The cup will be held at Stromlo Forest Park from February 3-5, with the cycling venue now a part of Australian mountain bike legend after hosting the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in 2009 for which it was specifically refurbished.
Troy Brosnan, the 2010 and 2011 Junior World Downhill Champion, stepped up to elite from the juniors at the start of this season in December at Thredbo. With a confident first in Thredbo followed by a jaw-dropping 5.35 seconds win from the field in Mt Buller, Brosnan already carries a significant points lead in the season.
Happy to be racing well with "the big boys in elite", Brosnan feels his form shows good signs for his overseas preparations. "This is a really good lead up to the world cups," he said.
Sam Hill, a three-time elite world champion in his own right, will also be racing and is making progress on his return from injury in 2011 and is currently sitting in second place in the season behind Brosnan. Local rider Ben Cory sits in fourth place and will be hoping to have another strong performance on his home track.
In the women's field, Tracey Hannah, the 2006 Junior Women's Downhill World Champion, will continue her extraordinary return to the sport. Hannah is undefeated in seeding and race runs in her return national season, and goes into the Stromlo round as the unquestionable favourite, with a good result another strong step toward her world championship aspirations.
