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Sabrina Jonnier wins first round of New Zealand Cup

Sabrina Jonnier is in NZ for the southern season of racing, and kicked off the new year with a win at the Christchurch's Round 1 New Zealand National DH Series 2010. It was an eventful weekend for all involved, with a new track introduced that proved too extreme for a national round. Sabrina and many of the other riders with world cup experience rated the track as more difficult than any WC course, even Champery in the wet. The morning saw mass casualties piling up on the steep hillside: gory wounds, open fractures, concussions and broken bikes. Praticing was difficult as riders faced waits of up to two hours at the top as injuries and track congestion blocked the course. When attempting to ride, marshalls were stopping the course constantly due to riders down, and in every flat spot on the track riders waited their turn for the next section as other riders tried the series of steep, loose, rocky, chutes and fell like dominoes. This carried on to the point where the organisers called a meeting and opted to change tracks. The race was then switched from the hardest track most riders had ever ridden, to one of the easiest, and the steady stream of ambulances stopped. New Zealand has free accident compensation, so it’s an excellent place to push your riding to its limit and beyond!

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Sabrina Jonnier winning in Christchurch 2010.
Photo: Martha Hucker dot com

The Elite women field was sparse, due to various injuries, including Dawn Daley-Coers joining the casualty list on the first day with a big gash in her side. Both top spots went to French riders, with Sabrina the quickest by a significant margin on the new pedally course, followed by Sophie Borderes and Rita Langley. The combined open women class was incredibly competitive, with several juniors who now have a fair bit of experience really showing off some great skills. Madeline Taylor took the win, over juniors Charlotte Clouston, Sophiemarie Bethel, Georgia Wight and non-junior Naomi Wilson.

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Rita Langley in Christchurch, 2010.
Photo: Melanie Dunlop

The next round is this weekend, in Dunedin.

Results:

ELITE WOMEN
1 Sabrina Jonnier, France 4:15.91
2 Sophie Borderes, France 4:43.06
3 Rita Langley, Christchurch 5:09.60

OPEN WOMEN
1 Madeline Taylor, Napier 4:39.08
2 Charlotte Clouston, Waimautu 4:44.35
3 Sophiemarie Bethell, Auckland 4:45.43
4 Georgia Wight, Alexandra 4:46.13
5 Naomi Wilson, Queenstown 4:47.48
6 Veronique Sandler, Nelson 4:55.53
7 Amanda Pearce, Nelson 5:00.92
8 Sophie Tyas, Auckland 5:02.69
9 Baylee Jackson, Rotorua