Anton Cooper and Samara Sheppard win New Zealand mountain bike national titles

Held in Rotorua, the 2026 New Zealand National Mountain Bike Championships saw Anton Cooper and Samara Sheppard become the newest elite cross-country title holders. For Cooper, it was his 11th national cross-country title. The former U23 and junior World Champion enters another season of World Cup racing with the new team of PXR Lapierre. Meanwhile, this was Sheppard’s third national title.