TITLE FIGHTS

Mountain Bike Australia have a split National Championship again this year after inclement weather created an impromptu split between Cross-Country and Downhill in 2017. But after a visit to Queensland, in 2018 our Cross-Country and Downhill champions will be decided in Amridale, NSW and Bright, VIC respectively. The Cross-Country National Championships fall on the 23-25 February, at the University of New England campus in Armidale. The course received favourable reviews after two National Rounds in 2017, but the venue itself is a step ahead of the rest with ample parking, showers, toilets, a café and more. Expect to see a re-invigorated course with sections of machine-built trail, pine forest trails, big rock features and sweeping turns. The course is easy for spectators – but not so much for the racers. There are categories for all age groups and elite, and don’t be scared off by the name – it’s a great step up from a club race to help push your skills. The Downhill National Championships seem to be heading home, to Mystic MTB Park in Bright. Over the years that Bright hosted the National Championships the event was always on the up, and Bright has an excellent reputation of catering for mountain bikers. With practice and racing sitting between the 2-4 March, expect Bright to be awash with riders looking to put a line in the sand, or pine forest dirt, for their performance for 2018. The National Cross-Country Marathon Championship will be on 28-29 April in Townsville QLD, and the National Gravity Enduro Championship will be at Fox Creek, SA, on 26-28 October.