One of the most popular of the three supporting events at the Champs, the short track cross country or dirt criterium drew a fantastic men's field eager to duke it out on the 800m circuit in front of a raucous crowd of downhill racers and spectators.
Eleven racers took on the 20-minute, multi-lap sprint challenge, a field containing a mix of Under 17, Under 19 juniors and seasoned elite competitors. Tokoroa's Mike Northcott controlled the race from the front in the early stages, but the charging first year Under 19 Junior Anton Cooper seemed to be biding his time, before finally attacking 15 minutes in. Cooper had the legs and the lungs to ride away from Northcott and the rest of the men's field to claim an utterly convincing title - his second National Championship win in two days. Hillclimb champion Tom Filmer gamely hung on for third place, behind an exhausted Northcott.
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Anton Cooper |
| 2 | Mike Northcott |
| 3 | Tom Filmer |
-
Missed deadlines for initial UCI registration by Jayco-AlUla and Liv-AlUla-Jayco reportedly due to absence of bank guarantee
Escape Collective article points to missing guarantee as reason for Australian squad's absence from initial list of 2026 WorldTour teams -
'The Giro d'Italia is not on the agenda' - Florian Lipowitz aims for repeat ride in Tour de France next July
German star will likely announce full 2026 schedule in December at the earliest -
Intermarché-Wanty riders move on to new teams ahead of merger with Lotto
Alexander Kamp, Hugo Page and Gerben Thijssen among those finding new contracts elsewhere -
'We're very optimistic people' – Israel floats possibility of future Tour de France Grand Départ
Suggestion made weeks after 2025 Vuelta a España severely disrupted by protests against Israel-Premier Tech team
