Mick and Tracey Hannah keep downhill titles all in the family

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The brother and sister team of Mick and Tracey Hannah (Hutchinson/Polygon) proved why they are Australia's number one downhill family, prevailing in trying conditions to claim the national downhill titles on the final day of the Subaru Australian Mountain Bike National Championships at Stromlo Forest Park in Canberra over the weekend.

Men

Mick Hannah blitzed the course in two minutes, 21.26 seconds to claim his third national title ahead of Jared Graves (2:23.09) and an in-form Sam Hill (2:23.48).

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"That was brutal," Hannah gasped after his winning run. "It was pretty muddy, so all the peddling stuff was a bit soggy, but we've been practicing in the mud this morning.

"It's awesome [to share the podium with Tracey]. I spent some time with her in the hospital, and a couple of weeks ago I saw her for the first time since I'd left her in hospital. So it was nice to see her up riding again, and to win the nationals together is just awesome," said Hannah of his sister's 2012 World Cup crash which resulted in a broken femur and almost seven months off the bike.

"I was kind of expecting her to win, I always am, but I was stoked she did."

Second placed Graves was happy with his win after seeding first and placing in seventh in the elite men's cross country race on Saturday.

"Maybe racing the cross country yesterday flattened me a little bit - although there's really no pedalling on the track now except for the last 25 seconds, you probably only use four or five pedal strokes before that final bit," Graves said.

"I did want a top five in the cross country yesterday, and today makes up for not getting that - I also aimed for a top five in the downhill because we have so many good riders, so to get second is a good result."

Third placed Hill (Chain Reaction Cycles) said he revelled in the wet conditions. "The track's real fun at the moment," Hill said. "It's different here [at Stromlo], the track gets grippy with rain - normally with wet weather you can slip around and it makes it more of a challenge, it's a super tough track here.

"I made a few little mistakes near the bottom, and I lost a bit of speed, but I'm happy with it."

Women

Defending champion and younger of the two siblings, Tracey completed the course in torrential rain in a time of two minutes, 46.53 seconds, just 0.43 of second ahead Canberra's own Caroline Buchanan (2:46.96) and a further 5.27 seconds in front of Lisa Mathison (2:52.23).

"I can't believe it, I'm so happy," Tracey said post-race.

The win is Tracey's fifth national title and comes after just 10 days back on the downhill bike after her 2012-season ending injury.

"At the start of the week I didn't want to race, and then yesterday it was too close," Tracey said of her second placed seeding time by only 0.03 to Buchanan.

Second placed Buchanan (Airborne Bicycles) lamented losing her nerve in the conditions.

"I already knew as I came across the line [that Hannah had finished faster]," said Buchanan. "Obviously the conditions weren't what I'm used to, and I was a little bit timid, so I'm going to work on that one!

"The track was still fast, but I think it was more of a mental thing that slowed me up a little bit. It was so close between me and Tracey [Hannah] in seeding that I knew it was going to be close again."

"My goal is to aim for Worlds, and I've made it a little bit harder for myself by not winning today, but I'll have to go overseas and perform now."

2004 cross country Olympian Lisa Mathison (Planet Cycles/Specialized) improved her seeding time by 14 seconds, something which the downhill convert was proud of.

"I don't know how I did it," Mathison said. "It's probably a bit easier in the wet like this. I didn't want to take any risks yesterday with the wind and everything."

Under 19 men

In the under 19 ranks, Dean Lucas (Kona Factory upstaged fastest seeded Thomas Crimmins (Giant Bicycles) for gold ) in a time of two minutes, 32.58 seconds - Crimmins completing the course in two minutes, 35.13 seconds while Aiden Varley (YVC/Giant Race Team) rounded out the podium (2:35.26).

"It was a hard race," Lucas said. "We didn't practice in anything like this [weather], so it was all pretty much new. It was all or nothing, I didn't want to get anything other than first.

"Tom [Crimmins] and I have been battling since under 15s and it's good - it keeps you trying to improve and get better. He's been beating me at the start of the season, so it's good to get one back on him," Lucas said of Crimmins' Subaru national series lead.

U19 women

In the women's race, Kellie Weinert finished the course in three minutes, 08.37 to claim the national title after defending champion Tegan Molloy (9:11.88) and Danielle Beecroft (4:36.27) both suffered flat tires.

Beecroft (Pivot, Jetblack Bikes) managed to run her bike to the finish to secure third place while Gemma Greentree (4:24.99) held onto silver.

"My run was awesome," Weinert said. "I just feel bad for the two girls that got the flats - bad luck, but that's racing, you have to expect it sooner or later."

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