Oceania Cycling Championships back to full strength
The annual series of Oceania Cycling Championships enjoyed a successful post-COVID recovery with
strong fields and outstanding performances across all disciplines.
Brisbane was again at the centre of the competition for most of the Championships. With the backing of AusCycling and Tourism and Events Queensland, Brisbane hosted Mountain Bike Cross Country (MTB XC), Track, Road and BMX Freestyle disciplines. Mountain Bike Downhill was staged in Toowoomba and BMX Racing was hosted in Rotorua. Track and Road also included Para-Cycling disciplines. A new event, the Oceania MTB Marathon Championships, will be staged in Dwellingup, Western Australia in September.
In MTB XC, Anton Cooper (NZL) and Rebecca Henderson (AUS) successfully defended their elite titles. The spoils were also shared in the elite Road events, with Tom Sexton and Georgia Perry (NZL) the newly crowned Oceania Time Trial Champions, while Liam Walsh and Sophie Edwards (AUS) took the Road Race titles. Australians dominated elite BMX titles with Bodi Turner and Saya Sakakibara the Racing champions, and Sarah Nicki and Logan Martin the Freestyle winners.
A highlight of the Oceania Track Championships at the Anna Meares Velodrome was a big field in the elite sprint events. Matthew Richardson (AUS) and Ellesse Andrews (NZL) dominated, but they had plenty of competition pushing them all the way. A large junior (U19) contingent travelled across from New Zealand to round out a very successful series on the track.
Oceania Receives Strong Support from UCI Solidarity
Following the recent meeting of the International Cycling Union (UCI) Management Committee in Cagliari (ITA), the Oceania Cycling Confederation was pleased to be advised of increased allocations of Solidarity funding for the region’s development programs.
Oceania National Federations’ funding will this year go towards significant subsidising of athlete travel to Tahiti in September for the 2nd Pacific Cup for Road Cycling. The Continental Solidarity funding is directed towards programs that support and underpin these Federations, with a special focus on education.