Earlier this month Mountain Biking Australia released documents outlining the selection criteria for athletes wanting to represent Australia at the World Championships. The document can be read here. Currently, it is a general selection criteria for those who want a chance to represent Australia in Olympic Distance Cross Country, Four Cross or Downhill. The specifics for Marathon racing and Observed Trials are yet to be released.
Will the UCI’s push towards another ‘Marathon Series‘ leading to Worlds qualification effect Australia’s own selection criteria? As an island nation, Australian Marathon racers have very limited opportunity to gain UCI points in the Marathon discipline. Previous Marathon World Championship representatives have relied on their Cross Country points for a good start position. Even in 2010 they were unable to use their points gained at their own Marathon National Championships due to administration delays. As an example, Australian star Adrian Jackson started midfield, when his points should have had him a few rows further up on the starting grid. Similarly, in the women’s race, Jodie Willet started at the back of the grid, but somehow managed to ride through half the field to a fantastic finish.
2010 was a trial for a lot of competitive Mountain Biking in Australia due to Cycling Australia dropping their High Performance MTB program. Mountain Bike Australia have been doing a great job to fill this void, but they are a much smaller organisation. The question is, how long will Australian Marathon (XCM) racers need to wait to find out what they need to achieve and what tests they must pass, to see if they can apply for selection? Guidelines and dates for 2009 and 2010 seemed arbitrary at best, and plain unprofessional if viewed negatively.
Let us hope that the release of the selection criteria for the XCM World Championships is imminent. Marathon Mountain Bike racing is difficult, and Worlds is next level. However it is good to know what you must achieve if you dream of representing your country.
What does qualification involve in your country? Feel free to comment if you feel it is arduous or achievable.