Geoff Kabush and Julie Bresset will hope practice makes perfect after claiming top honours at the second round of the British XC Series in Dalby Forest.
Held five weeks before the World Cup arrives in Dalby, riders from seven nations assembled on the men’s elite start line with a view to gaining valuable time at the Yorkshire venue.
British champion Liam Killeen and British under-23 Champion Dave Fletcher were, however, absent, preferring to finalise their preparations for the opening World Cup round in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on Sunday April 23.
That left Oli Beckingsale, 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, and Kabush to go head-to-head with two laps remaining.
And, with Beckingsale riding a hardtail, Kabush took advantage of his full-suspension on the rough descents to cross the line 10 seconds ahead of the Brit, with Frenchman Maxime Marotte completing the podium.
Meanwhile, Bresset’s victory came courtesy of a devastating attack to end a race-long battle with British champion and World Championship silver medallist Annie Last.
Athens Olympic champion Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesja withdrew through illness leaving Bresset and Last to contest top spot on the podium, with Lily Matthews taking third.
The British XC Series heads to the Wasing Estate, Berkshire, for round three on June 12.
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