OLI BECKINGSALE CONFIRMS GB TEAM POSITION FOR BEIJING

Oli Beckingsale finished 10th in the World Mountain Bike Championship race in Val di Sole, Italy at the weekend, his second top ten finish in as many weeks.

Although the race followed on from Fort William where Oli finished in a strong 10th position in the 2008 Mountain Biking World Cup, a good result was still required to confirm his place in the GB team for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing this summer; and the conditions on race day were going to be challenging. After rain early in the week temperatures soared to 30 degrees at the tough course in Val di Sole which featured steep climbs and technical descents

Oli started well and was up to 10th place after 2 laps, but then he overshot a corner and crashed into the bushes, fortunately the only damage was his ripped shorts. After being assisted by some spectators Oli got back on the bike and began working hard to make up for lost time as the crash had forced Oli to slip down into 20th.

Over the next hour Oli climbed ten places to finish in 10th place overall, a great result and one which along with the Fort William result confirms his place in the GB Team for this Summers Olympics.

For more information about Giant riders and the bikes they ride visit ridelife.net and for Oli’s personal webpage visit olibeck.com