Graeme Mudd claimed a national title in his third two-wheeled discipline on the weekend when he broke through for a maiden Australian downhill crown.
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The 22-year-old from Woodberry finished on top of the overall standings in the National Downhill Series after placing third in the final round of the season at Toowoomba on Sunday.
Mudd, a junior BMX and multiple fourcross national champion, needed to finish top five in order to clinch the major prize and he produced the goods over quality opposition.
“It [top five] was playing on my mind a bit at the top of the run so I was a little nervous,” Mudd said.
“In the end my run was pretty good and the two guys that beat me on the day were former world champions, including one who actually built the track.”
This most recent win followed another third at Thredbo last month and a silver by half a second in the series opener held at Geelong before Christmas.
“It would have been nice to get a round win but I was able to keep my points up across the series,” Mudd said.
“To be crowned a national series champion is pretty good – it will definitely be one for the resume and the jersey will be going up on the wall.”
The successful BMX junior took up downhill full time two years ago after balancing the discipline with fourcross and he hasn’t looked back since.
“Giving up fourcross has allowed me to focus on downhill and I find it much more enjoyable,” Mudd said.
“It’s all about who can ride the bike best, not who does the most squats in the gym, and it requires a lot of skill to deal with all the variables involved with track changes and weather.”
The fitter apprentice at Blackhill mine Yancoal now sets his sights on the National Downhill Championships being held in Victoria later this month.
He also flagged World Cup meets in both Scotland and Austria in June and was eyeing off national selection for World Championships in Italy in September.
Mudd’s ideal scenario would be to ride downhill full time next year after completing his apprenticeship.