2020 National Titles are cancelled

Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) who are currently Australia's peak body for mountain biking, have announced that all remaining 2020 National Championship events will be cancelled. Given the ongoing difficulty of planning and holding large events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MTBA have made the decision to cancel the events with plenty of notice.

The current global crisis has greatly impacted rider's working lives, and with reduced travel options for some areas still continuing to an unknown date, MTBA hope to see a greater focus on mountain biking at the club level in the future.

"MTBA wish to support and help the facilitation and return of a strong and healthy MTB community at club and State level with a resumption of racing and club activities over the next six months." MTBA stated in their news announcement on their website.

What events are cancelled, and what remains?

Gravity Enduro National Championships: 24th and 25th of October at Red Hill in Victoria. Organisers will work towards holding a 2021 event at the venue.

Dwellingup 100 on the 19th of September will still go ahead, but MTBA will no longer recognise it as a National Championship. So if you want to support the race and experience one of the best marathon races in Australia – by all means sign up!

The 2020 National Cyclo-Cross (CX) Championships will not go ahead, but the current hosts will plan for 2021.

"MTBA thanks its members and the riding community for their on-going patience and support during this difficult time and we look forward to crowning National Champions across all off-road disciplines in 2021."

Where to now?

With the Lenzerheide World Cup cancelled, and the Val di Sole also cancelled, plus Reef to Reef, The Pioneer and more – you may be wondering what is left for arm chair athletes, amateur racers and elite mountain bikers?

Trails. Almost all the trails in Australia are still open. Some have a seasonal shut down anyway, and Maydena Bike Park is undergoing a huge amount of work before opening again in late September. But for now, we can still ride our bikes and do it with our mates as well, which is a huge step beyond just a few months ago.

If you're competitive, then you can always jump into the virtual world and do some Zwift races, or contact your local club about their event schedule.

Racing is already underway in South Australia the the Northern Territory, with Rocky Trail Entertainment also running their Fox Superflow enduro events in NSW and QLD on the coming weekends, along with their Shimano MTB GP events as well. Head to the Rocky Trail Entertainment website for further details.

If you're after a stage race, then The Redback is full steam ahead this August, and Port to Port is set to excite in September.

The course for 2020 is not set in stone yet, and we're sure there will be more changes to come. But we have trails, we have rides with mates and we have grassroots events. And that's pretty good.