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Orange Monkey/Trek riders Paul Beales and Will Cooper flew out to Cyprus last week to compete in one of the first world ranking races of the year, the Sunshine Cup.
Due to Will being injured in a crash during training the week before, it was only Paul who was able to race the three day stage race in the Troodos mountain range. The race attracted some of the best Mountain Bike racers in the world including the Belgian, Russian, Czech-Republic and Swedish national squads.
The race consists of a 50km point-to-point race, a 10km mtb time-trial and a 50km mtb race on day three. The race winds up and down the steep slopes of the Troodos and includes some tough climbs on both road, fire road and off-road singletrack as well as some awesomely steep descents over loose dust, rocks and roots.
Day 1: Paul started the race at a steady pace, climbing well and staying relaxed, despite mixing with some of the world’s most elite riders. After a large amount of climbing on both open fire road and singletrack, a long technical downhill finish with tight hairpins and steep rocky sections finished off the course. Paul finished the first stage in a noteworthy 43rd position for his first elite campaign.
Day 2: Time trialling is one of Paul’s strengths and he was pushed to the limit around the 10 kilometre course finishing in 29th position on the day, an excellent result amongst some top riders.
Day 3: A start loop of 5km followed by five laps of the 8km course gave no mercy and with heavy legs and two days hard racing behind him, Paul pushed himself to the limit once more to try and stay on the same lap as the worlds leading mountain bikers! All was going to plan as he kept a high but steady pace on the long hot climbs and picked his way carefully down the treacherous descents. However, a puncture at the end of the third lap cost him dear and although it was fixed and he was away again inside 3 minutes, the rhythm was lost and he was lapped close to the end of his fourth lap. It was however a fantastic result finishing 48th out of the field of 60 riders who had taken to the start line, nearly all of whom were world class cyclists. He can now look forward to a good domestic season ahead in his first year as an Elite Mountain Bike racer.
The team have a busy schedule planned throughout March including trips to
For more information on the Orange Monkey cycling team, the Sunshine Cup Race Series and the equipment used by the Monkey’s please take a look at the websites on the left.
