor velodrome;
  • Major events hosting capability, including event area, spectator capacity, transport network, public parking;
  • Guaranteed access: Bike NZ needs priority use of the facility, over any alternate use of the track or inside it (e.g. netball / basketball courts, banquets, etc).

Other important factors to be taken into consideration in developing the centre include:

• Ability to interact with other national sports organisations’ high performance programmes;
• Strength of business model, e.g. public/private partnerships, community funding, governance, sustainability;
• Population base:
  • Talent pool;
  • Volunteer availability.
• A strong local cycling community and evidence of potential use by the wider community (high performance activities will likely use only 25% of the centre’s maximum capacity);
• Access to an international airport.

WHO MAY RESPOND TO THIS EOI

Proposals may be submitted from single organisations or from consortia. If not a single organisation response, SPARC requires a consolidated response from the lead organisation. If possible at this stage, EOI responders are to advise who the parties are and their anticipated roles.

If your organisation is considering providing more than one venue option for the required services, each option must be outlined in the EOI. At RFP stage only one proposal for one option can be submitted by a city or region.

FUNDING OF PROPOSED SOLUTION

The government will contribute to the development of the cycling centre of excellence facilities. Responders are required to outline how they intend to fund the capital development.

If the operational funding model has been considered, responders are to provide a brief summary of the model and comment on its long-term sustainability.

COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS SUPPORT

Responders are to demonstrate support for their EOI response with letters of support from potential funders, local and regional authorities, philanthropic funders, and significant and relevant community and business organisations.

THE RFP PROCESS

Inclusion in the RFP Process

All EOI responders will be invited to participate in the RFP process. SPARC reserves the right to request further information from EOI responders to clarify the feasibility of their response.

RFP Evaluation

SPARC is developing specific criteria to evaluate proposals during the RFP stage. The evaluation, weighting and scoring processes will be specified in the RFP.

RFP Outcome

From the RFP responses received, SPARC expects to select a preferred provider with whom to negotiate a facilities development contract.

TENDERING TIMETABLE AND COMMUNICATION

The RFP will be published only to those parties that responded to the EOI. All tenderer communications during the RFP process will be by email to the address to be specified in the RFP.

SPARC will accept questions of clarity during the EOI process (until 20 August), but does expect them to be kept to a minimum. All questions and their answers will be published on GETS within 3 working days of their receipt. Tenderers will have the opportunity for a more in-depth level of engagement with SPARC during the RFP process.

Responses to this EOI, and limited questions only, are to be sent by email to kerry.martin@sparc.org.nz.

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN YOUR EOI RESPONSE

Key information that SPARC would like to receive in EOI responses is outlined below.  SPARC does not want full and detailed proposals to be submitted in response to this EOI. As a guide, a response of 5-7 pages will be sufficient. Supporting documentation, such as drawings and letters of support, can be appended where necessary.

• Summary level profile:  Who you are, how long you have been operating, organisation structure and any other information you feel relevant at this stage in respect to the organisation.
• Partners: Who will be your partners (if any) for this project, and what will be the main role of each.
• Capability and capacity: What capability and experience do you and any partners have that relates to the required services.
• Geographic location:  Provide brief details of where the services will be provided from, and what access options there are to the venue.
• Development profile: Advise whether your proposal is principally for a new facility, an upgrade to an existing facility, or a combination of both.
• Development funding:  Provide an indication of how you would meet any development funding requirements over and above the government / SPARC contribution.
• Ownership and operations model:  Outline the proposed ownership model for the centre of excellence, and how it will be funded for sustainable ongoing operation and maintenance. SPARC will neither own the facility nor be responsible for ongoing operations and maintenance costs.
• Letters of support: Provide some letters of support from potential funders, local and regional authorities, philanthropic funders and significant and relevant community and business organisations.

THANK-YOU FOR PARTICIPATING

SPARC appreciates your interest in its upcoming cycling centre of excellence RFP and looks forward to learning more about your organisation’s potential capabilities through this EOI process.

Richard Anderson Val di Sole

Elite Women Cross Country
Rosara Joseph (Christchurch) and Samara Sheppard (Wide Open, Rotorua) were in action in Saturday’s four lap Elite Women’s race. With 102 starters, Beijing Olympian Joseph charged off the start line to hold a strong position within sight of the top ten going into the first lap, but from there slipped steadily through the field in the 22km race, which climbed a total of 850 metres. Sheppard employed a slightly different race strategy – from a start position 10 rows back, Sheppard attacked hard on the first first lap and then steadily worked her way forward, to finish 45th, and 40 seconds behind Joseph. Sheppard summed up her Val di Sole performance as the 11th Under 23 across the line in a few short words – “I’m pretty stoked!”
 
Elite Men Cross Country
Dirk Peters (Santa Cruz, Rotorua) lined up at Val di Sole with a straight forward race plan – to carry on improving amongst the world best. This steady improvement saw Peters called up two rows better than his previous World Cup start in Switzerland last weekend. However, Peters was left with nowhere to go when a rider went down right in front of him on the start loop. Loosing valuable racing position so early, Peters attacked with everything he had through the first two laps, clawing his way back through the 189 strong field. Finishing 96th and as 27th Under 23 rider, Peters was philosophical about his performance: “It wasn’t quite what I was aiming for but on a positive note it was an improvement from last week and I did make up plenty of places from the poor first lap. Only five weeks left to go till World Championships in Canada so the next few weeks will be packed with plenty of quality training”.
 
Mens Downhill – Blenkinsop 8th
Sam Blenkinsop (Lapierre International, Wanganui) continued his strong run of World Cup form at Val di Sole, qualifying 2nd, and racing to a top ten 8th on a course that suited his aggressive and instinctive riding style. 2009 Junior World Champion Brook MacDonald (MS Evil, Hawkes Bay) backed up from his 6th at the last weekend’s Swiss World Cup to claim a 13th this weekend, both Kiwis looking good for the run-in to September’s Canadian World Championships. However, their race runs went ahead knowing that good friend Justin Leov (Trek World Racing, Dunedin) had been helicoptered off the course during his last practice run before the finals. Leov had a massive crash while putting the final touches on his race run preparation – aiming for an airborne line between two huge rocks, but getting his approach slightly wrong. Enough to send him spiralling away down the Val di Sole mountain to a massive impact – Leov is OK this morning however – nothing broken but dazed none the less. Leov is happy to put the less than ideal last two weeks behind him now, and concentrate on coming right for September.

Blenkinsop Val di Sole

In the Junior World Cup standings, the contest between George Brannigan (Ancillotti, Hawkes Bay) and Australia’s Troy Brosnan continued its intrigue. Brannigan took back the Junior World Cup Leaders jersey this weekend, after qualifying well and collecting points from his 60th placing. Brosnan missed the top 80 qualifying mark, and Brannigan now holds a slim two point advantage over his rival. Brannigan was also joined in the top 80 for the first time this World Cup by two other NZ Juniors – Jed Rooney (Oamaru) and Rupert Chapman (Christchurch). Rooney and Chapman found the speed and composure to make the exclusive top 80 for the first time, and raced strongly to 64th and 69th places respectively.
 
The UCI MTB World Cup now has a four week break before the sixth and final round at Windham in New York, USA.
 
Brief Results
Junior Men Cross Country
1 Jens Schuermans (BEL) 1:15:56; 2 Max Veider (ITA) +00:33; 3 Jeff Luyten (BEL) +01:15; 7 Richard Anderson (NZL) +02:42
 
Elite Women Cross Country
1 Maja Wloszczowska (POL) 1:23:00; 2 Catharine Pendrel (CAN) +00:05; 3 Irina Kalentieva (RUS) +00:14; 42 Rosara Joseph (NZL) +10:11; 45 Samara Sheppard (NZL) +10:51
 
Elite Men Cross Country
1 Nino Schurter (SUI) 1:44:09; 2 Julien Absalon (FRA) +00:04; 3 Florian Vogel (SUI) +00:20; 96 Dirk Peters (NZL)
 
Elite Men Downhill
1 Marc Beaumont (GBR) 3:17.85; 2 Greg Minaar (RSA) 3:19.25; 3 Gee Atherton (GBR) 3:20.51; 8 Sam Blenkinsop (NZL) 3:22.51; 13 Brook MacDonald (NZL) 3:25.44; 41 Wyn Masters (NZL) 3:36.75; 46 Mat Scoles (NZL) 3:37.86; 60 George Brannigan (NZL) 3:42.18; Jed Rooney (NZL) 3:44.42; 69 Rupert Chapman (NZL) 3:47.13; 77 Nathan Rankin (NZL) 4:20.77.
Other NZL from Qualifying:
92 Sam Baker (Auckland); 129 Tom Matthews (Christchurch); 132 Richard Leacock (Wellington); 140 James Rennie (Christchurch); 147 Dan Simms (Christchurch); 170 Nick McConachie (Christchuch); 173 Freddie King (Christchuch)
 
Full Results
Junior Men Cross CountryElite Women Cross CountryElite Men Cross CountryElite Men Downhill
Issued for MTBNZ Performance

Sales, marketing and management executive Helen Mobberley has been appointed to the new position of Sponsorship Manager for BikeNZ.
Mobberley will take up the new role immediately for BikeNZ, the national sports organisation that is the umbrella body embracing all national bike and cycling organisations including road and track cycling, mountain biking and BMX.

BikeNZ CEO Kieran Turner said the new role was a key part in the organisation’s move to be less reliant on funding from gaming, to nurture and grow current commercial relationships and develop new opportunities for the sport at all levels from recreation to global success.

Mobberley has a successful background in sales and marketing in the music and media industries including senior roles at Sony Music, Mushroom Records and In Music. She moved into the media industry as assistant editor at ACP Media and other publications before appointed General Manager of the successful 95bFM Campus Radio Station in Auckland.
Most recently she moved into management roles in retail both direct and online.

Mobberley and her family have a keen sporting involvement, having completed Ironman New Zealand with her husband this year and is also a keen cyclist.
“There are 1.3 million people in New Zealand who ride bikes and there’s been a boom in popularity over the last decade,” Turner said.

“That said, today kids spend as little 11 minutes a week riding their bike, only a quarter of the time we did two decades ago. That has huge implications not only for cycling but for the health of this nation, our transport system and our environment. BikeNZ is taking a leadership role and developed a range of programmes to ensure that we turn this cycle around.

“We are developing recreational riding across all of our disciplines and also working more closely with schools. And at High Performance level our riders are achieving like never before and we are developing strategies to continue that pathway.

“Helen has the background, the expertise, the drive and the passion to help us to achieve these goals through marketing and commercial relationships going forward.”

Cheers
Kieran Turner | Chief Executive | BikeNZ
Pelorus Trust Sports House, 93 Hutt Park Road, Seaview, Lower Hutt, New Zealand 6140 | PO Box 38170, WLG Mail Centre 5045|
DDI +64 4 5600330 Cell +64 272390241 Fax +64 4 5600400