Under-23 championship leader, Rico Bearman heads an eight-strong kiwi contingent at the second stop of the 2023 UCI BMX Racing World Cup this weekend.
The double-header rounds three and four of the World Cup will be staged at the BMX stronghold of Papendal in the Netherlands.
Bearman will be looking to extend his lead at Papendal after two brilliant wins in the opening double header in Turkey. He made the final in the opening round in Netherlands last year in the under-23 division and missed out in the semifinal on the second day.
He will again be joined by the Cambridge trio of Rico D’Anvers and brothers Bennett and Jack Greenough, who enjoyed some success in Turkey making the quarterfinals, with Jack Greenough missing out by one spot for the final on the second day. The Greenough brothers are in good form after Bennett collected two under-23 wins and Jack two junior podiums at the most recent European Cup rounds in Turkey, two weeks ago.
Rotorua’s Megan Williams had an enterprising opening two rounds, finishing fourth at the opening round in Turkey in under-23 and is again joined by Baylee Luttrell, while Cambridge star Leila Walker has returned home to tend to an injured knee.
Former national champion Michael Bias and Cole McOnie are once again competing in the elite men’s competition, looking to push into the elimination rounds at Papendal.
There is a break following the double round in the Netherlands to focus on the upcoming world championships in Scotland, before a double round in Sarrians, France in September with the World Cup finishing with back-to-back weeks of double rounds in Santiago del Estero in Argentina over the first two weeks in October.
The Round 3 action begins at 8pm on Saturday (NZ time), with finals set for 4.40am on Sunday. Round 4 starts at 6pm NZT on Sunday with finals set for 2.15am on Monday.
Details of this weekend’s racing: www.uci.org/race-hub/uci-bmx-racing-world-cup-2023-round-3-papendal/fxRwxYFa9NTmcN7znqtsU
