Jongewaard adds Oceania title to national jersey

Five-time Australian national champion and series leader Chris Jongewaard nailed the elite men's cross country event today to claim both the national series and Oceania Championships titles in Mt Major, near Shepparton.

Earlier in the day, the women's elite race was dominated by Kiwi rider Rosara Joseph. Tasmanian Rowena Fry was the first Australian across the finish line, placing third overall, to take out her third Australian Mountain Bike Series title.

In what he described as a "yo-yo race", Jongewaard shot to the front of the pack from the gun, and although his lead diminished on a number of occasions, he held on to secure a 41-second victory over Tasmanian Sid Taberlay and Kiwi rider Michael Northcott.

The 32-year-old South Australian admitted that he was surprised to take out both titles today despite the fact he's not in peak fitness and carrying a wrist injury he sustained last week.

"I didn't think I was going to take it away today so it was a pleasant surprise," Jongewaard said.

"When the other riders caught me on the climb on the third lap, I thought they would go straight past me but I stayed focused and by the time we got to the top, I extended the lead and felt pretty comfortable.

"It felt good to win the Oceanias for the third time and this race is pretty important leading into the Olympics.

"I'm confident I can try and get back to where I was on the world circuit and hopefully be in the top ten."

Beijing Olympian Dan McConnell and Aiden Lefmann crossed the finish line in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Earlier in the day, the elite women were the first to tackle the challenging Mt Major terrain with the usual favourites proving true to form.

Former Oceania champion and Commonwealth Games medallist, Rosara Joseph from New Zealand owned the race from the outset. Opening up a 29-second break on the field after the first lap, she extended her lead over the next four to comfortably claim the Oceania Championships title, more than five minutes ahead of fellow Kiwi Karen Hanlen.

A modest Joseph was delighted to re-claim the Oceania title.

"I really enjoyed it out there today and am happy with the result, it is a great course here, demanding physically and technically," she said. "I'm not sure what my lap times were but when I was coming through it was looking fairly consistent.

"I was feeling pretty good on the last lap, although I certainly started to feel the pressure from other riders but was happy to cross the line first.

"My long term focus now is the London Olympics where I would be very happy to achieve a podium finish."

Fry, who is heading off to compete in Europe next week, crossed the finish line in third position.

She arrived in Shepparton sitting in second position on the national series rankings but victory today saw her streak to the top of the table and claim back-to-back national series titles. Former leader, Victorian Jenni King, crossed the line in fifth position and settled for second on the overall standings.

"I came out here today knowing the New Zealand girls are in a class of their own, particularly Rosara," Fry said.

"She was going hard at the start of the race and was too strong to catch but I'm really happy with a third place and to have an Aussie up on the podium."

"Jenni [King] has been riding fantastic all season and I'm lucky to have managed to take out the series and put in some consistency after a slow start this year."

"I head off to Europe on Tuesday with the Jayco AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) road team and then I'll slot back into mountain biking with the World Cup in Africa next month."

Heather Logie rolled over the line in fourth place, followed by King and 2011 national champion, Katherine O'Shea.

Full Results

Final standings Australian Mountain Bike National Series