Torquay mountain bike rider Kate Kellett completed an impressive ride in Canberra, falling just short of defending her world title.
After winning her first gold in the event last year in Armidale, Kellett finished in second place in the female elite division of the WEMBO 2024 World Solo 24hr Mountain Bike Championships at Mount Stromlo, Canberra.
The podium was all-Australian, with Kellett finishing one lap behind Monique De Abreu and two laps ahead of Lucie Van Der Schalk. US rider Kait Boyle and New Zealand’s Ronel Cook rounded out the top five.
Kellett tipped her hat to De Abreu, saying she was pleased with her own performance but “didn’t have the legs” to go with De Abreu in the finish.
“I had a really, really good race, it just wasn’t good enough to get the win this time,” she said.
“If I compare it to last year… I did 350km and it took me just over 25 hours to do that, climbing just over 6000 metres of vert. This one was still 350km but 33 per cent more climbing, so over 8000 metres, completed in an hour less time.
“When you know you’ve had the best race you possibly can, you’ve done your job. So I was really happy.”
Kellett’s husband Brett Kellett successfully defended his world title by three laps in the male 55-59 age category, while Jan Juc rider David Spink came sixth in the male elite division, five laps behind Canadian winner Cory Wallace.
