National series leader Leonie Picton continued her clean sweep of the Australian domestic season by winning the elite women's downhill for her first national championship.
The Maffra rider put everything she had on the line to take the win. "I made sure I pedaled my guts out, there was nothing left in the tank when I crossed the line. My legs are shaking, I am still shaking, it's so crazy. This is my first one, so I am ready to bawl my eyes out with excitement," Picton said.
"I had a very restless night last night just going over in my head what I can do to pick up those times. In my seeding run, I thought I did the best I could have done. Coming out today I had a good think about what I could improve on, walked the track this morning and picked up a few seconds."
Recovering from a fall near the finish, Canada's Claire Buchar finished with the second fastest time of 2:33.38, while Canberra's Julia Boer rounded out the top three with 2:37.24.
Full results
| 1 | Leonie Picton (Yarra Valley Cycles Kona Sram) | 0:02:31.27 |
| 2 | Claire Buchar | 0:02:33.38 |
| 3 | Julia Boer (Intense bikes, Onya Bike Tuggeranong) | 0:02:37.24 |
| 4 | Holly Baarspul (Kona Factory Team, Sram, Rock Shox, Avid, Mavic) | 0:02:38.77 |
| 5 | Genevieve McKew | 0:02:39.13 |
| 6 | Alyssa Lyons | 0:02:44.17 |
| 7 | Shelly Flood | 0:02:48.38 |
| 8 | Sarah Booth (Kona Factory Team, Sram, Rock Shox, Avid, Mavic) | 0:02:48.62 |
| 9 | Jolene Knight | 0:02:54.97 |
| 10 | Simmone Lyons | 0:03:05.55 |
| 11 | Natasha Bonney (spokes NT) | 0:03:33.42 |
| DNS | Julie Berry (Bikeology, Corsair Bikes and Bushwacker Fitness) | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emily Hockey | 0:02:59.34 |
-
Launching a new road racing season – A guide to Australia's 2026 sun-drenched opening block
A Perth National Championships entree for the locals before world descends for Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race -
'I am very disappointed' – No more cyclo-cross battles with Mathieu van der Poel as Wout van Aert to undergo surgery after crash in Mol
Van Aert and Van der Poel’s last match of 2026 was due at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Zonhoven on Sunday -
Exact Cross Mol: Mathieu van der Poel conquers snowy conditions to take another victory after Wout van Aert crashes heavily
Belgian abandoned race after catching world champion but crashing in his wheel, as Aerts and Orts finish on podium -
All the new WorldTour team kits for 2026 – UAE Team Emirates, SD Worx-Protime, NSN Cycling and more
Rounding up all the reveals and new designs so far
