Sam Fox caps off a perfect weekend with XCO gold

Pristine conditions on the mountainside made for an enthralling and action-packed final day of XC racing at the 2023 AusCycling Mountain Bike National Championship in Thredbo.

After an entertaining morning session featuring junior riders, spectators were treated to high-class racing in the afternoon’s Elite categories.

XCO: Elite Men

An attacking effort in the mid-section of the race by Sam Fox (Launceston MTBC) proved to be the difference in the Elite Men’s XCO competition.

Dan McConnell led the field by 15 lengths after the first lap, but he was soon joined in a lead group with five other riders including Fox, Cam Ivory, Brendan Johnston, Cameron Wright, and one of the surprises of the race, Tasman Nankervis, who at one point rode into second place after starting from the back of the field.

The unexpected ride from Nankervis prompted a response from Fox on the fourth lap.

“The tempo was pretty hot on the climb each lap. Tasman [Nankervis] really drilled it up there on the fourth lap, and I was swinging. I was really hurting, and I thought to myself, ‘If I’m about to drop, these guys are going to be really hurting, so I’m going to attack.’ And it worked. They were struggling, and they still came back but it was enough to put that gap in,” Fox said.

The attacking move burned up petrol tickets, with the Commonwealth Games rider describing the win as “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” while also paying tribute to the field.

“Those boys are pure class, so they were chasing me down. They knew I’d fade in the altitude, and I certainly was, so I was really cramping that whole last lap, just trying to hold them off.”

The win completes a perfect weekend for Fox, who took out the gold medal in both the XCC and XC Team Relay, and the Launceston based rider now has his sights set on the year ahead.

“It’s a big year of course. To step up into elite and have this first start to the season is great before we go to Europe and start the preparations for Olympic selections. It’s a great sign of form to come.”

XCO: U23 Men

Domenic Paolilli (Hawthorn CC) dominated the Under 23’s XCO from start to finish, winning by more than 90 seconds over Friday’s XCC winner Isaac Fletcher, while Joel Dodds took home the bronze.

Paolilli said he was pleased how the race came together after months of planning.

“It's definitely tough. I think it’s that first climb. Just sort of pacing yourself really well. I think I might have gone out a little bit too hard in that first lap, but just stayed nice and composed and got through,” Paolilli said.

XCO: U19 Men

A two-horse race emerged in the Junior Men’s XCO, with Jack Ward (Blackburn CC) and Cohen Jessen opening up a 35 second break from the rest of the field after two laps, and riding through the entire Under 23’s field with the exception of eventual Men’s U23 winner Domenic Paolilli.

The pair paced one another throughout the race, and it wasn’t until the final downhill sections of the course that Ward created a small gap, that proved to be enough to hold on by two lengths.

Today’s racing caps of four days of high-quality racing before the action moves to Downhill racing from Wednesday next week.

See full results here.

More information about the 2023 AusCycling MTB National Championships.

The 2023 AusCycling Mountain Bike National Championships proudly supported by Destination NSW and the Department of Regional NSW.

Photos: Thredbo Resort