The rapid development of New Zealand Elite XC MTB number two Nic Leary received another boost yesterday, with the announcement of a two-year sponsorship deal with Avanti bikes. The timing couldnt be better for the Team N-Duro athlete, with Leary departing for a seven-week training/racing trip to Canada, culminating in two rounds of the UCI World Cup as final preparation for September’s World Championship in Canberra. Leary is delighted, saying that not only is it great to have the support and belief behind me from a quality brand, but to be representing a New Zealand company internationally is pretty cool.
Were rapt to have an athlete of Nicolas ability riding Avanti, says Avantis Amanda Till. Avanti hardtails have proven their performance in the Southern Hemisphere and were looking forward to her results in the Worlds in September and beyond. Shes an on-form athlete with a whole lot more potentiala perfect match for the Avanti Competitor Team shell be riding.
And like the Avanti Team Competitor shell be riding, Learys progress as an athlete has also been rapid. Only entering her first race in 2007, she has rocketed through the ranks of New Zealand mountain biking. Not only the 2009 New Zealand #2 in both XC and Marathon MTB, she is also the current NZ XTERRA off-road triathlon champion. With a diverse and busy race schedule Leary has also taken on sponsorship with DT Swiss (forks and wheels) and Kenda (tyres and tubes) to ensure a total performance package.
We’ve combined these leading brands and technologies together to give Nicola the ideal performance package, says DT Swiss/Kenda Spokesman Tom Sullivan. Its a great win-win scenario. Were really excited to have such a dynamic rider on board.
The future for Leary? In the short term the focus is on quality performances at the 2009 MTB World Championship (Canberra) and XTERRA World Championship (Maui) respectively. But they are just stepping stones to higher ambition. Im just trying to be the best athlete I can be. My big goal is the Olympics, so for now Im chasing international experience and competition to develop to my full potential. And have a lot of fun, competing in cool races along the way.
