After many rumours starting to spread, Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) have announced today that the upcoming Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) National Championships will no longer be held in Townsville, but in Bayview near Brisbane instead. “Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) along with the Townsville Rockwheelers Mountain Bike Club wish to advise that regrettably due to the recent […]
Marathon reflections and XCM dreams
The National XCM Champs in Townsville, held last weekend on 29 April, was a race that had started out a huge goal for me when I planned my season months and months ago but which, as the event approached, ended up being something I was quite relaxed about on the day. The last few months […]
The Australian XCM championship – Toil rewarded!
The recent Australian XCM Championship was my first ever National Championship in this discipline of cycling. Despite having raced numerous elite national and state titles in road racing and XCO racing I was perhaps more intimidated by the challenge ahead of me at the XCM nationals. Being amongst only 2 riders who opted to take […]
Beck and Ivory claim 2018 XCM Championships
The 2018 Australian XCM Championships had a late shift to Douglas MTB Reserve, after too much wild tropical weather meant that Pallarenda wasn’t going to be in serviceable action, the champs would head to a the singletrack-heavy Douglas, with a 17km lap. You can see the course check here. With juniors and open on Saturday, […]
Australian XCM National Champs course check
MarathonMTB.com flew into Townsville early this year to get the low-down on the new course at Mt Douglas MTB park. National Champs had been planned to take place at the Pallarenda trails closer to town, but A LOT of summer rain left the course in need of considerable maintenance, so the Rockwheelers MTB club made […]
2018 Australian XCM Series revealed
Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) have just confirmed the dates and venues for the 2018 National XCM Series. Next year the series is trimmed down to five events, including the National Championship, in a bid to have more riders attend more of the series, according to MTBA CEO Shane Coppin. “We really hope this condensed series […]
Henderson and Johnston win 2017 Australian Marathon titles in Townsville
Related Event: Australian XCM Championships - UCI XCM Series
On the 30th April, the 2017 Australian Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) titles were hard-fought at Cape Pallarenda in Townsville, Queensland. The event is due to be held for two consecutive years in Townsville, and the initial course we rode in January had some modifications for race day. With the age group and open races decided on […]
Day 1 at the Australian National XCM Championships
Related Event: Australian XCM Championships - UCI XCM Series
Since 2015, the Australian National Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) Championships have been split across two days. This allows less traffic on the course as a short, lap-based event has been used to contest the titles since 2011, as opposed to a traditional point-to-point or big loop marathon. And the 2017 edition in Townsville, Queensland, is no […]
Who can win the 2017 Australian Marathon Championships?
Related Event: Australian XCM Championships - UCI XCM Series
The elite titles for Australia’s 2017 Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) Championship are set to be decided on 30th April. For this year, the XCM Champs have travelled north to Townsville, being run in conjunction with the Townsville MTB Festival for this year and 2018. Townsville is home of the Townsville Rockwheelers mountain bike club (one of […]
Course preview: Australian XCM Championships in Townsville
Related Event: Australian XCM Championships
Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to visit Townsville to take a look at the proposed course for the 2017 and 2018 Mountain Bike Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) Championship, which is to be held on the last weekend of April this year in conjunction with the Townsville Mtb Festival. When the venue was announced, I […]