Queenstown rider wins Brake Burner

Jaws dropped on Saturday afternoon as the results of the 2009 NZone Brake Burner were announced to the audience at the Coronet Peak mountain bike park.

Hot favourite Geoff Small - the winner of the solo men's category for the past two years - was gutted after he dropped down to seventh place following an ill-timed puncture.

Local man Paul Angus delivered in spades, managing 17 laps in the allotted six-hour time frame.

Close behind throughout the race were Andy Reid and Karl Strode-Penny, second and third respectively.

The tightly contested men's team category was won by the dynamic duo of Kashi Leuchs and Laurence Mote, but only by a whisker.

Queenstown locals Tim Ceci and Jamie Tilbury, of Vertigo Bikes, finished in second place just 35 seconds behind the winners.

The Queenstown Girls didn't let last-minute changes put them off track, with a clear win in the women's category.

In the veteran men's team category, Tony Moore and Neill Renwick managed to complete 16 laps, which proved you don't need to be young to be quick.

Number one French downhill rider Emmeline Tagot cleaned up the women's solo category with a comprehensive 10-minute lead over her rivals.

Race director Greg McIntyre said the uphill was once again a "bit of a killer on the racers", but the 8000m of downhill riding the leaders notched up made up for it.

"The action in the pit lane mixed with the competitive, yet relaxed, atmosphere of the support crews chilling out made for another near perfect and fun Brake Burner race.

"I loved seeing 14- to 49-year-olds mixed in with elite riders, all on the same track tearing it up and having a great time.

"But a race like this couldn't be held without the Coronet Peak mountain bike facility - it's wicked, and with continued development it can only add value to the Wakatipu as a mountain biking destination."

Full results are available on www.brakeburner.co.nz.

The Brake Burner was the first event in what's been labelled the Week of Wonder, with the next major event on the biking calendar set to be the Gorge Rd Jump Park competition on Wednesday from 3pm.