Australian National CX Championships 2024: Elite Women’s Preview
The biggest race in Australian cyclo-cross is taking place this Saturday in the Victorian town of Ballarat - the AusCycling National Cyclo-cross Championships.
We’ve already previewed the race course and the weather forecast, so now it’s time to dive into some of the contenders for the Elite Women’s national championship.
The Champion - Katherine Hosking (NSW/Orbea Women’s Racing)
Elite CX national championship participations: 1
Previous highest finish: Champion (2023)
A year ago Katherine Hosking caused possibly the biggest boilover in Aussie cyclocross history by winning the Elite national title at her first attempt. Having come from a background in cross-country mountain biking (she won the overall XCO MTB National Series for Elite Women in 2023) she went from riding her mountain bike in a local Canberra CX race to pulling on a green and gold jersey in the space of about four months.
If she is to repeat the dose in 2024, her victory would be anything but a surprise. She’s won all four rounds of the National Cyclocross Series (NCXS) that she’s started, prevailing in each of those races after some very entertaining battles with Miranda Griffiths. Our pick of those victories was probably her most recent win in
She’s stated in interviews that she’s not afraid of muddy courses, so the forecast for rain this weekend won’t perturb her. Probably the main favourite for the win.
Katherine Hosking displays the national champion’s colours at the opening round of the 2024 National CX Series in Adelaide.
Photo: CX Down Under
Photo: CX Down Under
The national champion gets a little loose at round 5 of the 2024 CX National Series in Sydney.
Photo: CX Down Under
The Challenger - Miranda Griffiths (VIC/Batch Brewery x Seight)
Elite CX national championship participations: 1
Previous highest finish: 2nd (2023)
Miranda Griffiths has probably been the most consistent rider in Australian cyclocross over the last two seasons. After a long career as a domestic road rider, the mum of two switched her focus to cross at the start of 2023 and found immediate success, winning two rounds of the National CX Series and a Victorian state title in her home town of Ballarat in her first season.
For as much success as she had last year, Griffiths was devastated not to win the national title at home last year, but she has another bite at the cherry in 2024.
This season she’s finished second in all four NCXS races she’s completed this year behind Katherine Hosking, as well as winning her last start at Dirty Deeds CX two weeks ago.
With family, friends and the local newspaper supporting her it’ll be hard to find a more motivated rider this weekend.
Miranda Griffiths on the attack at round 5 of the 2024 National CX Series in Sydney.
Photo: CX Down Under
Photo: CX Down Under
Photo: CX Down Under
The smokey - Fi Morris (VIC/MAAP Sixpence CX)
Elite CX national championship participations: 5
Previous highest finish: 5th (2023)
Although Fi Morris’ best result at a National Championships has been fifth, there’s plenty of reason to believe she’s on track for a career-best result at the CX National Championships this year. After several years of racing at a high level, she raced extensively in Europe in late 2023 and early 2024, becoming an inadvertent star of Belgian television and representing Australia at the World Championships in the Czech city of Tábor in February, finishing in 32nd place.
She’s been at the pointy end of Aussie cyclocross since returning from Europe, taking her first two wins at the CX National Series in Brisbane and leading the overall NCXS standings through the first six rounds. She’ll wrap up that title if she can finish 8th in the national championship, but after such a successful campaign this year she’ll surely be aiming higher.
Like her husband Garry Millburn, she’ll be hoping for plenty of rain to fall to negate some of the straight line speed of the likes of Griffiths and Hosking
Fi Morris’ first win at the National CX Series was a long time coming.
Photo: CX Down Under
Photo: CX Down Under
Fi Morris tips it in during round 1 of the National CX Series in Adelaide.
Photo: CX Down Under
Others to watch
Bec Locke (VIC/1st Project Cycles) - the Elite Women’s national champion in 2016 and 2022, Bec Locke has raced cross only once this year as she has spent most of her time in her day job as a firefighter. That said, you don’t win the green and gold jersey twice without having some serious talent, so she’ll be closely watched by her rivals.
Claire Aubrey (ACT /Ride and Thrive) - a long-time friend of CX in Australia, Aubrey has been organising races and competing at the top end of Australian cross for over a decade. If you’re trying to spot the Canberran on course, it’s easier to hear her rather than see her, as she spends much of her races yelling encouragement at her rivals. Although she finished 6th at last year’s nationals, perhaps more noteworthy was her consistent barracking for eventual winner Katherine Hosking. She finished 4th recently at the CXNS rounds in Sydney, so she could sneak onto the podium if things fall her way.
Izzy Flint (TAS/Cervélo Australia Off Road) - Australia’s current national champion in XCO mountain biking hasn’t competed at the CX National Series this year, but was a winner of the only two CXNS races held in 2021 and collected Tasmania’s state CX championship last weekend. The joker in the pack.
The race will be starting at 1:20pm AEST on Saturday August 17th in Ballarat. The race won’t be televised, but you can follow all the action by following CX Down Under on Facebook and Instagram - we’ll be doing our best to document all the highs and lows of the day!
Who’s your tip to be Australia’s Elite Women’s CX National Champion in 2024? Let us know in the comments below!