Virtually all of last year’s winners will return to either defend or chase new titles at the Torpedo7 Mountain Bike National Championships in Christchurch next weekend.

The championships, to be staged under strict red light covid protocols, has drawn record entries of 320 riders in total, with the cross-country titles to be decided at Crocodile Park in Halswell, hosted by the Christchurch Single Track Club on Saturday 26 February with the downhill competition at nearby Christchurch Adventure Park hosted by Gravity Canterbury.

Cycling New Zealand said both venues are able to cope with the number of riders separated safely in defined groups with full covid protocols in place.

While no general public will be allowed to view either event, there will be live timing of both events and organisers are looking into the feasibility to live-stream both competitions.

Both elite winners will defend their cross-country titles with Christchurch’s Anton Cooper chasing his eighth national men’s crown, while Taupo’s Sammie Maxwell, still an under-23 rider, will defend the overall honours in the elite and under-23 women.

While Mia Cameron (Taupo) is back to defend her under-19 title in cross-country, the other five winners from last year will return but up to a new age division. They comprise Maria Laurie (Christchurch), moving to under-19; Caoilinn Gray (Cambridge) to under-17, Ethan Rose (Christchurch) to under-23, Ethan Woods (Motueka) to Under-19 and Fletcher Adams (Hamilton) to under-17.

Both elite winners in downhill will chase national jerseys in local rider Sam Blenkinsop and Queenstown’s Jessica Blewitt.

All the other 2021 national champions in age division will return with Rotorua’s Lachlan Stevens-McNab defending his under-19 title, Ryan Hastings, runner-up last year, back in under-17 while under-15 winner Jack Collins (Christchurch) steps up to under-17.

In the females the super-talented Rotorua rider Jenna Hastings will be defending her under-19 title, Auckland’s Sasha Earnest defends her under-17 title and under-15 winner Juliette Freeman (Christchurch) who moves up to challenge in under-17.

The full entries can be found on www.mtbnationals.nz