By Michael Wright
THE opening round of the 2025 Joyride Rookie Cup brought together hundreds of Victoria’s most promising young downhill mountain bikers, and a strong Phillip Island contingency certainly made their mark at Mt Taylor near Bairnsdale last weekend.
The Joyride Rookie Cup is a grassroots mountain biking series aimed at developing the next generation of riders and promoting the sport of downhill racing. With a focus on fun, skill progression, and competition, each round draws the best young riders from across the state, testing juniors by racing in age-based categories on professional-quality downhill tracks throughout Victoria.
Representing Phillip Island with pride, an enthusiastic group of thirteen young riders competed across four age divisions on Mt Taylor's notorious double black diamond downhill trail, showcasing not only their skill and courage but also the tight-knit and supportive spirit of the Phillip Island MTB community.
The standout result came in the Under 11s, where Kody Sheers stormed to an impressive second-place podium finish, showing incredible composure and speed well beyond his years. Kody’s performance was a highlight of the day and a proud moment for the entire Phillip Island crew.
In the Under 13s, both Flynn Wright (28th) and Eli Rogan (30th) pushed hard in a competitive field, gaining valuable race experience on the ultra-technical course.
The Under 15 division saw a large and determined Phillip Island presence. Maxen Mills led the charge, finishing 13th, followed closely by Miller Micallef (17th), Ry Sheers (19th), Kody Lewis (30th), Bodhi Cooper (53rd) and Hugo Wright (60th), all pushing hard.
In the Under 17s, Hamish Dakers-Hock secured a strong 15th-place finish, with Ethan Tilley (35th), Zac Sund (36th), and Blayde Rogan (42nd) all putting in solid efforts against the top junior riders in the state.
The event was not just about testing themselves against hundreds of the state's best junior riders, but further proof of the growing mountain bike scene coming out of Phillip Island and Bass Coast.
Now over 12 months on from the adoption of Bass Coast Council's Mountain Bike Strategy, it’s time for some tangible outcomes with the investment and implementation of the desperately needed MTB infrastructure locally.
With the next round of the Rookie Cup at Mt Major near Shepparton on October 11 and 12, no doubt the Phillip Island crew are looking forward to testing themselves again.