Canberra's Brendan Johnston proved why he is the king of Australian mountain biking in the Hunter at the weekend, winning a third straight Port to Port MTB title as part of a wider six Epic Series Oceania race wins in a row.
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Johnston and teammate Jon Odams dominated the final three stages of the four-day (May 23-26) Port to Port which spanned the Hunter Valley, Lake Macquarie and Newcastle.
"Stage racing and mountain bike racing can throw everything at you just like has this week to everyone," Johnston said. "We are just stoked to come out on top.
"We had the issues on day one, got them out of the way and then it was a matter of pushing through and picking off teams as we went.
"We had strong rides every day and were pumped with our form and how we rode together, we were really strong as a team.
"Yesterday (Sunday) was particularly our best day and we rode together well on the long climb. We rode perfectly up the front with the best climbers. It was key to us and proved we ride together well.
"Reef to Reef will be the next time we pair up, so we are looking forward to defending our title there. We are forming a great partnership as we are going along and we are only going to get better with the more races we do.
"This is six Epic Series race wins in a row for me, so I am stoked. All the good riders turn up for these events and to be on the top for a couple of years is pretty amazing."
Stage one of the 2019 Port to to Port kicked off at Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley on May 23, followed by stage two the next day at Killingworth in Lake Macquarie, Awaba and Watagans forests in the Cooranbong area of Lake Macquarie on May 25 and wrapping up with a ride through Glenrock to Dixon Beach in Newcastle on May 26.
Kiwis Samara Sheppard and Kate McIlroy put in a flawless performance to win the final stage into Dixon's Beach and wrap up the women's teams event.
"We had a really good stage today. We pushed on at the front and found ourselves in a really good group and rode really well through the single track holding the wheels and every time I looked back Kate was right there," Samara said.
"The road sections were super fast and the stage just flew by. It was epic. There were no mishaps for the four days, it was perfect for us.
"Kate and I have done a lot of riding together on road bikes and had a good friendship before this, so we know that we can work through anything we come across.
"It is great to win Port to Port as a team because I have won it as an individual but it is special to share the victory with someone. It is very different to winning as a solo.
"You get to ride the highs with another person, it is pretty special."
Armidale siblings Holly and Michael Harris kept everyone entertained all week and worked in perfect harmony throughout, dominating the mixed teams from the gun.
