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In her first year as an elite, Kiwi mountain biker Samara Maxwell produced a performance of extraordinary proportions to grab victory in the latest round of the UCI MTB World Cup cross-country at Pal Arinsal, Andorra.

Maxwell (Decathlon Ford) led early, came down twice on the treacherous rock descent, but fought back, only to lose further time with a rear wheel change from a puncture.

The Paris Olympian had to close the gap for a third time, and found the last of her reserves to move her way back to the leading group. The Taupō rider waited for her best opportunity, fighting her way clear late on the last lap to win.

She won ultimately by nine seconds from Swiss rider Alessandra Keller with Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds third, after the pair led the attack with Italian Martina Berta for much of the race.

“If you want to win a World Cup you have to attack. No one is going to let you have it,” said Maxwell.

“I felt so strong but I kept making silly mistakes on the downhills. I realised I needed a bit of room for myself to take my own lines. I told myself ‘this is altitude, so if you attack up that first climb, you are going to be out of it by the time you get around the back’.

“Peddling around the back on the last lap my whole body was screaming. I can’t believe it.”

After a dry and dusty surface earlier in the week, the rain from storms that forced the cancellation of the junior downhill finals helped make a tackier surface for the cross-country.

Maxwell produced the two fastest laps of the race – the first and the last – and moves 445 points clear at the top of the individual standings with four rounds remaining in her rookie elite season.

There is a three-week break in competition before the next round of the UCI MTB World Series, with downhill, cross-country and enduro all competing at Haute-Savoie in France.

Result: Samara Maxwell (NZL, Decathlon Ford) 1:25.31, 1; Alessandra Keller (AUT) at 9s, 2; Jenny Rissveds (SWE) at 15s, 3; Martina Blerta (ITA) at 26s , 4.