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World Cup Success For Teenage Mountainbiker Erice Van Leuven
In her last race as a junior, Hutt Valley mountain biker Erice Van Leuven claimed the overall World Cup downhill title with victory in the final race in Canada.
The 17-year-old's victory earned her a second-straight World Cup win and with it the overall season title, to go with a second Junior Women's Downhill World Championship recently.
Fellow New Zealand rider Lachie Stevens-McNab came within a blink of winning his first elite World Cup, finishing runner-up in the elite men's final.
The victory for van Leuven was impressive, as she fell during her run but bounced back despite the poor visibility to take the win ahead of fellow New Zealand rider, Sacha Earnest.
The win, following on from last week's triumph at Lake Placid, made for the perfect ending for van Leuven, who will move up to the elite category next season.
"I am really happy, " van Leuven said. "I actually had quite a decent crash in my run and I thought 'damn it' but then I just didn't give up, I didn't go crazy pushing back, I just went solid. So I am really proud of my run.
"It is pretty special to win my second World Cup in a row and definitely a dream come true to take the title. For my last junior race, it is pretty cool."
Earnest's second-placing earned her third overall for the World Cup season to go with her second bronze medal at the World Championships.
Tauranga's Eliana Hulsebosch finished fourth overall, having already returned to New Zealand following an injury that ruled her out of the North American races.
Stevens-McNab, from Rotorua, had set a blistering time to claim the lead until top qualifier, Australian Troy Brosnan edged him by 0.06s in the final run.
It has been over a decade since a New Zealand rider won an elite World Cup with Brook Macdonald prevailing at Val d'Isere (France) in 2012, with Stevens-McNab going so close to emulating that feat.
The season finale marked the final UCI World Cup for former national champion George Brannigan after 15 years on the circuit, although the Hawke's Bay rider plans to compete in one-off events.
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