Mountain bikes begin countdown to London

This weekend, all eyes will be on the Eagle Mountain Bike Park for five days of cross-country, downhill, four-cross and observed trials action, with a host of Australia’s mountain bike elite set to contest the championships.

With the London 2012 Olympic Games now less than 200 days away, the Olympic format cross-country races will attract much of the attention in both the men’s and women’s fields.

The Real Insurance All Mountain Cup standings leader Andrew Blair (NSW) has been the most consistent throughout the season to date, taking the win in the opening round in Perth and finishing third in Mt Buller.

Blair will face tough opposition from former national champion and 2008 Olympian Dan McConnell (VIC) who claimed the honours at both Mt Buller and Stromlo last weekend.

Four-time national cross-country champion Chris Jongewaard (SA) will be eager to defend his title as he aims for London, with 2011 under-23 champion Paul Van Der Ploeg (VIC) showing recent strong form in the elite fields. Sid Taberlay (TAS) and are also be expected to perform strongly.

In the women’s event, series leader Jenni King (VIC) has been in scintillating form taking the win in all three rounds, however a fierce battle looms with defending champion Katherine O’Shea (VIC) and rising young star Rebecca Henderson (SA), the 2011 Cycling Australia elite female mountain biker of the year and under-23 national champion, both of whom are showing solid form of late.

The trio will be pushed to the limit however from Tasmania's Rowena Fry who will take a leave of absence from her GreenEDGE-AIS team to contest the championships.

In the downhill competition, Troy Brosnan (SA) and Tracey Hannah (QLD), currently undefeated in the 2011/2012 Real Insurance Gravity Cup, are unbackable favourites in their respective competitions.

A first year elite competitor, the two-time reigning junior world champion Brosnan has been simply superb throughout the entire Gravity Cup series, with triple downhill world champion Sam Hill (WA) showing his class his comeback season after injury.

In the women’s field, former junior world champion Hannah will be up against a 2004 Olympian in the cross-country event in Lisa Mathison (QLD), who despite only having been riding downhill for a matter of weeks after a four-year lay-off, has been turning heads around the country in her new discipline.

The event boasts an international flavour with four-time four-cross world champion and multiple World Cup winner Jill Kintner (USA) also lining up.

The championships will also see an increase in broadcast coverage through SBS. Cycling Central will air a two-hour packaged highlights program on Sunday 4 March from 3pm AEDT.

Action gets underway on Wednesday and Thursday with practice and the team relay on Thursday.
 
MTBA SubaruChampsSubaru Specialized 2012 Australian Mountain Bike Championships

Event Schedule
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Downhill practice - All groups; XCO course available for reconnaissance; 4X Practice Non-Gated

Thursday 23 February 2012
Entry and registration for team relay, XCO, DH, OT, 4X; XCO Practice; DH Practice - All groups; Team Relay.

Friday 24 February 2012
9:30 XCO (VW, SW, U17W, MW, SMW, U15W)
12:00 XCO (U17M, MM, U15M, SMM, GMM)
14:30 XCO (Sport Men)
18:00 4X - Finals

Saturday 25 February 2012
9:30 XCO (EW, U23W, U19W)
10:00 OT Finals
12:30 XCO (EM, U23M)
16:00 XCO (U19M, Vet Men, Expert Men)
16:30 DH Seeding - Group A

Sunday 26 February 2012
10:00 XCC (Sport Men)
10:30 XCC (U19 Men)
11:00 XCC (Open Women)
11:00 DH Racing - Group B
11:30 XCC (Elite Men)
16:00 DH Racing - Group A