In the Media

2011 UCI MTB and Trails World Championships - Jongewaard makes promising comeback at world champs

With the London Olympic Games less than a year away, Czech rider Jaroslav Kulhavy and Canadian Catharine Pendrel have taken out the cross country world titles in Switzerland this morning, whilst Australian Chris Jongewaard made an encouraging return to the world stage.

It was Kulhavy’s first-ever world title, the victory capping off a perfect season for the Czech rider, who had also won the overall World Cup series title two weeks ago. Kulhavy completed the 36.6km course in 1:44:30, comfortably crossing the line 47 seconds ahead of former world champions Nino Schurter (Switzerland) and Julien Absalon (France).

After a tumultuous couple of years and despite an interrupted preparation heading in, Chris Jongewaard’s return to mountain biking at the world championship level was greatly anticipated.

The Adelaide rider paced himself early, and rode a solid and consistent race, but was pulled on the final lap to place 37^th overall.

“I didn’t want to blow myself up at the start, which I’ve done at previous world events which throws my whole race out, but just wanted to be controlled and have a smooth race.

At about the midpoint of the race, the skies opened and it started to pour, making the technical course even more difficult.

“That’s mountain biking and you have to adjust to the conditions. I stopped to let pressure out of my tyres and that helped a little bit, but it was still really slippery.”

Today’s race was a confidence booster for Jongewaard, who can now turn his attention to pulling together a complete pre-season ahead of next year’s Olympics.

“This year has been about UCI points and looking ahead. Hopefully I can now have a proper pre-season, train up and get a good base, and come out firing next year.

“I now have confidence in myself and my ability, and know that I can come back.”

In other Australian results, Athens Olympian Sid Taberlay (TAS) also rode a solid race, finishing just behind Jongewaard in 40^th position.

Beijing Olympian Dan McConnell (VIC) had a good start but came off his bike mid-race, losing time and position, but fought back through the field to place 55^th overall.

Victorian Lachlan Norris, who has just come off a long tour stint on the road, found himself battling, and was pulled with three laps to go, placing 80^th overall.

“The elite men rode quite well and they were unlucky to be marginally lapped out,” said MTBA sports director Chris Clarke. “It shows we still have some things to improve and work on for next year heading into the Olympics. We now know exactly where we’re at and I’m looking forward to building towards next year in London.”

Women’s Elite Cross Country

Canada’s Catharine Pendrel won her first world title of her career, holding off a late charge by Maja Wloszczowska of Poland to win by 28 seconds, with Italian rider Eva Lechner claiming bronze. Pendrel set a ferocious pace from the outset, completing the 31.8km course in 1hr 46min 14sec.

Australian champion Katherine O'Shea (VIC) was competitive early, and despite some stomach problems mid-race, got her rhythm back and started to punch out good consistent laps, before being pulled with two laps to go, to place 46^th overall.

“It was definitely a tough course, with lots of technical aspects,” O’Shea said. “The intensity was hot from the start and the pace was really fast.”

Australians in action tonight

The action in Champery concludes tonight with the final of the downhill events, and will feature Australia’s two reigning world champions, Sam Hill (elite men) and Troy Brosnan (junior men).

In the timed seeding sessions on Friday, Brosnan (+2.3s) and Australian champion Connor Fearon (+6.10s) posted the third and fourth fastest times respectively, with French rider Faustin Figaret clocking 3:39.04 to enter tonight’s final as the fastest qualifier.

In the elite men, Aaron Gwin from the United States once again showed he was a step above the rest, tearing down the course in 3:28.06. Queensland’s Michael Hannah (15^th, +15.86s) was the fastest Australian in qualifying, followed by Hill (16^th, +16.79s) who has been battling a shoulder injury all year.

The juniors will kick off at 7:30pm AEST and the men at 11pm AEST and will be streamed live online via SBS Cycling Central or on freecaster.tv.

Jack Mullay will also compete in the elite men 26in trials final at 9:50pm AEST.

Image credit: Gary Perkin

For further information (media only), please contact MTBA Media:

Michelle Cook – 0430 177 668 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

2011 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships

Champery, Switzerland

(all times AEST)

Sunday 4th September
Under 19 downhill final men: 7.30pm

Troy Brosnan (SA), Connor Fearon (SA), David McMillan (ACT), Phillip Piazza (ACT), Benjamin Power (QLD), Joseph Vejvoda (NSW), Brendon Yrttiaho (QLD) 

Elite downhill final men: 11pm

Sam Hill (WA), Michael Hannah (QLD), Shaun O'Connor (NSW), Rhys Willemse (QLD)

Elite men 26in Trials: 9.50pm

Jack Mullay (QLD)

2011 UCI World MTB and trials Championships - Tyre blown but medal chances still alive for Graves

Tyre blown but medal chances still alive for Graves

2009 world champion Jared Graves sent a scare through the Australian camp early this morning, when he blew out a tyre during qualifying for the men’s elite four cross at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Switzerland.

The 29-year-old was relegated to the last qualifying position for tomorrow morning’s final, meaning he will have the toughest draw if he is to claim a second rainbow jersey on the technical Champéry course.

Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) sports director Chris Clarke remains confident of Graves’ medal-winning chances, given his reputation as one of the fastest starters on the elite men’s four cross circuit.

“Coming into the final, it doesn’t allow him to get the lane choice at the start gate, which will be a bit of a disadvantage definitely on this course,” Clarke said from Switzerland.

“The gate choice is going to be a distinct advantage, but Jared’s gate starts are renowned as one of the best in the world, so I’m still reasonably confident that he will be able to come through.”

Australia’s other competitors fared better, with 18-year-old Graeme Mudd (NSW) qualifying sixth, and Richard Levinson (QLD) in 29^th.

“Graeme Mudd ended up qualifying sixth, so he had a good run. Talking with Graeme he still made a mistake that cost him what he believed was significant time, so he knows he can go quicker, which again is very positive.

“Richard Levinson qualified mid-field, so he was pleased. I’m looking forward to finals tomorrow night.”

Czech rider Michal Prokop topped the standings with a time of 33.02 seconds. However his compatriot and reigning world champion Tomas Slavik also struggled, qualifying just one place higher than Graves.

Graves, Mudd and Levinson race for the medals in the elite men’s four cross finals starting from 21:00 (5am Saturday AEST).

The other action last was on a wet and slippery cross-country course with the U23 women and junior men taking centre stage, producing mixed results for Australia.

French rider Victor Koretzky won the junior men’s race in 1:07:18, claiming his second gold medal of the championships.

Jack Haig (VIC +9:46) was the best of the Australian riders, finishing 42^nd followed by Billy Sewell(NSW, 60^th, +12:39), Alex Meyland (VIC, 66^th, 13:24), Daniel McDonald (NSW, 82^nd, -2 laps) andChris Aitkin (NSW, 85^th,-2 laps).

Clarke was particularly buoyant about the future prospects, with the junior men riding solid races, despite starting near the rear of the field.

“Very solid performances. I must admit I felt personally on the back foot a little bit with the changes to the starting lists in the junior cross-country this year based on the UCI rankings.

“Based on our World Cup performance, Oceania and Australian titles our best starting position was 40^th, which was about sixth or seventh row on the grid.

“But Jack Haig, starting nearly last on the grid in row six or seven, managed to fight his way through the field to finish 42^nd.

“Chris Aitkin suffered a puncture and took some time to get back to the team zone from where he was on the course, and Daniel McDonald unfortunately had a fair tussle with some roots and came off second best, and really struggled to regain with the group itself and finished a lap down as well,” Clarke said.

Rebecca Henderson (ACT) was Australia’s sole rider in the U23 women cross-country, finishing a lap down in 20^th place, as only 15 riders crossed the finish line. Julie Bresset brought France its third gold medal in four races by racing to a solo victory in 1:32:29.

“She had a pretty heavy fall on the second lap, which really hurt her knee and restricted her movement somewhat. She continued to fight, and that’s one of the very positive attributes about Bec, she never gives in,” continued Clarke.

“Fair to say she’s a bit disappointed at this point in time, having not finished, but that’s racing and that’s the way it goes.”

Looking ahead to tonight, Paul Van Der Ploeg (VIC) will lead Australia’s charge in the U23 men’s cross-country. Michael Crosbie (VIC), Trenton Day (NSW), Cameron Ivory (NSW) and Kyle Ward (NSW) will join him.

“In the U23 men we’ve got Paul Van Der Ploeg, who definitely from my perspective is someone who can be pushing for a top-10 position, and competed last year in the U23s.”

Queensland’s Janine Jungfels will also look to continue her impressive season form from this year’s World Cup series in the women trials, where she is seeded fourth.

The women trials are from 9:15am (5:15pm AEST), followed by downhill qualifying and then the U23 men cross-country from 5:00pm (1:00am Saturday AEST).

The men’s four cross final will be streamed live online via SBS Cycling Central or on freecaster.tvfrom 5am AEST on Saturday.

Image credit: Gary Perkin

For further information (media only), please contact MTBA Media:

Michelle Cook – 03 9822 7110, 0430 177 668 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kyle Sheldon – 03 9822 7110 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Australian Mountain Bike Series receives facelift for upcoming season

The Australian mountain bike series will take on a whole new look this summer, with two new exciting formats to be introduced which will favour riders and spectators alike.

The 2011/12 season will be split into two, with the cross country riders vying for the ‘All Mountain Cup’ and the downhillers contesting the ‘Gravity Cup’.

Spectators across Australia will have the opportunity to witness the nation’s best riders, with events to be staged in Perth, Canberra, Thredbo, Mount Buller, Adelaide and Newcastle.

Each round will also feature an activity staged in the CBD of each host town to bring spectators closer to the action than ever before.

The new formats will allow for growth in both disciplines, by offering riders the chance to compete in additional events over the weekend.

The All Mountain Cup will include a number of additional elements over the course of each two-day event. Riders will compete in a stage-like environment, in which performance results will be tallied to determine the overall event winner.

In addition to the centrepiece Olympic Cross Country event, other formats such as the cross country eliminator (four-cross for cross country), cross country time trial, cross country enduro (25km to 50km), Super D (downhill cross country) and the return of the short course event will be scheduled over the weekend of competition.

In the Gravity Cup, all downhill classes will now have seeding races on the Saturday, followed by finals on the Sunday. 

"Mountain Bike Australia has completely re-written the way the national level events are delivered,” said Tony Scott, Executive Officer of MTBA.

“The new All Mountain Cup is going to be a spectacle of cross country mountain bike racing that will appeal to all levels of skill and experience and one that will involve both riding prowess and strategy in several different short duration activities.

“For the gravity riders we have expanded the seeding races to include all classes. This means two timed runs for all riders.

“All of these changes are geared towards providing better value to participants by giving them more time on the bike, more often.”

Details for the Four Cross (4X) Cup will be announced shortly.

On-line entry will be available from September 1 for all rounds.

2011/12 Australian Mountain Bike Series

November 19 - 20       Perth                                       All Mountain Cup

December 10 - 11       Thredbo                                  Gravity Cup

January 21 - 22           Mount Buller                           All Mountain Cup and Gravity Cup

February 4 - 5             Mount Stromlo, Canberra       Gravity Cup

February 11 - 12         Mount Stromlo, Canberra       All Mountain Cup

February 23 - 26         Adelaide                                  Australian Championships - all

March 3 - 4                 Newcastle                               All Mountain Cup and Gravity Cup

For further information (media only), please contact MTBA Media:

Michelle Cook – 03 9822 7110 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Champion pair lead formidable Aussie team for world champs

Champion pair lead formidable Aussie team for world champs

Jongewaard to return to world stage

Reigning world downhill champions Sam Hill and Troy Brosnan headline a 36-strong Australian team which has been selected to compete at the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Switzerland next month.

To be staged from August 31 to September 4, the world’s best will vie for the coveted world title at the picturesque Swiss mountain resort of Champéry.

Last year, Australia claimed more gold than any other nation at the world championships in Canada, with Hill (WA- elite downhill), Brosnan (SA - junior downhill) and Caroline Buchanan (ACT- elite four cross) all securing the rainbow jersey. In addition, Queensland’s Jared Graves also took silver in the men’s elite four cross. 

Preparations for the 2011 campaign are looking just as promising with both young gun Brosnan, and 2009 world champion Graves leading the current 2011 UCI World Cup standings in their respective events.

With the London 2012 Olympic Games just one year away, much of the attention will also be focused on the cross country riders, with Chris Jongewaard leading the Australian charge. 

The 32-year-old Adelaide-based rider has endured a tumultuous couple of years but made an impressive return to the elite mountain biking scene over the Australian summer collecting both national championship and national series crowns.

Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) sport director Chris Clarke, said that although the selected squad was younger than in previous years with an average age of 21, he is confident the team is ready to perform on the big stage.

“It is certainly a younger team and in some ways it signals a changing of the guard in Australian mountain biking,” said Clarke.

“The team we’ve selected this year is smaller than in previous years, but it is a high quality team which is capable of delivering significant results.

“Our elite downhillers will provide strong medal hopes and we have great depth in our junior downhill team, depth which we haven’t seen in Australia for a long time. 

“Our four cross team is a small but strong contingent, and our cross country riders are extremely well prepared this year and have responded to the high standards set by our head coaches.”

Riders will finalise their preparations for Champéry during the final three rounds of the 2011 UCI World Cup next month:

• August 6 to 7, La Bresse (FRA) - downhill  
• August 13 to 14, Nove Mesto Na Morave (CZE) – cross country
• August 20 to 21, Val di Sole (ITA) – cross country, downhill and four cross

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact MTBA media:

Michelle Cook – 03 9822 7110, 0430 177 668 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships - Australian Team 

HUNTER RIDERS DOMINATE NSW DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKE TITLES - NBN News

Hunter riders have crushed their rivals at the state Downhill Mountain Bike Championships, dominating the top three divisions. more...

Nugent cracks whip as cyclists take charge - The Australian

NATIONAL head coach Leigh Nugent is the first to admit that if the London Olympics were held now, Australia would be looking to the cycling team rather than the swimming team to lead its campaign. more...