Congratulations to local junior Rocky Rider, Max McCarthy, who recently took out the Victorian XC Mountain Bike Championship Series in Ballarat. Max competed in the Under 15s over eight gruelling rounds of racing spanning a diverse range of courses across the state. With three race wins, and two second places (including a second place in the Victorian XC State Championship race, jointly held in Round 7 of the series at Ballarat’s Black Hill), Max accrued enough points to take out the series.
When asked which course was his favourite, Max was clear: “I really liked Round 1 in Forrest – a fast and flowy course. Very fun!” As for the most challenging, Max had two contenders: “The Vic Champs course in Ballarat was the hardest by far, with pinchy climbs and technical down hills constantly – that was also the most competititve, but Round 5 in Mt Beauty was probably the most challenging race for me. I got a flat on Lap 1 but managed to ride myself back into 4th position by the end – I was cooked, but pretty happy with that!” .
Max is one of a number of talented junior riders currently emerging out of the Castlemaine scene, wonderfully supported by the accredited coaches of the Two Wheel Academy (2WA), including a number from our club. 2WA gives our aspiring junior riders ground-up skills training, and for those interested, a pathway to the exciting world of MTB racing. Max and number of his mates have subsequently been shredding the local trails in preparation for the national titles in Thredbo that were held last weekend.