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Kiwis 1-3 In The USA
MARCH 15, 2012: It was two Kiwis in the top three as the Grand National Cross-country (GNCC) series kicked off in Florida at the weekend.
Pahiatua’s Paul Whibley and Wellington’s Rory Mead finished first and third respectively at the gruelling series opener, sandwiching American rider Charlie Mullins on the XC1 Pro class podium.
Whibley was last year’s runner-up in the GNCC, but certainly made his intentions clear that he wanted to reclaim the No.1 spot that he previously held at the end of the 2009 season as he roared away at the start, claiming the $250 holeshot money.
Whibley, who finished a close second to Mullins in the 2011 title chase, eventually grabbed the win by just six tenths of a second.
Mullins, completely exhausted, collapsed off of his bike as he crossed the finish line in second place. Fast behind them came XC2 Pro Lites winner Steward Baylor, with Mead fourth overall (but third in the XC1 Pro class).
Mead, who won the 2010 New Zealand Enduro Championships for Yamaha and also took his Yamaha YZ450F to win the opening round of the 2012 domestic series last month, was in impressive form in Florida but he, too, collapsed afterwards with exhaustion.
“I’ve trained really hard for this, said the 25-year-old Mead afterwards. “And all the work in the off-season helped, but it was brutal today.
“It was very physically demanding and I backed off near the end just to conserve energy and salvage a podium finish.
“The start hadn't gone too well for me. I bumped the throttle and got off in last place. I followed Chris Bach there for a while and we made our way through the pack and guys were dropping back toward the end, so I just rode steadily.”
Whibley also remarked on the tough physical nature of the Florida event.
“Charlie (Mullins) gave me a fight all the way to the finish, but that's what I was expecting. Everyone is doing the work and riding really well, so to get a win is good. You can't really expect to be out front all the time like that, it's going to make it an exciting season.”
Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
ENDS
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