Details Announced for Cannonball MTB Festival 2022

Cannonball MTB Festival 2022

Press Release: Thredbo MTB

Cannonball Mountain Bike (MTB) Festival presented by Boost Mobile is Australia's biggest and richest mountain bike event and is set to kick off tomorrow in Thredbo. With hundreds of entrants including Australia’s best pro and amateur riders, an awesome line-up of entertainment and a prize purse of over $100K, the scene is set for a massive week of action at the Thredbo Mountain Bike Park.

Thredbo General Manager, Stuart Diver said he was pleased to see this year’s Cannonball MTB Festival going ahead and looks forward to the resort returning to its usual line-up of events in 2022.

“I am pleased that Thredbo can deliver an outdoor event of this nature within the current COVID-19 Government guidelines. In what has been a particularly challenging time for tourism businesses across the state and in our regions, it is encouraging to see the Cannonball MTB Festival proceed this week. I look forward to Thredbo returning to its usual calendar of events and continuing to attract guests to our region,” Mr Diver said.

The eighth instalment of the Cannonball MTB Festival will see five mammoth mountain bike events take place over the next five days, attracting not only aspiring young riders but the top names in the mountain bike world.

New in 2022 is a $10K increase in the cash prize pool, bringing the total to an impressive $50K. Thanks to this extra prize money, podium winners in the Fox Flow Motion Cup, Osprey All-Mountain Assault, RockShox Pump Track Challenge and Deity Whip Wars will leave the festival a little richer, with the winner receiving a total of $1500. In the pro categories, the King and Queen of Cannonball will also take home $1500 each.

It will be the first time the Merritts Gondola will be run during Cannonball, giving riders easy access to the start of the new and revised Osprey All-Mountain Assault course.

There will also be a new competitor-only whip jump for the Deity Whip Wars, consisting of a perfectly sculpted lip built by some of the best riders in Australia.

Thredbo Mountain Bike Business Manager, Tim Windshuttle said with the event not being able to take place last year riders were excited to be back racing in the country's biggest and richest mountain bike competition.

"An incredible line-up of riders is set to hit Thredbo's Mountain Bike Park this week. Ones to watch in the Oakley Australian Open Downhill on Saturday will be Jackson Frew, Connor Fearon, Dean Lucas and Kye A'Hern who will all be looking to take out the prestigious title. Tim Eaton and Josh Carlson are both favourites in the Fox Flow Motion Cup and Osprey All-Mountain Assault events.

"In the women's categories, Sian A'Hern is back and keen to take the win in the prestigious Oakley Australian Open Downhill. Keep an eye out for Caroline Buchanan in the Rockshox Pump Track Challenge. The multiple world champion has won numerous Crankworx Pump Track titles and will be looking to add the Cannonball title to her trophy cabinet,” Mr Windshuttle said.

The week-long festival offers just as much action off the trails. This year's Cannonball MTB Festival has attracted some of the biggest sponsors in the MTB world with each offering demo's, merch, bike repair, special chill zones and more.

There will be a stack of entertainment all week long with Thredbo's famous village hosting an awesome line-up of live music, including the Australian dance duo, Parachute Youth closing out the festival on Saturday night.

With the biggest names in the mountain bike world, Australia’s only lift-accessed MTB trails, a stack of cash and prizes as well as entertainment for everyone, this Cannonball MTB Festival will be the highlight of the 2022 Australian Mountain Bike scene.

To get a taste of all the action across the week, please follow Thredbo’s social channels at @thredbomtb & @thredboresort, or look out for announcements and wrap-ups posted on our website as each event unfolds.