Cameron Ivory and Rebecca Henderson win 2024 Cape to Cape MTB

Australian Cross-country Champion Cameron Ivory and four-time Olympian Rebecca Henderson claimed the 2024 Cape to Cape MTB titles, following four epic stages in Western Australia's picturesque South West Region.

More than 600 riders competed in the 16th edition, covering nearly 200 kilometres across four days. With another 100 lining up in the Cape to Cape Mini, a new one day race, that covered the same course as stage three.

Ivory's victory earned him the full set of Cape to Cape titles, with the solo win adding to his 2023 men's pairs title with Dan McConnell and 2021 mixed pairs with Izzy Flint. It was also redemption for the Tasmanian who back in 2017 was in the lead and looked set to challenge for the title before gastro took him out of contention. Now seven years on he can call himself the Cape to Cape Champion and James Williamson medal winner.

"To come away with the solo win I'm definitely happy with that," said Ivory. "It's one that I've chased every year that I've been here. Even in the pairs, it's always good to get a win here and you get bragging rights over your mates for the next 12 months.

"I think the Australian racing calendar they all look at this event and it's one of the main stage race events of the season, so to get a good result here it's pretty cool to have that on the CV."

Men

With a stacked elite field, the 2024 edition was expected to be a hotly contested at the front end of the race and as soon as they left Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse it was on. Four-time Olympian Dan McConnell, newly crowned Oceania Champion Brent Rees, Connor Wright, Reece Tucknott and Ivory were an elite five rider group pushing it.

On the opening day it looked like the front five would contest the finish before a mechanical took local hero Wright out of contention. The other four remained together as they raced back towards the Lighthouse.

New for 2024, they would round the lighthouse before hitting the finish and the experienced McConnell made a late jump and stormed to the first leader's jersey ahead of Rees and Tucknott. Just behind Henderson was the first women to cross the line as the eighth solo rider.

Day two saw a first for the race, as riders headed to Nannup for the first time and the trails of the Tank 7 Mountain Bike Park. With the course new to everyone the unknown was evident on the start line, however as soon as they reached Tank 7 the unknown was replaced with enjoyment.

In a repeat of the previous day, it was again the top five racing off through the trails. Despite efforts from the group to split the race and go ahead it was generally together for most of the day, until Ivory was able to make, what would ultimately go on to be the race winning move.

Riding away solo, not even a crash inside the final two kilometres could stop the green and gold jersey from storming to victory and the lead. Rees again took second with Wright third.

Starting and finishing at CBCo., the third stage is always a fan favourite, for the trails in the morning, followed by the brews in the afternoon. After crisscrossing through The Pines, Connor Wright produced a stellar sprint to beat his more experienced rivals and take the stage win. Rees took another second, with Ivory in third remaining the overall leader.

With just 13 seconds separating Ivory, Rees, McConnell and Tucknott at the top of the standings, it was all to play for as the race rolled out of Wise Winery for the final stage. Tucknott was particularly keen to make the most of the opportunity, pushing the pace and often sneaking a small advantage. His hopes ended with a crash and a broken collarbone.

The uphill sprint gave one final opportunity to overturn the deficit, though Ivory was too strong taking a second stage, ahead of what was a fourth painful second for Rees, with Wright third and McConnell fourth and third overall.

"This year was a lot of fun. They were four tough days out there. The top five elite guys were so close, I think it was only maybe eight seconds sort of covering the top four," Ivory added.

"Connor lost a bit of time day one with a mechanical, but it just made it really crucial to not make any mistakes out there when we were so tight."

16-year-old Wright finished with a stage win, the junior title and fourth overall.

"It was pretty hard, and it was really disappointing to throw away the overall on the first day [with a mechanical] but in a way it sort of took of the stress and allowed me to focus on stage wins. When I felt good, I felt like I could go for it and I got a stage win, which was awesome and felt like I proved like I can win against these guys," he said.

"I hope I've got a few years left in me, I'm only 16-years-old, so yeah definitely more chances to get the Cape to Cape overall win and I'll definitely be back in future years to race here. It's awesome, it's fun around my home trails, it's amazing."

Men's Results
1 Cameron Ivory
2 Brent Rees
3 Daniel McConnell

Women

Henderson, one of the leading names on the World Cup circuit made the 2024 Cape to Cape MTB her own. Winning all four stages on route to the overall title and add her name to the record books as a Cape to Cape winner.

Arriving in Perth less than two weeks after a World Cup podium performance, her form was still strong, in her first appearance at the race since 2017.

"It's been a really amazing week, just to be part of the mountain bike community in Australia and to visit WA. The whole package, just what they do here is incredible," said Henderson after the final podium celebrations.

"My experience this week has been exactly what they are going for. Cape to Cape is an amazing riding experience but the community, hanging out and enjoying such a beautiful place and I did all of that."

Tasmanian mountain bike star Izzy Flint, finished second in the women's field. It was the third time the 22-year-old had found the podium at Cape to Cape including the mixed pairs win in 2021 and third in the women's pairs in 2022.

Flint's race was impacted by a mechanical on stage three, though the return to the beautiful trails of Western Australia more than made up for it.

"I love racing my bike it takes me to some beautiful parts of the world and one of them this week was Margaret River and it's always a pleasure to be here," said Flint.

"WA is a beautiful part of the world and I'm super stoked we got to come back this year and experience what WA has to offer.

"It's part of any kind of mountain biking, but particularly stage racing. There is lots of highs and lots of lows, you kind of just have to run with it and look at the race as a whole particularly for GC, you just got to limit your losses and accumulate what you got over the week and see how you pull up at the end."

Women's Results
1 Rebecca Henderson
2 Izzy Flint
3 Sarah Tucknott

In the pairs events, Em Viotto and Karl Michelin-Beard claimed the mixed pairs crown, Joh Gregg and Nathan Jones the men's pairs and Zoe Davison and Kristen Gardner the women's pairs.