In a major boost for the event, a host of world-class riders will ride the New Zealand Community Trust Oceania MTB Championships in Rotorua on March 3-5. French downhill legends Fabien Barel and Cedric Gracia will compete, along with Canadian Geoff Kabush plus Australians Sid Taberlay and Chris Jongewaard, who'll ride the cross country race. The course will be the one used for this year's world championships, and with most riders competing at the Commonwealth Games using the event as preparation for Melbourne two weeks later, competitive racing is guaranteed.
Barel, the reigning men's down hill world champion, should be competing against Australian Sam Hill, who was second to Barel at the 2005 World Championships in Italy. Barel's countryman Gracia, along with New Zealand's new national champion Nathan Rankin, Justin Leov and Glenn Haden will join riders from New Caledonia, Austria, Israel and Britain in the men's downhill competition. In the women's event, New Zealand's former world champions Vanessa Quin and Scarlett Hagen will ride for an Oceania title.
