Former downhill champion Nathan Rennie has been fined by an Australian court after being caught seven times over the drink-drive limit during a police crackdown in New South Wales. 

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Rennie, who won the UCI Downhill World Cup in 2003 and raced for the likes of the Santa Cruz Syndicate and Iron Horse, admitted that he'd been on an all-day drinking session before being stopped on his way to pick up his girlfriend from the airport, according to a 9News report.

He said: “Everyone makes mistakes mate. And this is one of them. I'd been drinking all day. I tried to sleep it off and then I was still way over.”

It's not the first time the racer, who retired in 2009, has been in trouble with the police, having received a conviction for a similar offence a few years ago. Despite that, he received an AU$3,000 fine and a nine-month driving suspension after expressing remorse and joining an Alcoholics Anonymous group. 

When riding the World Cup downhill circuit, Rennie was known for his antics both on and off the track and was one of the downhill riders that helped to repopularise flat pedals with his signature Five Ten shoes being hugely influential.

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