Angus grabs national title

Dunsborough’s Angus Nichols has won the under-13 Gravity Enduro Mountain Biking National Championship.

The 12-year-old travelled to Maydena Bike Park in Tasmania to take part in the championship on November 23-24 and returned with his age group’s top honour.

Angus has been competing for two seasons and backed up his October State title with the Australian title.

Speaking at the Dunsborough Mountain Biking trails, Angus said his success was due to the hard work he had done with Humble On Track Mountain Biking coach Steve Lane.

Angus said the achievement of winning a national championship had not quite sunk in but standing in front of a huge crowd on the winners podium was a “pretty special feeling”.

“I was speechless and super-excited,” he said. Angus had to endure the pain of 10 stitches in a cut on his shin, which he suffered training in the lead-up to the event.

“It’s a dangerous sport,” he said. “I also burnt myself on the disk because it gets so hot when you put on the breaks.”

The longest course at Maydena was much longer and steeper than any of the Dunsborough trails, with the “Queen stage” taking about 16 minutes to complete.

Angus won the 8km race by 30 seconds.

Another Humble On Track squad team member, Samuel Goldstone, was also on track for a podium finish until disaster struck with a mechanical issue on the final stage.

Lane said the squad and WA Gravity Enduro scene was a friendly environment and he was amazed at the positivity and passion of his team.

“The boys are brilliant, and it’s incredible how quickly they are progressing,” he said.