12 Mar 2012

Quin and Scoles winning efforts at Oceania Mountainbike champs

7:00 am on 12 March 2012

The 2012 Oceania Mountainbike Championships finished in Rotorua yesterday with two New Zealand riders finishing on top.

Evergreen Sid Taberlay of Australia won the Mens Cross Country Eliminator event yesterday ahead of the best New Zealanders on a very tough circuit in the knock-out format race.

Taberlay was beaten for outright honours by Switzerland's Patrick Luthi, who was ineligible for the title having Swiss residency.

Tauranga's Vanessa Quin, the 2004 World Downhill Champion, made a successful return to Mountain Bike racing with a win in the Women's race, revelling in the new dirt criterium style event.

The largest field of entrants took on the Whaka Downhill course.

In the Elite Womens race, Sarah Atkin of Lower Hutt added the Oceania title to her stellar 2012 achievements.

In the Mens Elite race Alexandra's Matt Scoles had the best time.

Scoles, who raced a quality season in Europe last year has been on a steady upward rise in this sport since working his way back from injury after his 2007 Junior World Championship bronze medal.