Jack Ward, Rebecca Henderson crowned 2025 XCC national champions

Jack Ward (Yarra Ranges Mountain bike club) has powered to his first elite national title sprinting to victory in the XCC, while Rebecca Henderson (CORC) returned to the top after missing last year’s race at the 2025 GWM Mountain Bike National Championships.   

The racing was hot, fast and dry at Mt Buller around the 700 metres short course track, as riders negotiated tight corners, punchy climbs, and fast descents.

Altitude was another factor, both elite winners noting they started to feel the effects toward the back-end of racing.  

In the elite women’s race, it wasn’t long before Henderson and Isabella Flint (Launceston Mountain Bike Club) had gapped the rest of the field and it was shaping up to be a two-person battle.

Flint stuck with Henderson for six laps, before the Canberra rider attacked, putting the Tasmanian under pressure until she cracked.

The gap gradually grew over the next seven laps, with Henderson crossing the line 28 seconds ahead of Flint who claimed silver in her first elite national championship race.

“(It was) quite tough, very uncomfortable, very dry,” Henderson said.

“She (Flint) was playing it smart, really smart, there’s nothing really decisive so I knew it was going to take a few goes and I knew it was going to be a bit more of a mental game that even though I wasn’t dropping her I had just take confidence that I was doing damage and eventually if I just kept going that she would crack before I did hopefully.”

Zoe Cuthbert (CORC) rounded out the podium a further 34 seconds back.

In her first year racing in the U23 category, Ella Menigoz (RATS Cycling Club Inc) proved too strong for the field taking victory ahead of Ruby Dobson (Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club) and Anook Simpson (Adelaide Mountain Bike Club).

“It felt pretty great especially as a first year to get the win,” she said.

“The start, as any good XCC race goes, it’s super super tough, you have to be on it right away. I struggled from the start but then I found my legs later on.”

Annie Kleywegt was crowned this year’s U19 national champion with Amelie Burrell winning silver and Alana Fletcher the bronze.

The elite men’s race was a thrilling battle until the very end with Ward sprinting to his first elite national title ahead of Scott Bowden (Hobart Wheelers) at the finish line.

A strong group of riders including last year’s winner Sam Fox (Launceston City CC), Cam Ivory (Launceston Mountain Bike Club), Brent Rees (Inverell Cycle Club) and Tasman Nankervis (Bendigo & District CC) were wheel to wheel for the majority of the race before the attacks started.

Eventually Bowden and Ward forced a split with a few laps to go.

“I still felt ok in the wheels, and I knew I still had a good sprint left in me,” Ward said.

The pair stuck together for the final lap before the Victorian proved too strong as they came onto the finishing straight, to raise his hands across the line.  

“It was a tough race, towards the end of the race I could definitely feel a bit of altitude at the end,” Ward said.

“I think when you go all out and it’s that last couple of per cent and you notice it a little bit.”

Harry Doye (Red Hill Riders MTBC) showed his strength and race nous to claim the national title in his first year racing in the U23 category.

With U23 and Elite racing combined, Doye played it smart, slotting in at the front of the race where he used the speed and power of the elite riders to his advantage.  

“As an U23 that’s what you want to do because you can let the big boys drag you along, and you can just sort of hold on for the ride if you can,” Doye said.

“It’s a bit surreal I just went all in, and I went so deep.”

Connor Wright continued his domination at the top of the U19 category, riding away to a solo victory ahead of Campbell McConnell (Alpine Cycling Club) and Eddie Mungoven (Canberra Off-Road Cycling Club).

Click for full results.

Photos: Matt Rousu