Its this weekend.

Mont-Sainte-Anne Mountainbike World Cup Preview - Kiwi Invasion
 
The venue for this weekend's UCI Mountainbike World Cup is Mont-Sainte-Anne - the internationally renowned Canadian ski resort and year round destination close to Quebec.
 
Mont-Sainte-Anne is the only venue that has appeared annually on the UCI Mountainbike World Cup or World Championships calendar since the beginning of the World Cup in 1991. In 2009, Mont-Sainte-Anne will have hosted 18 Mountainbike World Cup rounds and a World Championships (1998), with the 2010 World Championships returning to Mont-Sainte-Anne for the second time.
 
24 New Zealand athletes will be competing at this popular Canadian World Cup. The downhill roster contains a mixture of seasoned World Cup campaigners including top ten ranked Justin Leov (Trek World Racing) and Sam Blenkinsop (Yeti/Fox), along with several first time World Cup entrants this 2009 season. The Mont-Sainte-Anne downhill course has always been a favourite with New Zealand athletes, and with a weather forecast suggesting rain this weekend the increased challenge of this technical course may play to the strengths of the Kiwis.
 
National Champion Harriet Harper (Thor/Santa Cruz), Gabby Molloy and Amy Laird race their first World Cups this year in the Elite Womens field. All three have competed at Mont-Sainte-Anne before, and are looking forward to measuring themselves against the world's best this weekend.
 
The World Cup junior competition is run within the Elite field, with Aari Barrett (Scott11) and Brook MacDonald (Ancillotti) still right in contention to challenge for honours. Barrett currently sits in third with MacDonald in fifth (but not attending the Canadian rounds).
 
Several cross country athletes are also competing this weekend. In the Elite Womens field, Jeanette Gerrie (Christchurch) and Nic Leary (Palmerston North) will be towards the back of the 75 strong field at race start, and will be looking to work their way through the field as quickly as possible. Mark Leishman (Palmerston North) is the sole NZ entrant in the Elite mens race, also gridded towards the back of the 130 strong mens field. Leishman will relish the challenge this provides however, with his usual determined racing style.
 
Adrian Retief (Auckland), Conor Corbett (Rotorua) and Dirk Peters (Rotorua) are three talented cross country juniors competing at their first Junior World Cup this season. Retief and Peters are at this event to gain some hard racing in their build up towards World Champs in six weeks time and will find it among the predominantly Canadian junior field.
 
New Zealand entries:
Downhill Men
Justin Leov (Christchurch)
Sam Blenkinsop (Wanganui)
Cameron Cole (Christchurch)
Nathan Rankin (Levin)
Aari Barrett (Hawkes Bay)
Brook MacDonald (Hawkes Bay)
Matt Scoles (Alexandra)
Wyn Masters (New Plymouth)
Kieran Bennett (Nelson)
Dan Sims (Auckland)
Richard Leacock (Wellington)
Hayden Lee (Tauranga)
James Rennie (Christchurch)
James Dodds (Rotorua)
George Brannigan (Hawkes Bay)
 
Downhill Women
Harriet Harper (Blenheim)
Amy Laird (Christchurch)

Gabby Molloy (Rotorua)
 
Cross Country Elite Men
Mark Leishman (Palmerston North)
 
Cross Country Elite Women
Jeanette Gerrie (Christchurch)
Nic Leary (Palmerston North)
 
Cross Country Junior Men
Adrian Retief (Auckland)
Conor Corbett (Rotorua)
Dirk Peters (Rotorua)
 
 
Live coverage of the Mont-Ste-Anne World Cup can be viewed at www.freecaster.tv from 5.15am on Sunday 26th July.
 
Issued for MTBNZ Performance