Izzy Flint wins CX national champs after last minute decision to enter

A last-minute decision to enter the 2024 AusCycling Cyclo-cross National championships has paid off for Izzy Flint, who won the race in a dominant performance at Ballarat today.  

 The current U23 MTB Cross-country national champion set a high pace from the start and was unmatched by her competitors as she went on to claim her first elite national title.  

 Rain earlier in the day meant the course was a little wet, muddy and chopped up from previous races, but it was nothing in comparison to the mud-bath of 2023.  

The Tasmanian led defending champion, Armidale’s Katherine Hosking after the first ascent and descent of the decisive Mound feature, and by the end of the first lap had a five second gap over Hosking.  

From then on, Flint went into time trial mode off the front and continued to extend her lead ahead of the field, as the battle continued for the minor placings.   

“It was a heap of fun out there.  

“I didn’t really know what to expect. I only decided that I was going to race three days ago. I was meant to be in Europe but I changed my international flight once we found out this was on,” Flint said in a post-race interview. 

“It’s nice to be out racing with the girls and to do something different.  

“I love riding in the mud on the mountain bike and I was just hoping my skills were going to transfer across the cross so all in all a pretty good day.”  

Picture: @shotbyleealexand3r 

Ballarat local Miranda Griffiths settled into her rhythm, overtaking Hosking, and held on to finish in second place, while 2022 national champion Rebecca Locke rounded out the podium. 

In the Under 23 women, Perth Mountain Bike Club’s Zoe Davison put on a masterclass to claim the national title.  

Davison put almost 45 seconds into her nearest rival on the first lap, and by the end of the six laps had increased that margin to more than five minutes over second placed Annok Simpson.  

It was an exciting battle between Port Adelaide Cycling Club’s Madeleine Wasserbaech and Canberra Off Road Cyclists Amelie Burrell in the Junior women’s race.  

The pair were wheel to wheel for the first two laps, before Wasserbaech pulled away on lap three, going on to take the victory by 53 seconds over Burrell. 

Main Image: The elite women's podium. Picture: @imagewriterphotography