The New Zealand Cross-country Championships may this season be remembered as the ‘arrival’ of Central Hawke’s Bay bike rider Ben Fryer.

The 16-year-old Waipukurau rider was a convincing winner of the 90-minute junior grade race at the first round of four in this season’s nationals, held on rugged farmland near Inglewood on Sunday.

It probably should not have come as too much of a surprise to observers of the sport because the Yamaha ace had won the final round of the series last season.

Fryer took his Yamaha YZ125 to win Sunday’s 90-minute junior race ahead of Otorohanga’s  Aaron King, with Marton’s Ethan Breuer, Te Kuiti’s Sean Kelly and Wanganui’s Seth Readon rounding out the top five.

“I was about eighth through turn one but I got through the traffic pretty quick after the start,” said Fryer, an apprentice diesel mechanic.

“There were some calves on the course and (Marton’s) Josh Pilet, who was in front of me, got caught up with them. I put a big gap on him in the dust.

“I went as hard as I could after that to try to open up a big gap on the guys chasing me.

“I relaxed a bit once I had a good lead but, with about two laps to go, Aaron King caught me up and I had to go hard again.”

Fryer eventually won the race by more than two minutes from King.

Fryer had finished third overall in the junior class at the nationals last season, but his stand-out performance at the opening round of the 2014 series on Sunday certainly indicate that he could be No.1 by the end of the season when it all wraps up in Marlborough in May.

However, the series is in its early stages and all the competitors are aware that titles are a long way from being determined.

The points from only three of the four rounds are to be counted towards the title, with riders to discard their worst result.

Rounds two, three and four of the national series will be held respectively in Huntly (on Saturday, March 15), Westland (Sunday, April 13) and Marlborough (Saturday, May 17).

© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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