National Champs Day 4: Elite, U23 and Junior XCO titles
Sunday was all about XCO at Thredbo, from U13 up to Elite.
Sunday 12th February was all about XCO at the 2023 National Mountain Bike Championships in Thredbo. The course in Thredbo has been designed by XC and marathon stalwart Andrew Blair, who has spent more than half his life racing mountain bikes. Given Thredbo is best known as a gravity riding bike park, having such an experienced rider put together the course from the primarily existing trails was welcomed by many.
The main climb from Friday Flat took riders 6-8 minutes, before leading into primarily descending with a few short climbs to get back to the start/finish. The trails in the trees were technical with a mix of steps, rocks and bridges, but fast bermed trails and sweeping corners on the ski slopes were also featured.
The U13 were off first on a modified course. 20 junior shredders took on the challenge, and 18 of them did the full 3 laps of their modified course. Madline Lloyd and Lucas Aarekol were the fastest on the dirt.
In the U15, 24 riders were set to tackle 2 laps of the full course. Charli Edwick and Monty Manion were crowned as National Champions.
In U17 a huge field of 33 boys and 12 girls would attack 4 and 3 laps respectively. Amelie Burrel showed a clean pair of heels and in the boy's race Connor Wright won with a clear gap.
U19, U23 and Elite women were on the course next. It's hard to avoid seeing Rebecca Henderson as the favourite as she sought her 10th Elite National Title (and 19th National Cross Country title). Would Zoe Cuthbert, Peta Mullens or Katherine Hosking stop her charge?
After one lap, it was clear nothing was stopping Henderson, but the battle behind had a few phases. Ella Bloor was riding strongly just off Cuthbert and Hosking, but faded a little as the laps ticked over. Cuthbert and Hosking were wheel to wheel but Cuthbert was edging away – and Peta Mullens was looming in the background.
In time, Mullens would move into third place, and Kathryn McInerney would move into 5th – but there was no touching Henderson out front, who won a triumphant 10th Elite XCO National Title.
“It'’s pretty special obviously. I love to represent Australia, I'm very proud to be an Aussie and overseas I’m very much known as the Aussie girl and I like ot keep it that way," said Henderson after the race.
In U23, Izzy Flint took the race by the horns, with Hayley Oakes putting up a strong chase but seemingly struggling with back pain. And in U19 Ruby Dobson lead an attacking race to win another U19 National Title.
Next up the U19, U23 and Elite men were hitting the course, and many wondered if the favourite, Sam Fox, would deliver. With wins in the recent National rounds, and the XCC on Friday, Fox was justifiably the red hot favourite. But he was going up against 9-time elite National Champion Dan McConnell, Cam Ivory (who was won most discipline's national titles), Brendan Johnston, Reece Tucknott, Tas Nankervis, Cam Wright, Scott Bowden, Brent Rees… and more!
In the U23 race Domenic Paollili was the favourite, and with the likes of Fox and Wright moving to Elite, would he have his way? In U19 22 young men would be bashing bars – but who would come out on top?
From the gun, McConnell was quick to move to the lead, and had a few lengths at one point. There were some changes at times, and Fox exited the forested singletrack with a small gap. Later on, when Fox was struggling on the climb, he attacked – figuring everyone else must be as well. It worked, and he raced hard to maintain the lead and help it grow.
He wasn't given a free ride, with McConnell, Johnston, Ivory and Nankervis all chasing hard. Fox took a triumphant victory, with his win wrapping up a perfect weekend of racing for the young Taswegian. McConnell was 2nd, Ivory 3rd, Johnston 4th and Nankervis was 5th.
“The tempo was pretty hot on the climb each lap. Tasman [Nankervis] really drilled it up there on the fourth lap, and I was swinging. I was really hurting, and I thought to myself, ‘If I’m about to drop, these guys are going to be really hurting, so I’m going to attack.’ And it worked. They were struggling, and they still came back but it was enough to put that gap in,” Fox said.
In U23 Paollili rode his race to perfection, and in U19 it was a tight finish as Jack Ward just pipped Cohen Jessen to take the win.
That wraps up the 2023 National Championship for the cross-country events. But now, the beat at Thredbo lifts a little, as the Cannonball Festival hosts the Downhill, Pump Track and Trials National Championships.
