Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Peta Mullens won the Australian National Cross Country Elimination (XCE) Championship, in the Gold Rush town of Bright, Victoria as she outsprinted Rowena Fry in the final race. The Gold Medal, and green and gold banded jersey, completed a full set for Mullens, who celebrated her birthday on Saturday, after having taken a Bronze in the Team Relay and Silver in the Cross Country (XCO).
“It’s been a whirlwind of a week really,” Mullens said afterwards. “I was happy to be on the podium in the team relay, but then second place in the XCO hurt me a lot, so to come out on the final day and steal the XCE title was a perfect 26th birthday present!
“In the XCO I knew I had to have a ‘great’ day if I was to beat Olympian and U23 World Cup Champion Rebecca Henderson. Instead I only had a ‘good’ day and I had to settle for second. I was heartbroken to lose the title because it was one of my three focus races on the dirt this year. Now I look ahead to the Commonwealth Games & World Championships even hungrier.”
Despite just missing out on the Cross Country Gold Medal, Mullens was able to bring her road racing experience to bear in the Elimination event, to take her fifth Green and Gold jersey across all mountainbike disciplines.
“Bouncing back from a disappointing loss wasn’t easy but I had to remind myself there was another National Title up for grabs and I was determined not to leave Australia without some stripes!” Mullens laughed. “XCE wasn’t my focus coming into these Championships but the course suited me & I knew the form was there. After a seeded run and a win in the semis I was quietly confident with my choice of tactics. The field is whittled to four for the final and I was happy to sit back in third and take a run at them on the tarmac finish straight. I got the early jump and it all came down to the throw to the line – lucky I’ve had plenty of practice doing that!
“I’m stoked to be a five time National Champion across five different cycling disciplines, but one day I need to break the moz because I’m running out of options!”
Having completed her domestic mountainbike season, Mullens will now be joining her Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling teammates on the European roads, along with partner and team mechanic Jarrod Moroni.
“There’s no time for celebrations,” said Mullens. “Tomorrow Jarrod and I fly to Europe and I change caps again, back to the tarmac and a giggling bunch of ‘Wigglettes,’ which I’m really excited about. The girls have been sending me messages of support through the weekend so I can’t wait to show off my flash new jersey!”
Photo credit: Russell Baker
