Green and gold up for grabs at Enduro National Championships

The nation's leading enduro riders will descend on the Wambenger Trails near Collie in Western Australia this weekend to compete for the 2024 AusCycling MTB Enduro National Championships.

It is the first time the venue has hosted a major national mountain bike race with competitors expected to take on six stages, which are part of the Collie trail network.

In the elite men category, a new winner will be crowned with defending champion Ryan Gilchrist not on the starting line.

The candidates are of high quality and include Enduro World Series Under 21 overall winner Bailey Christie.

Bailey Christie will contest the elite national title.

Christie, a West Australian native, would love nothing more than to take the national jersey on his home soil in front of friends and family.

But, the local will likely not have it his own way with fellow U21 Enduro World Series rider Sascha Kim, who finished third in the overall rankings, also a contender for the elite Australian title.

Two-time MTB Downhill National Champion Luke Meier-Smith, could add another title to his name, and in only his second Enduro World Series race this season finished with a second-place finish at Haute-Savoie in the French Pyrenees. Garigal Gorilla member Thomas Locke is another rider to watch.

Queenslander Jess Hoskin (Caloundra Off-Road Club) will look to claim back-to-back titles in the elite women after last year’s success.

Jess Hoskin 2023 Elite Women Enduro National Champion.

She will have stiff competition from the locals including Hannah Richardson (KMBC) and Lucy Hill (Cape Mountain Bikers).

Rachel Hore (YRMTB) will be desperate to go one step further up the podium after her silver last year, as will 2023 U21 champion Taylah Sherrif (Launceston MTB Club).

Thirty-four riders line up in the U21 men’s category, and a new champion will also be crowned.

With three Enduro World Cup races under his belt this season, Harvey Lee (Mersey Valley Devenport CC) goes in with the number one plate and he will be closely challenged by Victorian Jarrah Street (Yarra Ranges MTB Club) and last year’s U17 winner Cooper Northey (Alpine Cycling Club).

A fifth place at Finale Outdoor Region earlier this year places Lacey Adams (Launceston Mountain Bike Club) as a top chance for the crown in the U21 women.

She will be followed closely by Elle de Noyer (Toowoomba Mountain Bike Club) who also recorded a top 10 in the Enduro World Cup in Switzerland back in July.

The Under 17 men has the biggest field at the championships with 62 riders who are set to drop into the four stages.

A strong field will assemble in the E-Enduro class with defending champions Thiago Boaretto (Greenvalleys Mountain Bike Club) returning in the elite men and Caroline Buchanan (Tuggeranong Bmx Club) in the elite women.

After his maiden championship win Patrick Best (Merse Valley Devenport CC) makes the trip west to defend his Adaptive Enduro title.

Age category competitors will also bombard the trails in search of the prestigious national title crown.

The Oceania Championship title will be contested on Thursday.

2024 AusCycling MTB Enduro National & Oceania Championships

Dates: October 17- 20
Location: Wambenger Trails, Collie, WA
More information: 2024 AusCycling MTB Enduro National & Oceania Championships
Live Timing: TBC
Live Streaming: SBS On Demand

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Green and gold up for grabs at Enduro National Championships in the West