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Matakana’s Paull Robson has come back with a championship jersey and all his tyres intact after a successful run in round 3 of the National Downhill Series mountain biking event, held in Cardrona, Queenstown.
He says riding down the alpine resort in its off season is very different from the mountain biking he is used to in the Dome Valley.
“We were riding on scoria slopes with big alpine rock features. Downhill mountain biking is about choosing suspension settings and tyres to suit the terrain. We had fast running tyres with small knobs for the loose ground,” he says.
Robson took the top spot in the Mens Masters over 50s category, winning with a score of 500 points.
He owes his high score to placing first in each of the three rounds of the series. The first round was held in the Dome Valley and the second at Christchurch Adventure Park.
Paull says the skill is not just in the handling of the bike, but in reading the course, often for the first time during the race, and always looking two corners ahead.
“I did suffer one falling off in my Christchurch race, after hitting a rock on the way past, but outside of that I’m very happy with the way it went.”
“It can get a little hairy, but that’s all part of the game. I am trying to show that mountain biking can be continued through to your 50s, and it’s no more dangerous than other sports.”
Paull has been involved in competitive mountain biking since his first race in the Dome Valley in 1992.
