Thredbo Resort partners with AusCycling to host mountain bike championships and festival

Thredbo Resort is partnering with AusCycling to host ten consecutive days of MTB racing this summer, bringing the 2023 National MTB Championships to the Thredbo Mountain Bike Park and combining it with the 9th Cannonball MTB Festival presented by Boost Mobile. It will be the first time in 20 years that the National MTB Championships are held in Thredbo.

Combining two of Australia’s biggest MTB events in one location, Thredbo and AusCycling anticipate that a number of the world’s best riders will descend on the mountain to race across all disciplines.

Voted Australia's Best Ski Resort in the World Ski Awards for five consecutive years, Thredbo boasts some of the best alpine terrain in the country and plays host to close to around 850,000 visitors each year. Located at the heart of the Australian Alps and nestled in the foothills of Australia’s highest mountain Mt Kosciuszko, Thredbo is Australia's highest adventure destination in both summer and winter.

Set to be a massive highlight in the MTB calendar, the Cross-Country National Championship events including Olympic, Short Track, Eliminator and Relay races will run from 9th February to 12th February 2023, with the Downhill & Pump Track National Championship Events running as part of the Cannonball MTB Festival from 13th February to 18th February 2023.

The Cannonball MTB Festival is Australia’s biggest and most prestigious gravity mountain bike festival, featuring a huge line-up of events to suit all ages and abilities with a massive prize pool. There will also be an impressive line-up of live music and entertainment running throughout the entire duration of the festival.

In addition to the high-energy competitions and events, guests visiting Thredbo during Cannonball Festival can look forward to experiencing the massive range of outdoor activities that the resort has to offer. Whether it’s feeling pure gravity as you ride over forty kilometres of Australia’s best terrain, enjoying awe-inspiring hikes to Australia’s summit or soaking up the serenity while kicking back by the Thredbo River, a visit to Thredbo during summer ticks all the boxes.

AusCycling Executive General Manager of Sport, Kipp Kaufmann enthused “we are excited to be bringing the National Championships to one of Australia’s premier mountain bike destinations. The integration with Cannonball will make it a week to be remembered by participants and fans alike.”

The National Championships for the Pump Track & Downhill races will be merged with the Cannonball events, with one winner set to take out both titles from a singular race.

MTB Business Manager, Tim Windshuttle said not only is it exciting to have the National MTB Championships return to Thredbo for the first time in 20 years but integrating the Downhill and Pump Track events into the world-renowned Cannonball MTB Festival schedule is set to be a game changer.

Windshuttle adds “the collaboration will see the best gravity riders in the country take out the titles for both Cannonball and the National Champs in one race. It's going to make for some unbelievable racing with so much on the line. We can’t wait to have the whole Australian MTB industry in town to experience everything that the Thredbo Mountain Bike Park has to offer.”

In addition to the high-energy competitions and events, guests visiting Thredbo during Cannonball Festival can look forward to experiencing the massive range of outdoor activities that the resort has to offer. Whether it’s feeling pure gravity as you ride over forty kilometres of Australia’s best terrain, enjoying awe-inspiring hikes to Australia’s summit or soaking up the serenity while kicking back by the Thredbo River, a visit to Thredbo during summer ticks all the boxes.

Event entries for the 2023 National MTB Championships and the 2023 Cannonball MTB Festival will open soon.

For event information on National Championships go to www.thredbo.com.au/events/2023/auscycling-xc-national-championships 

For 2023 Cannonball MTB Festival information go to www.thredbo.com.au/events/2023/cannonball-mtb-festival/

For more information on Thredbo, please visit thredbo.com.au.