Jess Hoskin claims debut championship while Stead backs up Oceania win at GE Nationals

Queensland’s Jess Hoskin has upset more fancied rivals to claim the 2022 Gravity Enduro Elite Women’s National Championship at Red Hill in Victoria over the weekend.

Hoskin posted the fastest time in the pro stage on Saturday, before recording the quickest times on all six stages on Sunday to finish more than a minute clear of her nearest rival, Commonwealth Games cross-country mountain bike silver medallist and cameo Enduro World Series (EWS) rider Zoe Cuthbert.

Two-time elite women’s national downhill champion Sian A'Hern finished third, with defending champion Leanna Curtis and Ellie Smith rounding out the top five.

After finishing third at the 2022 Oceania Downhill Championships earlier this year, the win is Hoskin’s first national championship.

In the elite men’s competition, Hayden Stead’s consistency on Sunday paid off, finishing 13 seconds ahead of Tim Eaton, with Sam Walsh another 14 seconds back in third. Paul Van Der Ploeg claimed fourth, while Saturday’s pro stage winner Christopher Panozzo finished fifth.

Despite not winning any of the first four stages on Sunday, Stead posted the fastest times over the closing two stages to steal victory.

The win caps off a big year for Stead, who claimed the 2022 Oceania Downhill Championship, however, Tim Eaton will wear the Australian national champion jersey, as Stead is New Zealand-born.

In the under-21 men, Ryan Gilchrist finished fastest on every stage to win by more than 30 seconds ahead of Bailey Christie and Thomas Locke, while Poppy Pollock held on to win the under-21 women over Elise Empey and Jessica Williams.

Almost 500 riders took part in this year’s event that showcased the best trails of the Arthurs Seat State MTB Park.

Riders started and finished at the Seawinds Gardens, in the first time Red Hill has staged the event.

Short liaison times provided a challenge for riders, as did the rain and breezy conditions over the weekend.

Stage 1 featured stairs and boulder rolls, while stages 4 and 5 proved to be more technical stages, with pine roots challenging riders.

The closing stage started heavily cross-country, before opening up with more high-speed berms towards the finish.

Saturday Pro-Stage Winners (click here for full results):

Elite Women Jessica Hoskin
Elite Men Christopher Panozzo
Under 21 Women Taylah Sherriff
Under 21 Men Ryan Gilchrist
35-44 Women Kathryn Visser
35-44 Men Christian Tucker
45-54 Women Anna Baylis
45-54 Men David Tarling
55+ Women Margaret Clark
55-64 Men James Sharman
65+ Men Graham Dixon
Under-13 Girls Madeline Lloyd
Under-13 Boys Jethro Spyrakis
Under-15 Girls Charlotte Gray
Under-15 Boys Connor Wright
Under-17 Girls Lacey Adams
Under-17 Boys Rye Carlyon
Adaptive Julian Mcgregor
E-MTB Women Philippa Norton
E-MTB Men Joshua Carlson

Sunday Winners (click here for full results):

Elite Women Jessica Hoskin
Elite Men Hayden Stead
Under 21 Women Poppy Pollock
Under 21 Men Ryan Gilchrist
35-44 Men Ben Murphy
45-54 Women Anna Baylis
45-54 Men David Tarling
55+ Women Tara Sutherland
55-64 Men James Sharman
65+ Men Graham Dixon

Photo credit: Chad Bromley