Birmingham 2022 Mountain Bike: Australian Preview

02 Aug 2022 | 08:00 PMBy: AusCycling

It’s time for the Australian Cycling Team athletes to showcase their off-road skills at Cannock Chase for the mountain bike race at Birmingham 2022.

Australia has never won a gold medal in the off-road discipline at a Commonwealth Games since its inclusion 20 years ago.

Three of our riders, including two debutants, will take on the Commonwealth’s best.

Men Cross-Country - 8:30pm AEST

Daniel McConnell (ACT)
Sam Fox (TAS)

Daniel McConnell has been there and done it two times before on the Games stage but for Sam Fox, come 8:30pm AEST, Wednesday 3rd August 3 it will be a baptism of Commonwealth dirt.

McConnell knows what it’s like to stand on the podium at the Commonwealth Games:, he did so back in 2014 when he took home the bronze.

The multiple Australian champion has by-passed the majority of XCO World Cups this year to focus on preparation for these Games and will be leaving everything out on the course in search of another place on the podium.

For the young Fox, he’s thrown himself into the rough and tumble of the World Cup racing scene in 2022 having competed in all six rounds so far.

The Tasmanian’s best result was sixth at Lenzerheide, Switzerland in the Under 23 ranks and he'll be full gas for what will be a cracking race.

Women Cross-Country - 11:30pm AEST

Zoe Cuthbert (ACT)

From 11:30pm it will be go time for the women on the Cannock Chase course.

Zoe Cuthbert will be the only female competing in the green and gold kit as she makes her debut for the Australian team in what will be a very small women’s field.

The 21-year-old from Canberra has stepped up to racing in the elite ranks nationally earlier than expected. She has finished second to Rebecca McConnell (who’s sitting out these Games to focus on her UCI World Cup title challenge) at the past two Mountain Bike National Championships.

In her first year on the World Cup circuit, Cuthbert has been consistent, posting three top- 10 results and currently sits 10th overall after six rounds in the U23 category.

Cuthbert is known for her power and descending skills and if she can get a break on the field, she will be tough to chase down in a bid for a medal on debut.The course is looking like a fast one with some small pinch climbs, tricky flat corners, and rock gardens which shouldn’t trouble the Aussies.

How To Watch The Racing

In Australia, you can watch all the cycling from Birmingham 2022 on Seven and 7plus – live, free and in HD.

7plus will be showing up to 30 live and replay channels, so you can follow your favourite events and catch up on highlights. For streaming, visit the 7plus Commonwealth Games Hub. There are specific streaming pages for track cycling, mountain bike and road cycling.

AusCycling will post event previews and reports throughout the Games on our website.