Cyclocross newcomer Katherine Hosking (Orbea Women's Racing) and long-time contender Chris Aitken (MAAP/Sixpence Coffee CX) rode their way into the green and gold bands of national champions on Saturday, claiming the elite victories at the AusCycling Cyclocross National Championships on a muddy course in Ballarat.
Mountain biker Hosking, who threw herself into cyclocross this season, relished the conditions, with rain leaving competitors waking up to slippery, sticky, drivetrain coating mud. She took off out the front early and held firm out the front to claim a solo victory, crossing the line 30 seconds ahead of her nearest rival, Miranda Griffiths.
“I had very little expectations coming into this race and when I saw the mud this morning I was just going to have a good day," said Hosking in a statement from AusCycling. "I didn’t really care what was going to happen I really can’t believe it I didn’t expect it at all,” she said after claiming the title.
There was a battle for the final place on the podium between two former Australian cyclocross champions, Peta Mullens (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) – 2018 and 2019 winner – and Bec Locke – 2022 and 2016 winner. In the end it was Mullens who claimed third behind Griffiths while Locke held firm for fourth place.
In the men's race Aitken brought his long run of silver and bronze medals in the elite category to an end. Instead he made it to the top step, riding into the jersey of the Australian cyclocross champion that he last claimed as an U23 in 2015. Aitken took his first elite cyclocross title with a 19 second margin over the line to nearest rival Nick Smith (Duke Flanders Racing).
“It’s nice to get the win. I’ve worked hard this year and it really came down to a bit of teamwork in the pits there," said Aitken in an AusCycling release. "It was so muddy like last year, and we were changing bikes every lap. If you were running one bike out there, hats off to you, you were doing really well. I was struggling to keep my gears from jumping off even with a new bike every lap."
Aitken's former long-time rival and now MAAP/Sixpence Coffee teammate, Garry Millburn, was third as he crossed the line just over a minute back and with last year's champion, Tom Chapman (Team BridgeLane) just 11 seconds further behind.
Three-time Western Australian cyclocross champion Tristan Nash added the U23 men's national title to his results list, with the 20-year-old also having taken second place at the Australian U23 road championships in January. Sophie Sutton took out the women's U23 title ahead of Ruby Dobson, while Sam Northey and Ruby Taylor claimed the junior titles.
