Zana Evans and Andrew Hacquoil have won the 2025 AusCycling MTB Enduro National Championships elite titles on a picture-perfect day at Wambenger Trails in Collie, Western Australia.
After five hours of racing, just three seconds separated first and second place in both the men’s and women’s categories.
It was a surprise victory in the elite men with up-and-coming 18-year-old Hacquoil* (Gravity Enduro South Australia) taking the victory ahead of Tom Locke.
Hacquoil and Locke were locked in a tight battle all day, even clocking the exact same time on stage six. But it was Hacquoil who edged ahead after seven stages to get his biggest win to date.
“I got the live timing after Honeymoon and I just switched my mindset to ‘I don’t want to throw this away’ so I pushed hard for it,” Hacquoil said.
“It feels great, it means everything. I’ve been going to enduro national champs for a couple of years now, it feels good to get the jersey.
“The day was pretty smooth. It was really, really good conditions after heaps of rain yesterday so pretty hero dirt."
Roly Kyme rounded the podium in third.
In the battle for the elite women’s title, Evans, who won the Oceania title earlier in the week, overcame nerves early in the day to finish strong after going to toe-to-toe with Lacey Adams and Taylah Sherriff.
“Racing can go so many different ways, nationals is a fully new race, it’s a new day,” Evans said.
“I think I went into stage one a little too jittery and a little too nervous and made a few mistakes and a bit too much pressure.
“I just had to forget that and ride comfortably and well. I was still back on Lacey on the last stage so that’s where it kind of all came together.
Evans finished in a time of 29:15.70, ahead of Adams who took silver in elite, and the U19 title. Taylah Sherriff won bronze.
“I’ve done a lot of riding of the past year and a bit, so it’s just a collation of all the laps I’ve done in the pissing down rain with all the cool people I’ve met.”
Ellie Smith and Jordan Prochyra went back-to-back in the e-enduro category on Saturday, both adding to their 2024 titles, while Kai Pyyvaara won the elite men's Oceania jersey.
See the full results here.
* The MTB Enduro National Championships are conducted under UCI regulations, which specify that, in non–World Cup and non–World Championship competitions all riders aged 17 and over compete in a single open field. As such the fastest rider is recognised as the overall national champion.