New England boasts some of the country’s best mountain bikers and a strong number of our own proved that when they pedalled their way to a podium finish in national-level events.
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Katherine Hosking was crowned champion of the junior women after the National Series rounds and also managed to take out top spot in last weekend’s National Championships in Queensland. The previous week, Hosking finished second in the Oceania tournament behind New Zealand’s Jessica Manchester.
"I have won other National Championships in previous years but it is the first time in the proper UCI under 19s so it is a massive step up, I am pretty excited by that,” she said.
"Over winter, the competition in Australia quietens down a bit but I am hoping I have made selection for the World Championships at the end of the year in Cairns.”
Holly Harris also made it into second spot in all three competitions in the elite women’s division.
Harris was runner up to two-time Olympian Rebecca Henderson in both the National events but managed to finish one place in front of her at Oceania where New Zealand’s Samara Sheppard was the victor. Even more impressive was the fact Harris was racing up a category.
"I was racing elite but I was meant to be under 23, I wasn't meant to be racing Bec so it was really good to have a really solid performance and beating Bec was pretty exciting, especially at Oceania,” she said.
"I didn't do that at National Championships but it was so good to be racing up.
"Hopefully I can keep it up for the rest of the year because I am going over to race in World Cups now.”
Before she sets off on her World Cup campaign, Harris tackles the local 12 Hours in the Piney race this Saturday and the gruelling Grafton to Inverell Classic in May.
"I will do the Grafton to Inverell and then about two days after I finish that I head overseas and I race in Czech Republic, Germany and Vallnord, I am going all over Europe racing so that will be pretty cool,” she said.
"I am doing heaps of hours on the bike and really prepare for Grafton to Inverell and I will be doing some really short, intense training before the World Cups so hopefully that will get me through.”
Isabella Hosking was the third placegetter in the under 17s in the National Series and the runner up in the National Championships.
David Harris also earned first place at the National Championships in the Masters 5 Men ahead of clubbmate John McQueen.
David Cook finished with bronze in the under 17s and two relay teams also snagged third place.