The 2023 Oceania Continental Champs took place in Toowoomba at the weekend and promptly made some international headlines as some big names came to the fore and brought with them some bigger questions.
The elite women’s title was won by Lia Ladbrook who clocked a 03:18.89, a second clear of Cassie Voysey in second. Ellie Smith was third. Ladbrook had already started her Gravity season strongly with fifth and third place finishes at the opening Enduro rounds in Tasmania.
It was the elite men’s race however that really pricked the attention of international race fans. The fastest racer across the line was Richie Rude. The American currently leads the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup Series and had already set tongues wagging earlier this year by mooting a potential return to Downhill racing during the second half of the season.
Riding a prototype, all black Yeti Cycles race machine and entered under the team ‘Jerrys Mad horses’, Rude broke the beam with a 02:50.79, the fastest time of the weekend.
Toowoomba is the backyard of Rude’s longtime Yeti Cycles teammate and mentor, Jared Graves, himself an Enduro World Series champ. As an American however the title would go to the highest placed Oceania native who was none other than one Sam Hill (Nukeproof SRAM).
Hill, a living legend of the sport, has five UCI World Championship titles to his name alongside two UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup crowns and three Enduro World Series overall titles. His trademark flat pedal riding style and pioneering approach to line choice galvanised a cult following that remains to this day.
Comments sections ignited towards the end of last season when it was rumoured that he would make a return to Downhill for 2023 but that was tempered with a crash that saw him dislocate and fracture his shoulder towards the end of the year.
Now though, it would look like Hill, 37, is very much back on the move and taking some big name scalps whilst adding to his substantial palmares. That win will seal Hill’s attendance at the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Champs in Fort William 4-5 August.
Will we see Sam Hill back on a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup podium in 2023?
Tune in to round one in Lenzerheide, Switzerland 09-11 June.
