Mountain bikers from around Australia will converge on Kooralbyn, Queensland this weekend to contest the fourth and fifth rounds of the National Series. Saturday will see the Olympic Cross Country being held, which marks round five of the National Cross Country Series. On Sunday, top world ranked downhillers will begin their qualifying rounds at 12:00 for the fourth round of the National Downhill Series.
Gold Coast downhiller Nathan Rennie, currently ranked fourth in the World, will strive to maintain his lead of 65 points. Rennie, who recently lost his mother, was keen to dedicate his last win in Canberra to her memory. At only 23, Rennie has been dominant in the sport of downhill since becoming a World Junior Champion in 1999.
Lining up with Rennie is Gold Coast's Chris Kovarik, who has been Australia's leading rider until being sidelined through injury. A motorcycle accident last year saw Kovarik limp away with a seriously broken ankle which saw him out of action for six months. This will be Kovarik's second race of the Australian season after he rode in Cairns in November.
The Elite Women start the Olympic Cross Country on Saturday with Athens Olympian, Lisa Mathison unable to continue in the Series after suffering a Fatigue Syndrome. This could leave the door open for Canberra based Niki Fisher to assert her current lead. The Elite Men start at 12.30pm with close finishes expected from Alistair Farley, Dylan Cooper and Murray Spink.
Gold Coasters, Sandy McGennis and Luke Scudamore lead the National Series in the Masters Women and Under 15 men respectively.
