2026 AusCycling Mountain Bike National Championships to Return to Mt Buller

With the announcement that the 2026 AusCycling Mountain Bike National Championships will return to Mt Buller, it’s hard not to get excited. The Victorian alpine resort proved a great stage this year with a mix of altitude, atmosphere, and tough racing that tested riders across every discipline. Bringing the Championships back means more high country antics and another chance to showcase some of the best trails and terrain in Australia. As we look ahead to 2026, we’re taking a look back at this year’s racing—a weekend that delivered everything from dusty trails to euro mud.

Cross Country Short Track (XCC)

Lung-Busting Effort at Altitude

Matt Rousu headed to Mount Buller in the Victorian High Country for the key events at this years 2025 Australian Mountain Bike Championships. Friday was the first big day of racing, with the cross-country short track (XCC, in bikespeak) taking centre stage. It was a dusty, warm day up here in the mountains.

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The XCC course was a two-minute, flat out loop with a couple of punchy climbs and one little descent, meaning it was full gas the whole time. The course featured stunning views as riders raced through the alpine village.

Every category was stacked with riders, with athletes ranging from 12 to over 70 years of age!
In the elite women’s category, we saw Rebecca Henderson battle it out with Isabella Flint and Zoe Cuthbert for the first half of the race. Henderson put the watts down on her new Factory Orbea Oiz and rode away to a solo victory. Flint claimed her first-ever elite medal with a silver, and Cuthbert took the bronze. Behind them was a great battle between Kathryn McInerney and Katrina Dower, who exchanged places multiple times. McInerney took 4th and Dower 5th in the end. Ella Menigoz took the U23 Women’s title by 14 seconds over Ruby Dobson.

The elite men’s race was tighter, with a big group settling in at a fast and lung-busting pace. Riders were constantly jostling for position, and an unlucky touch of bars saw Queenslander Brent Rees fly into the barriers with Sam Fox during one of the final laps. Fox was able to remount quickly and claw his way back onto the podium with a 5th place. Toby Stewart and Tasman Nankervis sprinted to the line for the bronze medal, Nankervis incredibly taking it with a dead-flat rear tyre.

That left Jack Ward and Scott Bowden to sprint for the win. Bowden made a crucial error on the final corner, giving Ward a comfortable sprint finish and his first elite title. Harry Doye rode with the lead pack of elites to take the U23 XCC crown.

Aussie Downhill King and Queen Crowned

Fast, Loose and Fearless

The Saturday was all about the downhill. After three days of practice and a seeding run on Friday, most riders were feeling fatigued. The course was blown out: very fine dust, huge loose rocks, corners that had moved a foot further back into the mountain, and holes that could swallow half a wheel littered the track.

The track itself had three main sections:

• The upper woods, with tight corners, small gaps, and two road gaps (although the second road gap was probably a fraction slower for the most skilled riders).
  
• The second wood section, a little straighter and faster, was arguably more technical, with some awkward sections that were time sucks for the unprepared.
  
• The bottom of the track was flat-out, with long straights, wide-open corners with multiple lines, followed by the fast motorway.

All up, it’s 3+ minutes (2:58.981 was today’s fastest time) of rough, loose, and flat-out alpine track—a great place to decide this year’s National Champions!

Notable Achievements:

• 11-year-old Benson Archer winning the U13 men’s title with a 3:35
  
• 74-year-old Michael Benson winning masters 9 men
  
• U15 women’s rider Madeline Lloyd clocking a time of 3:40.863, the 6th fastest women’s time of the day
  
• David Tarling returning from a shattered femur 18 months ago to win masters 5 men
  
• U17 rider Tilly Boadle with a 3:29, and U19 rider Elleni Turkovic with a 3:27 – Elite medalist times
  

There are stories of glory and stories of pain at every National Championships, but the happiest athletes today were our Elite Champions: Sian A’hern and Luke Meier Smith, both a little worse for wear after a big week. They were all smiles on the podium – Sian claiming her 4th elite title and Luke his 3rd in a row.

Elite Women Podium:

1.Sian A’hern
2. Sacha Mills
3. Zali Miklas
4. Ashleigh Weinert
5. Bella Schofield

Elite Men Podium:

1. Luke Meier Smith 
2. Troy Brosnan
3.  Kye A’hern
4. Jackson Connelly
5.  Ryan Gilchrist

U19 Women:

1. Elleni Turkovic
2. Sami Rothwell
3. Amelia Freeman

U19 Men:

1. Oliver Colthup
2. Zac Bradley
3. Lachy Roberts

Cross Country Olympic (XCO)

A Battle Against the Elements

Over the years, the Cross Country Olympic discipline has evolved from a multi-hour event (perhaps one of the first in Aus was raced at Buller in the ’90s) into a red-lining, 90-minute smash fest.

The course set out for this year’s Nationals was a relentless climbing course with little time for rest. However, the Bureau of Meteorology had other ideas. A severe storm warning came through Saturday night, leaving organisers in a spot of bother. The predicted high winds posed a risk of treefall (indeed, I myself saw a huge tree fall during Saturday’s downhill race).

Racing was postponed, and the course was shortened to about half its original length. There was only a short section of singletrack, a nice off-camber grass descent, and a long, steep fire road climb. The alterations made it feel more like a 7-minute XCC course. AusCycling endeavoured to deliver the postponed event by combining all of the masters men’s and U17 categories.

Early Highlights:

• U17 Women’s rider Charli Edwick storming away from the field to win by over 3 minutes
  
• The Masters Women’s race
  
• Myles Higgins in Masters 10 – the oldest competitor of the week, racing alongside kids 60 years younger
  

The closest racing of the week came between Rebecca Henderson and Isabella Flint. Henderson won in dramatic style with a sprint finish against Flint after nine laps of racing. Henderson crashed on the opening lap, injuring her shoulder and thumb. This allowed Cuthbert and Flint to gain a lead. Henderson bridged the gap and settled in with them.

Behind the lead trio, Kathryn McInerney, Katrina Dower, and Sarah Tucknott battled for the remaining podium spots. Ella Menigoz flew to the U23 victory, surviving an early challenge from Ruby Dobson, while Amelie Burrel rode strong to win the U19 category.

Flint and Henderson dropped Cuthbert in the final laps as wind and rain intensified. It was Henderson’s 21st national title, and likely the toughest win of her career.

The men’s race saw the worst of the weather. Defending champ Cam Ivory pushed the pace early, with only Sam Fox able to hold on. Ivory faded, and Fox surged solo. Behind, Jack Ward, Reece Tucknott, Toby Stewart, Tasman Nankervis and Scott Bowden traded places.

Harry Doye backed up his XCC title with a U23 XCO win, while Connor Wright claimed a commanding victory in U19.

Fox kept the pressure on, riding 10 seconds faster per lap than his rivals, securing his second elite national title. Ward, Tucknott, Stewart, and Nankervis rounded out the podium.

As the final medals were handed out and the weather cleared over Mt Buller, one thing was obvious, Australian mountain biking is in great shape. From the juniors fearlessly hammering down the hills to seasoned elites pushing through some very brutal conditions, the 2025 Championships had everything: grit, tough singletrack, and horrible weather. Buller once again proved it can deliver world class racing and a proper mountain atmosphere. With the 2026 Nationals set to return, we can’t wait to see riders line up once more on the same alpine slopes—maybe with a little less rain, but every bit as much fire.

Learn more about the 2025 AusCycling National Championships here.