Oceania Champion Samara Maxwell made it a sweep of all three rounds of the Oceania MTB Continental Series in Canberra at the weekend.

Maxwell was pushed all the way by Australia’s Rebecca Henderson, the double world championship medallist,  as she had in the previous two rounds. Having been together for the opening three laps, maxwell powered away in the second half of the race to win by 38 seconds.

Maxwell’s three wins earned her 300 points for the series title ahead of Henderson on 240 and Zoe Cuthbert (Australia) with her two second places on 120 rounded out the top three.

New Zealand’s Anton Cooper took out the men’s honours although had to settle for second place to Australian Jack Ward in the final race eon Sunday, having won the two previous rounds.

The pair were closely matched over the seven lap race with Ward able to edge the kiwi in a sprint finish.

Cooper claimed the overall victory in the Oceania MTB Continental Series on 280 points ahead of Ward on 180 and Brent Rees (Australia) on 110.

In the under 23 women’s Ella Menigoz (Australia) claimed back-to-back victories, finishing more than a minute clear of New Zealand’s Annabel Bligh and Amelie Mackay.

Menigoz’s two victories and fifth in the opening round earned her the series title on 140 points, 30 clear of second place Bligh with the top three completed by Mackay a further 25 points back.

Australia’s Connor Wright proved himself as a dominant force in the under 19 men’s category storming to victory by over three and a half minutes for back-to-back wins and matching the lap times of the elite men. James Climo (New Zealand) took another second ahead of Fletcher Adams (New Zealand).

In similar style to stage two on the under-19 women, Kayley McMillan (New Zealand) rode her own race steadily building on her advantage to finish 57 seconds clear of Ruby Taylor (Australia) and Millie Junge (New Zealand) a further two minutes behind to claim the win.

With a first, second and third across the series Junge claimedthe series title on 54 points ahead of McMillan on 40 and Taylor on 34.