MGC had two riders competing in the National Schools Mountain Bike Championships in Bluff during the school holidays.

Katie Pugh (Year 9), competing in her first major mountain biking event and was the only U15 girl to compete in all three events and thus came away with the Overall Champion for U15 Girls. A fantastic achievement for MGC! 

Katie placed 5th in the Enduro, 4th in the Downhill and 6th in the Cross Country. The Enduro included two technical Grade 5 and Grade 6 (Advanced and Expert) tracks and two other slightly easier tracks. The technical tracks featured rock gardens, steep descents and gap jumps that really tested the skills of the riders.

Maddy Sinclair competed in the competitive U17 Girls Category and rode to a very high standard all weekend. Like Katie, Maddy raced in all three events. Maddy managed to achieve 4th place in each event and came away with the 4th place in the overall Championship. Maddy was only 3.5 seconds off the podium in the Downhill race and was looking good to podium in the Cross Country until a mechanical at the end of the first climb cost her some time.

Putting Maddy’s results into perspective, MGC was ranked the 17th best Senior Mountain Biking School in New Zealand, based solely on her points!

A fantastic result for the girls who are already looking forward to racing on their home tracks at this event next year.