January 2019 | David Claridge

THERE ARE A couple of Mountain Biking pros riding around Meander Valley, having just shown Australia how good they are. Cycling brothers Jak Oxford and Tom Stylianou recently competed in the Australian Shimano Enduro Tour which spanned across Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria, with Jak winning the series overall in their division (1180 points) and Tom coming third (920 points).

Father and mentor, Mike Stylianou has stood by them as they go from strength to strength. “This is the biggest event they’ve been involved in to date. Jak rode in all three events, Nerang-QLD, Derby-Tasmania and recently Mount Buller in Victoria,” he said. “Tom only rode in 2 rounds due to a broken collar bone and cracked ankle sustained during training back in August and coming back from injury placed 3rd at Derby and took 1st place at Mt Buller.”

The boys now have their sights set on the Enduro Series in the Asia-Pacific Continental Enduro Series, with an international trip beckoning in 2019. “What’s next for us? We’re looking at New Zealand. There is a competition coming up in February, which is part of the Asia Pacific Enduro Series.”