The first round of the Otago/Southland Schools Mountain Biking Championships was held at Coronet Peak over the weekend in perfect conditions and Mount Aspiring College (MAC) students returned with medals in a number of categories.

Coronet Peak ski area manager Nigel Kerr was thrilled with the quality of racing.  

“The racing was to a very high standard and there is no doubt we will see several of these riders on the international circuit in years to come,” he said.

“While the field was impacted by Covid it was still competitive and feedback from riders and parents was that they were stoked to have a race at all.”

Sunday’s (March 27) cross country was run as a pathway event with a steep winding climb both a feature and memorable challenge. 

The girls’ event saw widespread school recognition with Nico Petit from MAC, Paige Adams from Terrace School and Zara Mackley from Wakatipu High School the three age category winners. 

Dunstan High School dominated the boys division with Eddie Adams taking the open category with the fastest lap of 10.03. The U16 category was won by teammate Cooper Millwood, also in dominating style.

MAC offered the biggest chasing pack and were rewarded with a win in the U14 going to Arnaud Mackenzie. 

In Saturday’s Downhill category, the fastest girls time of the day went to up and coming Hayley Harris from Dunstan High School with a 3.39.

Both the U14 and U16 sections were tightly contested with riders on the podium representing the entire area.   

The boys events were dominated by Queenstown based riders. Stand out performance in U14’s went to Noah White with a winning time of 3.08. 

In the U16’s Rory Meek was all class with the fastest time of the day at 2.52, well in front of compatriots Oli Clark and Reon Fernandez. 

The boys open division was won by Ben Blewitt (2.54) under pressure from Josh Bonnar (2.55). 

The weekend replaced the Skoda South Island Schools which was cancelled and will next be hosted at Coronet Peak March 2023. 

Two further rounds of the Otago/Southland Championships will be held in Dunedin and Invercargill in the lead up to Nationals in October.

PHOTO: Supplied