Split venue for round three of cross country and downhill racing
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Bec Henderson is among the favorites in Australian cross country racing(Image credit: Russ Baker)
Troy Brosnan leads the Australian downhill national series with one round remaining(Image credit: Russ Baker)
The Subaru Australian Mountain Bike National Series will come to a conclusion across two NSW venues this weekend. Downhill racing will take place on the Cannonball track in Thredbo, while cross country racing action will be in Moama.
Russ Baker, the President of Mountain Bike Australia, highlighted the contrasting venues for the split round. "This weekend's finale sees an exciting mix of the old and the new. Riders will race on both the familiar iconic trails at Thredbo and the great new tracks that have been built on the banks of Australia's longest river."
The season began with scorching racing in Adelaide in January, and continued with action early this month in the heights of Mt Buller.
Cross country
Olympians Dan McConnell and Bec Henderson excelled in round 2 at Mt Buller to claim a whitewash across both Olympic cross country and eliminator formats. It was spectacular to watch as both riders brought their world-beating 2013 form home to Australia, with both aiming to stay in top form for qualifying in a Commonwealth Games year.
Jared Graves and Jenni King hold the series lead going into the final round after wins in Adelaide, but with Graves absent for the decider, the men's season title will be hotly contested in Moama.
Murray Regional Tourism Board CEO Mark Francis said, "The Moama Mountain Bike Trails were designed to deliver fast and exciting mountain biking experiences for cyclists of all levels, but we want to kick off by showcasing what these new trails are really made of."
Racing in Moama will include cross country all day on Saturday and eliminator on Sunday morning. A "come and try" enduro open to riders of all levels will take place on the Sunday afternoon.
Downhill
Downhill racing will take place in Thredbo, a legendary venue on the Australian mountain bike scene for almost 20 years.
South Australian young guns Troy Brosnan and Connor Fearon have won a round a piece so far this season, and the battle will be on to see who can claim the advantage leading into the Australian National Championships in Bright in a fortnight's time.
Sarah Booth holds the series leader's jersey for the hotly contested elite women's category, and again all eyes will be on young prodigy Tegan Molloy, who has consistently been the fastest female rider while still racing in the Under 19 category.
Angus Thomson, Director of Brand Development at Thredbo, said "We are thrilled to be hosting the final round of the series. With some epic new lines on the iconic Cannonball Downhill Trail, it's the perfect test for Australia's best competitors to battle it out for the national series title."
Downhill action will take place throughout the weekend, with seeding taking place on Saturday afternoon and racing on Sunday afternoon.
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