NewsBid process to host the 2009 Australian MTB Marathon Championships
Friday, May 30, 2008The 2009 Australian MTB Marathon Championships will be used as one of the key selection events to assemble an Australian team to contest the UCI World Marathon Championships. The 2009 UCI World MTB Marathon Championships will be hosted in Graz, Austria on 23rd August 2009.
To bid to host the 2009 Australian MTB Marathon Championships download the document here. Further information can be obtained from MTBA.
Document Download:
2009XCMChamps.pdf (PDF - 256 Kb) 
2008 Oceania MTB Champions - some details
Monday, February 18, 2008 Where: Nelson New Zealand
When: March 14 - 16 2008
Why: The Oceania Championships offers UCI points all the way down to 40th place, but placing better than 26th will give you the 'magic' 20 UCI points that will allow entry into the Canberra round of the UCI World Cup in August. Note, however, that UCI points are only allocated to athletes entering the Elite/Open (or U23 in XCO) race categories - no UCI points are allocated to Juniors racing in an U19 age class.
How: Enter on-line here and then click on on-line entry menu. Entry fees (NZ dollars) are:
- XCO (Friday 14th March): $40
- DHI (Sunday 16th March): $60
- 4X (Friday 14th March): $20
- XCC (Sunday 16th March): $10
Details:
- A complete event program will be available shortly. Go here for all the latest details as BikeNZ makes them available.
- The cut-off date for pre-entries is the 5th March. There is a late fee for entries recieved after the 5th March of between $10 and $20 depending on category and discipline.
- Bike NZ will probably not accept on-the-day entries in Elite/U23 or Open categories unless a registration has been completed the day prior the competition (although this is still to be confirmed by BikeNZ).
- There is no Australian National MTB Team per se, so entry is available to anyone with the appropriate license. Note that the age cut-off date is 31/12/2008 and that you must be 19 and over to enter Elite/U23 XCO and open XCC and 17 and over for Elite DHI and open 4X. Your age is determined as follows: 2008 - year of birth.
- If you are intending on entering you are reminded that you must have a UCI international license. To get one from your MTBA membership follow these simple steps:
1. You will first need a CA license (available through a value add from your MTBA membership for $132). Download a CA application form here Fill it in, photocopy your MTBA membership card (with more than 3 months of membership left!) and post both (with payment) directly to Cycling Australia. Note on it that you are also after international endorsement.
2. Then have it internationally endorsed and arrange for medical insurance. The details for international endorsement are here
Good luck in New Zealand.
National Championships Bicycle Trials
Thursday, February 14, 2008After a week of hard work in the sun, Kleat Wilson (VIC) & Craig Pearce (ACT) put the finishing touches on some of the most challenging man made Trials Sections ever seen in an Australian competition. There were a number of puzzled looks from most riders when they pre walked the sections, and considerable discussion on the best approach options to ride the obstacles. Unlike other Mountain Bike disciplines the riders can not practice the course! Crossing the edges of the 3m high cable spool on an axel posing the most intimidating challenge!
With a number of riders riding both 20” & 26” Classes there were Pro level riders competing all throughout the day providing a fantastic show for all the spectators. Joe Brewer started as the Pro 26” favorite given his time spent this year on the World cup circuit in Europe and his results at World Championships in Fort William, however as soon as Andrew Dickey commenced riding, his consistency and confidence showed why he has been the Australian Champion for so many years. Both Andrew and Joe only made two mistakes each during the 26” competition Joe falling off twice earning him 10 points and Andy falling once for a 5 and putting a foot down once for 1 point. Taking the win and once again becoming the 26” Australian Champion on only 6 points! With the local Canberra rider Craig Pearce finishing in third.
In the Pro 20” Class it was a different story with Andrew riding well! Joe competing in 20” for the first time and Patricio Escobar (over from Columbia) it promised to be a close competition. The sections proved more difficult for all the riders with the smaller wheels. Or perhaps by the afternoon the heat had started to take its toll. Patricio took the win on 21 dabs. With Joe in a close second becoming the 20” Australian Champion on 35 dabs. Andrew finishing in 3rd on 69dabs.
Nathan Mummery took out the Elite 26” win capping off a perfect season for him wining every National round he entered in the series even after a trip to hospital and some stitches after a big fall practicing in a local creek the night before the Championships. Lachlan Sens won with Elite 20” class and took the Season trophy followed closely by his older brother Ryan in second.
With the 2008-09 National Trials season starting off again in a few months all the top riders will be training & competing hard for selection into the Australian MTB team for the upcoming 2009 World Championships in Canberra
Document Download:
OTNationalsResults08.xls (OCTET-STREAM - 19 Kb)
OTRanks0708.xls (OCTET-STREAM - 38 Kb)
Mt Beauty DH 07/08 Series Finals -Hill and Moseley
Monday, February 4, 2008World Champion blitzes downhill final
World Champion, Sam Hill (PERTH), claimed an Australian victory yesterday in the SRAM final of the Mountain Bike Series in Mt Beauty, Victoria. At just 22 years of age, Hill is currently ranked number one in the World following his prestigious World Cup Series win last season. Hill rode a blistering 3 min 10.98 sec to win after qualifying fastest in the seeding run in heavy rain. Hill’s appearance, his only in Australia since claiming his second World Championship in Scotland in August, was appreciated by his Australian fans.
The crowds lining the course cheered their hero in his final run. Hill appreciated the accolades.
"It was awesome especially coming into the last chute. You could hear them 20 seconds before I got there," Hill commented.
As Hill prepares for another assault on the World scene he was pleased with his form to date.
"I've only been on the bike a month," he admitted. "I came here to use it as a bit of a gauge of my fitness. I'm on track. I've still got work to do obviously."
With a strong group of younger riders trying to emulate Hill's success in Australia and overseas the World Champion was impressed with the field.
"There are a lot of fast younger riders here that I haven't seen before. It's good to see those guys out there."
Conditions changed from driving rain in the seeding run the skies cleared for the finals. Elite riders had the best traction on the course all day.
With Australian riders high on rankings, Hill had a top field including 8th in the World, Nathan Rennie (GOLD COAST) to contend with. Newly crowned National Champion, Rennie, placed third with a final run of 3 min 17.78 sec today just one and a half seconds behind Canadian National Champion, Steve Smith.
A disappointing run today for series leader, Amiel Cavalier (WOLLONGONG) lost him the overall series lead and that title went to Rennie with 215 points. Cavalier suffered from two crashes early on the course and stepped aside to allowed the World Champion, Hill, to pass before riding to the finish. Cavalier made it into second overall with 181 points while young Will Rischbieth (ADELAIDE) ranked third in the series with 158 points.
Rick Boyer (NEWCASTLE) survived slippery conditions to place fourth and local professional rider Liam Panozzo (MT BEAUTY) claimed fifth.
The elite women’s race was won by World ranked number two, Tracy Moseley (GREAT BRITAIN) with Queensland sensation, Tracey Hannah, in second. At number three in the world, Hannah qualified fastest but her final run of 3 min 51.26 included a crash in the final berm leaving her three seconds behind Moseley's time. Hannah claimed second overall in the national series just one point behind Canberra’s Claire Whiteman. Women's series leader's coming into the final, Emma McNaughton (NEWCASTLE), was disappointed after crashing in practice and was withdrawn for medical attention.
In the Under 19 men it was Shaun O'Connor's (KANGAROO VALLEY) turn to claim a win even with two crashes on his final run. O'Connor also claimed the overall series with 270 points. National Champion, Dylan Prohm (WOLLONGONG) finished in 16th place but ended up with 193 points to claim second in the series. Rhys Willemse (GOLD COAST) also had trouble on his run placing 13th but overall secured third place in the series with 170 points
Two Adelaide riders, James Shepherd and Connor Fearon claimed the overall series in under 17 and under 15 men respectively.
Earlier on Sunday the cross country riders returned to ride the short course race. The women raced in muddy conditions and local rider, Tory Thomas (MT BEAUTY) took the early lead however a strong sprint by Katherine O'Shea (MELBOURNE) gave her the win with Thomas claiming second.
For elite men's race the course was becoming slippery however National Champion, Chris Jongewaard (ADELAIDE) showed his class and it was only local rider Paul Van Der Ploeg (TAWONGA) who attempted to bridge the gap. Jongewaard went on to win with Ploeg second.
Document Download:
MtBeautyFinalsDH0708.pdf (PDF - 123 Kb)
Mt Beauty XCO 07/08 Series Finals - Jongewaard and Starr
Monday, February 4, 2008 CHAMPIONS BACK UP WINS AT BEAUTY
Both National Champion Cross Country Olympic winners, Dellys Starr (MELBOURNE/DENVER) and Chris Jongewaard (ADELAIDE) backed up their wins last weekend with another win today the SRAM final of the National Mountain Bike Series held in the Alpine district, Mt Beauty, Victoria.
Starr’s win last week obtained her a position on the shadow team for Australia while Jongewaard is already one of three males on the shadow team. Dan McConnell and Sid Taberlay are also included in the shadow team. McConnell raced today and placed a creditable second. For the Australian fans it will be the last time they see their potential Olympians at a national event before August.
In mid-January the UCI announced that Australia would have one position for a female and one for a male at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
Today’s race, although not a selection race, was still used by many riders to gauge their fitness. Riders will not line up for the Oceania Championships in New Zealand and later the World Cups and World Championships overseas which are seen as important selection events.
For the national series leaders coming into the final of four races today it was a matter of maintaining positions to gain enough points to secure an overall win. Rowena Fry (LAUNCESTON) in just her first full season after being identified on a National Talent ID Program to prepare female riders for the 2012 Olympics called “Dirt Roads to London” managed a podium at every event this season. Fry is on track to attempt to make the selection criteria for Beijing however performances at international events are vital.
Fry placed third today after being overtaken in the final lap by Kate Potter (SYDNEY) but takes out the overall series with a total of 245 points. Local rider, Tory Thomas (MT BEAUTY) finished in fourth place and hence finishes second in the national series with 161 points just one point clear of Dellys Starr, today’s winner, who finishes the series in third. overall.
In the elite men Jongewaard took out the six lap race in 1 hr 55 min 39.2 sec just under four minutes clear of second placegetter Dan McConnell. McConnell moved into second in the second lap with only local Under 23 rider Paul Van Der Ploeg likely to challenge.
“Backing it out from last week was a bit challenging,” admitted Jongewaard. “Cross Country takes a lot out of you week by week.”
“I was a bit sluggish to start,” said Jongewaard. However Jongewaard recorded the fastest lap time of the day on his first of six laps in 18 min 45.7 sec.
Series leader going into the race Dylan Cooper (CANBERRA) finished in fourth position after being outsprinted by a surge by Van Der Ploeg which saw him cramp just after the finish line. Cooper takes out the series with a total of 226 points. Last year’s series winner Aiden Lefmann (MANLY) fell back in the field to finish in 24th position but claims second with 173 points.
Today’s winner, Jongewaard finishes the national series in third place with 160 points.
In the Under 23 division it was a local domination with Cal Britten (BRIGHT) the clear series winner with 116 points while Van Der Ploeg claimed second just six points shy of the top spot. Van Der Ploeg won the National Championships last week in Canberra.
On Sunday the cream of international talent in downhill will line up for the final of the national series. Headlining the field is two time World Champion and World Cup Series winner, Sam Hill (PERTH) in his only national race in Australia. New National Champion, Nathan Rennie (GOLD COAST) will line up along with series leader, Amiel Cavalier (WOLLONGONG).
The women's field has World ranked number 2, Tracy Moseley UNITED KINGDOM and World number 3 Tracey Hannah CAIRNS as the favourites. Current series leader, Emma McNaughton NEWCASTLE hopes to stay in the lead after the final run on Sunday afternoon.
Document Download:
MtBeautyXCOFinals0708.pdf (PDF - 86 Kb)
Day 4 - Toyota 2008 MTBA Australian MTB Championships
Tuesday, January 29, 2008Day 4 of the Toyota 2008 MTBA Australian MTB Championships was the final day of a fantastic 4 days of Australia's premier MTB competition and saw the Group B DH race, Short Course Cross Country and Elite Group A DH racing.
British Tracy narrowly beats Aussie Tracey while Rennie rules the roost
You could be mistaken as to which Tracey the crowds were cheering for at the Toyota 2008 Australian Mountain Bike Championships on the slopes of Mt Stromlo in Canberra today. The winning margin between British rider, Tracy Moseley, and Queensland’s Tracey Hannah came down to six hundredths of a second.
Moseley and Hannah, the world ranked number two and three respectively, headlined the field however with Moseley being a British citizen the Australian title goes to Hannah. Moseley rode a 3 min 1.12 sec while Hannah rode 3 min 1.18 sec. Canberra’s Julia Boer claimed third with a 3 min 21.83 sec.
“It’s always great racing her. I’m really happy she came and she’ll be here next week. It was a bit more competitive,” explained Hannah.
"It’s always really great when internationals come over here."
Nathan Rennie reclaimed the national downhill mountain bike title this year after placing second last year by a narrow margin of just over 2 seconds. The 28 year old professional downhiller qualified second fastest but pushed the limits to win in 2 min 37.95 sec.
“I threw down a pretty decent run yesterday,” said Rennie. “I knew I had a bit more in the tank.”
Riding at the end of the day meant that the track changed since the practice run.
“Conditions were a bit how you going really. Dust and bumps everywhere. One little mistake towards the finish and I though it might not be enough but I knew I’d punched it up the top,” said Rennie.
Second was Bryn Atkinson with a 2 min 40.11 sec. Canberra’s Ben Cory was in the hot seat with the fastest time for most of the elite men’s runs and his 2 min 41.47 sec still claimed third.
Canadian National Champion, Steve Smith, claimed fourth. Canberra’s Jared Rando rode in for fifth and national series leader, Amiel Cavalier, suffered gear problems.
In the Under 19 men, Dylan Prohm claimed first with 2 min 38.97 sec. Favourite Shaun O'Connor crashed and ended up way down in the field. In the Under 19 women, Canberra's Caroline Buchanan ran unopposed but rode a time of 3 m 18.75 sec which would have been enough to place her third in the elite women's class.
Short Course Cross Country
In the women's short course an early break by Dellys Starr(Melbourne) was matched by Rowena Fry(Launceston) was still not enough to secure a win. Fry out sprinted the newly crowned national olympic cross country champion, Starr, to claim her national title. Starr placed second and an impressive ride by Oenone Wood, current road champion saw her claim third.
The elite men's race Chris Jongewaard (Adelaide) took the chance to earn himself another national jersey. The battle for second ended with Under 23 rider, Paul Van Ploeg (Mt Beauty), Holding off the charge from Canberra's Dylan Cooper to get a well deserved second and Cooper finished in third.
For interviews/photos/vision details contact
Sharon Payne
Media Manager
Mountain Bike Australia
Mob +61 (0) 412 773500
sharon@bikemedia.com.au
Document Download:
Day4_DH_GrpA.pdf (PDF - 154 Kb)
Day4_XCC.pdf (PDF - 27 Kb)
Day 3 - Toyota 2008 MTBA Australian MTB Championships
Monday, January 28, 2008Sunday at the Toyota 2008 MTBA Australian MTB Championshipss saw U19 and Veteran Men, Elite, U23 and U19 women and Elite and U23 men racing the Olympic format Cross Country, Group C DH racing the hill and seeding for the Group A DH.
Jongewaard doubles but Starr is the star
Potential Olympic cross country mountain bikers today made steps towards their selection for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Men’s defending national champion, Chris Jongewaard, claimed another victory while Dellys Starr stomped home in the women’s race held at Stromlo Forest Park in Canberra. With the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) recently announcing Australia as having one spot for female and one for male the competition is now beginning to heat up.
In the women's race, Melbourne's Commonwealth Games representative, Dellys Starr proved she was in a league of her own. Starr moved away from National Road Champion, Oenone Wood in the start lap and retained her lead for four laps of the 8.3 km circuit. Although not a selection race, Starr has now been placed in the shadow team.
Australian newly appointed cross country coach, Neil Ross, was impressed with Starr’s performance.
“With the World Cup season still ahead there remains other opportunities for women to achieve shadow squad qualification. If no one else qualifies then the only athlete on the shadow squad, Dellys, is first in line for the Olympic nomination,” said Ross.
Starr was leaving nothing to chance and made a break to finish the four laps in 1 hour 54.46 min.
“It’s impossible to take it easy if you take it easy you loose your spot and it’s so much harder to gain that back," stated Starr.
"It definitely wasn’t an easy race I was pushed the whole way and I was really impressed with the depth of the field."
Quietly confident, Starr was not expecting her final placing. “You can never expect anything. I knew I had good legs but once again I didn’t know whether they were good enough,” she added.
Chris Jongewaard was not challenged after the first lap of five. The defending national champion, found the technical sections suited him. The 28 year old from Adelaide finished the five lap course in 2 hr 2.12 min. Athens Olympian, Sid Taberlay, claimed second while Victorian Dan McConnell placed third.
“I just knew that I would have it over these guys on the technical sections,” admitted Jongewaard.
“I thought I’d give it a bit of a test on the first climb. Going down the descent I just gapped them. I rode my own race and went on with it.”
Although different to the women’s race, three of the men have already gained positions on the shadow team. Chris Jongewaard, Sid Taberlay and Daniel McConnell have already made it onto that team however gaining his second title has significance to Jongewaard personally.
“It’s a good feeling to win the title again,” he said.
There was close racing in the Under 23 division with Paul Van Der Ploeg beating Cal Brittan. Local favourite Ben Henderson claimed third.
Racing at the Toyota 2008 Australian Mountain Bike Championships continues with downhill. In the women's event world ranked number three, Tracey Hannah qualified ahead of Great Britain's Tracy Moseley ranked number two. The elite men seeding run today saw Bryn Atkinson qualify fastest while Nathan Rennie qualified second. In third spot is Canadian national champion, Steve Smith, while Canberra's Jared Rando and Amiel Cavalier gained fourth and fifth fastest today.
The of competition starts with the short course cross country followed by final for the elite downhill run will start at 2.30 pm tomorrow.
For more information please contact:
Sharon Payne
Media Manager
Mountain Bike Australia
Mob +61 (0) 412 773500
sharon@bikemedia.com.au
1st Dellys Starr (Smiths Gully, /Denver) # 312
2nd Emma Colson (Fitzroy. VIC) #303
3rd Niki Fisher (Macquarie, ACT) #304
4th Zoe King (Manly, SYD) #306
5th Tory Thomas (Mt Beauty, Vic) #301
6th Rowena Fry (Launceston, TAS) #309
7th Jo Wall (Bendigo, VIC) #311
8th Joanne Harrington ( Newport, SYD) # 326
9th Kate Potter ( Cromer, SYD) #302
10th Oenone Wood (Belconnen, ACT) #322
1st Chris Jongewaard (Para Hills, SA) #
2nd Sid Taberlay (Blackman’s Bay, TAS) #
3rd Dan McConnell (Bruthen, Vic)
Full results for the day are here.
Document Download:
Day3 XCO.pdf (PDF - 130 Kb)
Day3_DH_Seeding.pdf (PDF - 133 Kb)
Day3_DH_GroupC.pdf (PDF - 119 Kb)
Day 2 - Toyota 2008 MTBA Australian MTB Championships
Sunday, January 27, 2008 On Day 2 of the Toyota 2008 MTBA Australian MTB Championships most of the age classes in Olympic Cross Country raced and the day concluded with the 4X discipline.
National Champs double in four cross
Last year’s winners proved too strong at today’s Hi Lux four cross final at the Toyota 2008 Australian Mountain Bike Championships in Canberra. Both elite reigning champions, Luke Madill and Caroline Buchanan, retain their crowns for another year however not without a struggle.
Buchanan forced the speed in the final to win her second national title at only 17 years of age.
“That was a tough one. I’m so tired,” announced Buchanan on the line. “I knew I had to be switched on the whole time. I was just in the zone. I was so pumped up.”
Challenges to Buchanan’s second national title came from Brisbane’s Sarsha Huntington.
“I knew she was there all the time. I knew she (Huntington) would do any move to pass me. I knew if I messed up she would be there,” said Buchanan.
Huntington crashed during a forced move and finished in fourth place. Second place was taken by top British downhillers, Tracy Moseley, while young Gracie Ireland from Sydney claimed third.
The repeat performance was quick to follow in the men’s race with defending national champion, Luke Madill too strong for local challenger, Leigh Darrell.
“I knew where he was and I may have let my guard down but I came back,” explained Madill. Darrell looked like a move in the second last straight may have given him the edge but Madill had it measured to perfection to win.Madill had been a standout through the day with good gates and led the field though the motos and heats. With BMX charging into tithe Olympic games in August, Madill has confirmed hie will not focus on trying to gain a spot in the Australian team.
Second place went to Darrell and Sydney’s Terrance Scarr retained third. Thomas Twentyman stayed out of trouble all day to finish in fourth.
National downhiller series leader, Amiel Cavalier from Wollongong was unlucky to make the final after crashing in the semi-final. World ranked downhiller Nathan Rennie was lucky during the preceding races a couple of spills allowing him a safe spot into the semi final. Rennie's sights are firmly set on another National title on Monday in the downhill after finishing second last year.
The elite women and men’s cross country races tomorrow are the highlights of the weekend with one berth for either on offer at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
For the women in particular if qualification criteria are not reached during the remainder of the overseas season then selections may go back to the national champion.
All eyes will be on defending national champion, Tory Thomas from Mt Beauty however a serious challenge to her retention of the title could come from Dellys Starr. Starr represented Australia at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and has return from her base in Denver to now pursue her Olympic hopes.
Also added to the mix will be new National Talent Identification Riders (NTID) from the “Dirt Road to London” program, Rowena Fry from Launceston and Zoe King from Sydney. Fry currently leads the national Olympic cross country series.
Regards,
Sharon Payne
Media Manager
Mountain Bike Australia
Mob +61 (0) 412 773500
sharon@bikemedia.com.au
Full results for the day can be found here. (at the bottom of the table).
Day 1 - Toyota 2008 MTBA Australian MTB Championships
Friday, January 25, 2008Four teams contested the Club Team Relay today (January 24). Based on a
similar model used at the UCI World MTB Championships each rider of the
four person team, consisting of an Elite/Expert/Sport man, a
Veteran/Master/Supermaster man, a Woman and an U19/U17 man, racing one
lap of the XCO course.
The first event of the Championships on day one was ultimately won by Canberra Off Road Cyclists (The CORC ‘Geese:
Graeme
Allbon, Brendan Johnston, Rebecca Henderson and Ben Henderson).
Canberra also picked up a second place (The CORC Giants: Jason Chalker,
Michael Baker, Rosemary Barnes and Andrew Blair) with the team from
Manly Warringah Cycling Club (Aiden Lefmann, Zoe King, Hugh Suttor,
Warren Burgess) a close third.
National Series final - Mt Beauty Feb 1-3
Wednesday, January 16, 2008On line entry is now available for the "GRAND FINALE" round of the MTBA National Series in Mount Beauty, February 1 -3
Visit www.tmb.org.au
for all your event information including course maps, Event Schedules
and Entry Fees. Accommodation enquiries can be made through the Alpine
Discovery Centre on 1800 808 227 or go to www.visitmtbeauty.com.au. For any other enquiries contact Iain Moore at info@tmb.org.au
In
an effort to make the 2008 final round of the series more accessible to
interstate riders MTBA have taken the initiative of assigning the round
to the weekend after the National Championships being held in Canberra.
Mount Beauty is a just a cruisey 5 hour drive from Canberra so it makes
good sense to make the most of your travel budget and take in two of
the most prestigious races of the 2007/08 season. For those riders and
their families that do take the opportunity for an extended week There
will be will be plenty of stuff organized to keep you all occupied. For
those family members who don’t ride there’s plenty of stuff to do, With
wineries, walks, great café’s, fishing in crystal clear alpine rivers
all with the backdrop of the magnificent Kiewa Valley, Mount Bogong and
the Alpine National Park.
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