30 years on: The day Rob Eva created MTB National Championship history

In 1993 Rob Eva did what no one has done since – he won the Downhill and XCO Mountain Bike National Titles. In doing so Eva etched his name into the history books. This year marks the 30th anniversary of that momentous double title win, and the return of the mountain bike championships to Thredbo since they were last held there in 1996.

AusCycling spoke with Eva about that win and how mountain biking in Australia has evolved over the decades.

Eva in action during the 1993 MTB National Championships at Thredbo.

Q: You won the National XCO title in 1992, 1993 and 1994. And in '93 you doubled up with the Downhill title as well. What are your memories of those wins?

Eva: Well, those years were I think a real start on mountain biking in Australia as a real sport and stand alone at a big ski resort who took our sport seriously. Cycling was always road and track racing but MTB was here and every bike or parts brand wanted to be involved and have a race team. The spectator numbers were best ever at an Aussie MTB event and we had many big name riders here from USA including John Tombac and Greg Herbold both world champions in the sport.

Q: What was it like to win both disciplines in ‘93?

Eva: Winning both events was a big goal and I tried in 1992 but missed out by a confusion in the DH race with many big rider crashes. Back in 1992 we mostly rode the same bike and most were hardtail MTB. We did some changes to the bikes with tyres to cope with the speed on the DH. I had a good financial incentive to win both from my key sponsors and the prize money was very good as well. With 1993 season the National MTB championships were the last of the winter series and the first of the summer series so good points and gave me the win for both Australian MTB series as well.

Q: Was it common for riders to do both XC and Downhill?

Eva: All riders did all events and some events tried to include the uphill race and the trails event in those days. It was not until 1994-95 that we saw riders target individual events, mostly downhill. I always trained for the XC event but did like racing downhill as I was an off-road motorbike rider so the DH event suited me as well.

Q: No one has done the double since, why do you think that is?

Eva: I feel that the sport and the MTB disciplines have been so different and suit a different type of athlete. One was an endurance athlete as we raced for over 2.5 hours back then and the downhill is an explosive power and high threshold discipline for a 3-minute race. Most riders these days target the discipline and use the bike most suitable for the event they choose. The other reason is the event calendar is not suited to race both all year or season.

Q: What was the mountain biking scene like in the early 90s?

Eva: The MTB scene was fantastic – bright colours were everywhere and on most company’s logos and cycling clothing. Every company from bike brands, suspension companies, helmets and protective clothing companies were racing to keep up with the demand and stay on top of technologies that were demanded and required. Bike brands were willing to fund a race team and support this growing sport. This was great time for riders who had some good talent to get some support from factory teams locally. It was a great time to be racing and enjoying the sport.

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Q: What was it like riding at Thredbo in the early 90s?

Eva: Riding Thredbo was amazing and the normally closed off walking trail around the golf course was opened up for the MTB XC race. For the first time MTB bikes were allowed to race on the sacred ground of the snow skier on the summer grass on the ski runs. The MTB traveling racers took over the town and booked out every bed available. This was the first time that any ski resort was booked out in Summer. It was a sign of things to come.

Q: How do you think mountain biking changed over the past 30 years?

Eva: Well many used to say mountain biking or cycling is the new golf but we have passed that milestone with more adults and kids riding MTB bikes than ever before. Global tourism departments have seen the numbers and most are trying to get a MTB park in there region. Back in the 90s mountain biking was still an underground sport and most rode on illegal trails but that has all changed. All forward-thinking ski resorts have built MTB trails or have a plan to build trails in the future.

Q: How do you think you’d go against some of today’s riders?

Eva: Well, this is a tough question but any Aussie MTB riders who are winning in Australia are probably racing against the best in the world and winning. The sport has matured to have specialist riders with teams set up to support riders and bike brands and helping riders win. The sport is so different it would be hard to compare the 90s MTBers against todays MTB riders but I am sure it would be a great match up…

The 2023 AusCycling MTB National Championships are on from February 9-18 at Thredbo Resort.