Elite and U23 XC ARA Australian Cycling Team selected for Mountain Bike World Championships

Four riders have been selected to represent the ARA Australian Cycling Team in elite and under-23 cross-country mountain bike at the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pal Arinsal, Andorra from August 28 to September 1. 

The quartet, announced today by the AusCycling National Selection Panel, completes the ARA Australian Cycling Team for Pal Arinsal at 26-strong after the earlier announcements of the junior downhill squad, junior XCO team and elite downhill squad.

Rebecca Henderson, Zoe Cuthbert and Sam Fox will fly the flag for Australia in the elite fields in XCC on August 30 and XCO on September 1. 

Henderson has delivered a consistent season on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup circuit, highlighted by XCC podiums in Mairiporã, Brazil and Les Gets, France. 

The 32-year-old raced to a current season-best XCO world cup finish of 14th in Les Gets earlier this month and is set to compete at her fourth Olympics this Sunday in Paris. 

Cuthbert will race at the world championships as an elite for the first time in Pal Arinsal. 

Zoe Cuthbert racing at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Picture: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com

The 23-year-old started her debut elite international season strongly in Brazil, recording top-30 finishes in XCO and XCC in Araxá. 

Cuthbert recovered quickly from injuries sustained in a practice crash in Nové Město na Moravě to return to racing at the two recent world cup rounds in Crans-Montana, Switzerland and Les Gets. 

Fox has a season-best XCO finish of 46th in the world cups this year, recorded in both Nové Město na Moravě and Les Gets. 

Sam Fox racing at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Picture: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com

Jack Ward will race in the under-23 category for the first time after finishing second among the elites in XCO at the 2024 GWM Mountain Bike National Championships. 

The 19-year-old has been splitting his time between the mountain bike and road bike this season.

He finished 61st in under-23 XCO from a starting position of 94th at the most recent world cup in Les Gets.

Under-23 men XCO and XCC national champion Joel Dodds has been forced to withdraw from the team after fracturing his pelvis in Les Gets.

The team was selected according to AusCycling’s selection policies, which can be found on the Selection page.

ARA Australian Cycling Team for the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships

Elite Women XC 

• Zoe Cuthbert (Canberra Off-Road Cyclists – Team 31 Ibis Cycles Continental)
• Rebecca Henderson (Canberra Off-Road Cyclists – Primaflor Mondraker Racing Team)

Elite Men XC 

• Sam Fox (Launceston Mountain Bike Club – Lapierre Mavic Unity)

U23 Men XC 

• Jack Ward (Yarra Ranges Mountain Bikers Inc – Team BridgeLane)

Feature picture: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com