Armidale’s Holly Harris made a flying start to the season on the weekend finishing second to Kiwi Samara Sheppard in the women’s division at the Mountain Bike Australia Cross Country National Season opener at Orange.
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On Saturday Sheppard, who is from Wellington but now lives in Australia, had an incredibly strong ride, taking out first place five minutes and 45 seconds ahead of Harris and 6.14 ahead of the third placed Katherine McInerney.
Coming back on the Sunday it was a tighter race, but still with the same podium finish as Sheppard still comfortably took out first place, 2.34 ahead of Harris and 5.08 ahead of McInerney.
Sheppard posted on Instagram after the race she was “happy to make it two from two” and thanked Mountain Bike Australia and Orange Mountain Bike Club “for organising an awesome double header event at Kinross State Forest”.
Harris said she was pleased with her ride.
“Yeah, I’m pretty stoked, it’s a great start to the season,” she said.
“It’s really hot today but we were lucky we raced a bit earlier in the morning but it’s definitely hot for the guys but it was a much better track today.”
She said she felt she had “definitely improved” on the Sunday ride after going too hard to early in the first race.
Her numbers show it, too, with her fastest and slowest laps on Saturday 30 seconds behind Sheppard’s, but the Sunday times matching her rival on speed, showing she just needs to build up her tank.
“At the start I felt good but my endurance isn’t quite there yet so it’ll take a little while to get there but later on in the season it’ll hopefully get better,” she said.
Second has been the story of Harris’ 2017, achieving the huge effort of second in both the Elite Women National Championships and Elite Women 2017 Oceania Championships, but is raising her eyes to nab some first places. She loved riding the track at Kinross.
“It’s a really good track, nice descents and hard climbs so I think that makes for a special track,” she said.
The Tamworth Mountain Bikers contingent also rode well with Mick Sherwood making it onto the podium in the expert men.
He was third while Nick Chisolm placed seventh in probably the most competitive field of the weekend.
Steve Roberts placed 12th in the same category in his first ever nationals race, while Justin Roberts finished fourth in the under 15 category and Chris Shaw eighth in Masters 3.
Rounds three and four are on January 13 and 14 at Nerang.
Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
