 Photo Credit - Mountain Bike New Zealand Facebook Mountain Bike New Zealand held the Cross Country National Champs today, with top athletes competing in the Elite, U23 and U19 divisions.
Full results for the U19 division below: 1 - Eden Cruise - 01:12:36 2 - Jack Wilson - 01:13:34 3 - Cameron Richards - 01:15:07 4 - Taylor Johnston - 01:16:06 5 - Daniel Holt-Pedersen - 01:16:48 6 - Tristan Haycock - 01:17:30 7 - Robbie Bradshaw - 01:17:37 8 - Ben Eagle - 01:18:16 9 - James Kirkham - 01:20:49 10 - Fletcher Sharman - 01:22:20 11 - George Payne - 01:23:43 12 - Philip Knubley - 01:26:22 13 - Max Cadzow - 01:30:09 U19 Woman (3 Laps) 1 - Jessica Manchester - 01:04:15 2 - Liv Bishop - 01:12:25  Corbin Strong and Madeleine Gough each won five gold medals at the National age group cycling championships. The pair are Invercargill born and raised with the former attending Southland Boys’ High School.
The Invercargill Velodrome was New Zealand’s first indoor cycling facility and that coupled with Strong’s family background in the sport has had a profound effect on his success. “I started cycling because I was inspired by watching my brother Andrew. He won National titles. Mum and Dad are enthusiasts as well,” Strong says. Strong is coached by Sid Cumming another pivotal figure. “Sid has been around for ages. He is a bit of a local legend. I owe him a lot,” Strong admits. Strong’s major breakthrough occurred at the 2013 Nationals where he won a silver medal. That result was a catalyst to increase his training to nearly 20 hours a week. “I was surprised by that 2013 result. It made me more determined to win gold the following year.” Strong claimed his first National title in 2014 and added to his tally in 2015. In 2016 Strong has set firm goals and is well on track to achieve them. “My major goal is make the New Zealand under-19 team. I am only 17, but I would love to test myself at that level,” Strong explains. On his home track, Strong asserted that goal is well within reach. He won the individual pursuit, time trial, points race, team pursuit and team sprint titles. The pick of the performances for Strong was the individual pursuit, where he set a national record in qualifying for the final and beat teammate Hamish Keith by a second in the decider. In addition to his individual titles the combined Southland elite and age group teams retained the ACA Points Shield for a record ninth consecutive year. The shield is contested at the Elites and Under-19 National Track Championship and at the Age Groups. Strong is preparing for the National Road Race championships in April with the under-19 squad named in “a couple of months.” Strong who is a Year 13 says his favourite cyclist is local hero Eddie Dawkins who won a Commonwealth silver medal in the time trial in 2010. |
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