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Last Updated: 15 Apr 2018 - 8:55:40 AM |
Orr and Potts Hit the Mountain Bike Trails at Commonwealth Games
By Heather Boyle, CI Communications Officer
12 Apr 2018,
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| Cameron Orr |
Cameron Orr was the top finisher for Northern Ireland on the Nerang Mountain Bike Trails today at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia. Marc Potts finished 18th in the same race, after switching his focus from the track to the trails for the day.
While Potts has recently been more accustomed to the smooth fast track in a Velodrome, he relished the opportunity to test himself on the trails. “The mountain bike race was unreal,” described a still buzzing Potts after the race, “that’s the best atmosphere I’ve had at a race since I used to do downhill. Nothing can compare with it. Everyone was going crazy at the side of the track.”
The 32.2km race was won by New Zealand’s U23 Cross-Country World Champion Samuel Gaze in a time of 1 hour 17.36. Teammate Anton Cooper won silver and South Africa’s Alan Hatherly was third.
“From the gun four guys just rode off – the good guys like Sam Gaze rode off with other world cup riders, so I was left with guys of a decent level. They were still guys who had done world cups, but I knew I wasn’t competing to win, so I was just trying to enjoy myself, and it was brilliant,” Potts explained after the race.
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| Mark Potts getting air in the Mountain Bike event today at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. |
The focus for the 26-year-old was to enjoy the racing – “I really, really enjoyed it, so glad I did it,” he admitted, “It was amazing, I was glad I was able to still do it again, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to ride the mountain bike fast, I was still alright. I wasn’t top level, but was still good enough to enjoy it. It was great,” added Potts.
Mountain biking is one of the most fun, and adrenalin fuelled strands of cycling, and Potts made the most of the opportunity to enjoy it on a top international stage -
“Everyone was going crazy at the side of the track. And there’s a section there at the bottom of the course with loads of jumps – there were loads of people going crazy wanting people to do the jumps, but I don’t think a lot of people were doing them. I think it’s quicker if they didn’t do them, but I was just doing them anyway, cos it was so much fun.”
The final races for cycling at the Commonwealth Games are the Road Races for both the women and men, which take place next Saturday. The Commonwealth Games run from the 4th – 15th April in the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Australia.
RESULTS:
Men’s Mountain Bike Race – 32.2km
Gold Samuel Gaze (New Zealand) 1.17.36
Silver Anton Cooper (New Zealand) 1.17.36
Bronze Alan Hatherly (South Africa) 1.17.36
8th Cameron Orr (Northern Ireland) 1.20.06
18th Marc Potts (Northern Ireland) LAP + 9.16
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| Northern Ireland's Cameron Orr in the Mountain Bike event today at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. |
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