Oceania Champions Rebecca Henderson (Australia) and Anton Cooper (New Zealand) continued their dominance of the 2026 Oceania Mountain Bike Continental Series with wins in cross-country round five in Cairns.

For Henderson it was win five from five and Cooper win three from three starts with both having secured the 2026 elite series titles.

In under 23 racing Ruby Taylor (Australia) claimed her fourth win of the series and Harry Doye (Australia) his first. Tommy Mollison (New Zealand) and Millie Junge (New Zealand) both claimed maiden wins in the under 19 categories.

The 2026 Oceania Mountain Bike Continental Series concludes on Sunday with round six.

Cross-country Rankings after Round 5

Elite Women

Four-time Olympian and series leader Henderson was again in a league of her own as she opened a lead on the first of six laps, distancing a fast-starting field of under 23 and under 19 riders.

Once on her own she put her experience and power into action to take the win in just under an hour and a half. Second went to Sarah Tucknott (Australia) five and a half minutes back with Hilary Bell (Canada) completing the podium a lap back.

“I know that my shape is really good, I’ve worked really hard, it can look easy from the outside, but it that performance is showing all the hard work that nobody sees,” said Henderson.

“This is the last chance to turn the screws in the races and prepare mentally before I compete at the World Cup event, it will be go-time soon.”

With round one remaining Henderson has already sealed the series on 400 points, with Tucknott sitting second on 300.

Round 5 Results
1 Rebecca Henderson (Australia)
2 Sarah Tucknott (Australia)
3 Hilary Bell (Canada)

Elite Men

In typical Cooper fashion, the nine-time Oceania Champion went hard from the start and never looked back, with the rest of the field never seeing him again. Cooper stopped the clock over nine laps of the course in one hour and 25 minutes. Second went to Jonathan Noble and third Baily Devantier-Thomas.

“I would really like to come back here and race a World Cup, it’s a really enjoyable course,” Cooper said.

“This event has so much going for it, it is a great venue, there are great places to stay in town, it’s close to the airport, the track is great. It has all the foundations to be a big event and hopefully it continues to grow. Hopefully I’ll be back again next year.”

Cooper has moved back to the top of the series standings on 300 points and built an unassailable lead.

Round 5 Results
1 Anton Cooper (New Zealand)
2 Jonathon Noble (Australia)
3 Baily Devantier-Thomas (Australia)

Under 23 Men

Doye converted two second place finishes in the previous two rounds to his first win of the year. He steadily built his lead over the six-lap race to stop the clock in 1 hour and 13mins 36secs, half a second clear of Joel Dodds (Australia) who also earned a series best. Elliott Wardle (Australia) completed the top three.

Jack Ward (Australia) has sealed the series title with Doye sitting second. The battle for the final spot in the top five will down to the final race, with Dodds currently sitting fifth, 17 points ahead of Wardle in sixth.

Round 5 Results
1 Harry Doye (Australia)
2 Joel Dodds (Australia)
3 Elliott Wardle (Australia)

Under 23 Women

Taylor was back to her best claiming a fourth win of the series in dominant style. She blitzed the field over the five laps, with her time of one hour and 16 minutes over three and a half minutes clear of Ella Menigoz (Australia) in second.

Taylor has the series sealed with four wins giving her 240 points. The top five positions are locked in though the order from second to fifth position can still change.

Round 5 Results
1 Ruby Taylor (Australia)
2 Ella Menigoz (Australia)
3 Ruby Dobson (Australia)

Under 19 Men

Mollison’s consistency paid off with a maiden win having finished in the top six across the opening four rounds. After opening a small advantage on the opening lap, he steadily built over the remaining five laps to finish in just over one hour and four minutes, two clear of Oliver Grande (Australia) in second. Levi Gear (New Zealand) rounded out the top three a further three minutes back.

James Climo (New Zealand) has the overall series wrapped up though Gear and Mollison will be going head-to-head in round six to secure second place.

Round 5 Results
1 Tommy Mollison (New Zealand)
2 Oliver Grande (Australia)
3 Levi Gear (New Zealand)

Under 19 Women

After just missing the podium in the opening two rounds, Junge claimed her maiden victory. Covering the four laps in an hour and two minutes, she was two minutes clear of Alana Fletcher (Australia) with Dulcie Copeland (New Zealand) completing the podium.

While Kayley McMillan (New Zealand) has sealed the overall series, the battle for second will go down to the final race for the minor placings. Copeland currently sits second on 68 points, 20 clear of Junge and Fletcher, though a win by either would jump them up to second. All three have secured their spot in the top five and World Cup qualification for 2027.

Round 5 Results
1 Millie Junge (New Zealand)
2 Alana Fletcher (Australia)
3 Dulcie Copeland (New Zealand)