National Champs Day 2: Short Track Fury

Photos: Matt Rousu

After Day 1 of the 2023 Australian National MTB Championships had mixed conditions in Thredbo, day 2 dawned clear and brisk, ahead of the Short Track (XCC) races that would burn up the lower slopes later in the day.

Riders took the opportunities to have a slower start to the day, getting in course practice for the XCO races on the weekend, and taking a cursory look at the short track course. Typically, short track courses are… short. There's not too much to take in. It's about power, speed and race craft.

The course had an opening fire road climb before a descent with some corners on the grassy ski slope, before looping around again. Short track takes no prisoners, and the course would emplify this.

All fields had hot starts, and the Elite women's field saw repeated attacks on defending champion Bec Henderson.

While Zoe Cuthbert and Kath Hosking threw the kitchen sink at Henderson, she was triumphant and took the green and gold. However, the diminutive champion admitted that another attack may have ended her charge!

The Elite men stormed off the line in the afternoon sun, and it was hard to pick a favourite. Would it be Cam Ivory? Or evergreen Dan McConnell? What about Brendan Johnston? Would Paul van der ploeg toe the line and ruffle some feathers with a big watt bomb? Could Sam Fox add an elite title to his 2021 U23 win?

Johnston, Fox, Ivory and Tasman Nankervis were forces to be reckoned with, but Nankervis had to attend to a minor mechanicl in the closing laps. Fox was on a burner and took the win ahead of Cam Ivory, with time for a victory salute.

Full results from the XCC are available online, and now the weekend's attention turns to the XCO, with a course that climbs into the hills and descends back via the steep and technical trails.