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Before most students had even started their winter holidays, Calrossy Year 10 student Ben Shaw was lining up against some of the world's best young cross-country mountain bike riders — returning home with three silver medals and four top-five finishes from the prestigious Canada Cup series.
Competing as part of the AusCycling Australian Development Squad, Ben produced an outstanding performance across two rounds of competition in Québec. Racing against fields of up to 68 Under 17 riders, he claimed second place in the Cross Country Olympic (XCO) event and fourth in the Short Course (XCC) at Sherbrooke before backing it up with silver medals in both disciplines at Baie-Saint-Paul.
The results were made even more impressive by the incredibly close margins, with two of Ben's silver medal finishes decided by less than a second.
Standing on the podium three times was a moment the talented young rider will never forget.
"I felt proud to be representing Australia and rewarded for all the training and preparation I undertook in pursuit of this goal. It was a privilege to represent Australia and a dream come true to compete internationally."
While the podium finishes were significant, the tour represented something even greater. In its post-tour athlete assessment, AusCycling praised Ben's confidence, tactical decision-making and race execution, noting his ability to consistently race at the front of international fields and prove he belongs amongst the strongest riders in his age group. Coaches highlighted the remarkable growth in his belief over the two-week tour, describing it as one of the most valuable outcomes of the entire experience.
Ben's international success continues an already remarkable cycling journey.
He first discovered cross-country mountain biking during his Infants School years through Tamworth Mountain Bikers before also developing a passion for road cycling with the Tamworth Cycle Club. Since then, he has established himself as one of Australia's leading young cyclists, collecting state and national championship titles across both mountain biking and road cycling.
His achievements include multiple NSW and Australian MTB Cross Country Olympic (XCO) and Short Course (XCC) championship victories, National Relay titles and selection in elite development programs.
Representing Calrossy alongside fellow student Lucas McDonald, Ben has also helped secure back-to-back victories in the NSW Schools Mountain Bike Team Championships in both 2024 and 2025.
His latest achievements are even more remarkable given the setback he faced last year.
A fractured tibia suffered in a road cycling crash sidelined him for much of the 2025 season, forcing him to miss several major road cycling and mountain biking competitions, including an opportunity to represent Australia in Japan.
Rather than allowing the injury to define him, Ben committed himself to rehabilitation, patiently rebuilding his strength and confidence before returning to competition late last year.
That determination has already paid dividends in 2026, with Ben winning gold as part of the Australian Under 17 Cross Country Relay Championship team, claiming silver in the Under 17 Cross Country Olympic race at the AusCycling National Mountain Bike Championships, finishing runner-up in the National XC Series and earning selection in both the AusCycling NSW/ACT Mountain Bike Development Academy and the NSW Road Cycling Development Academy.
Looking back, Ben says the injury taught him lessons he now carries into every race.
"I feel proud. I know to trust the process, be patient, and that you can bounce back from injury. It's a small hurdle in the long game."
Missing gold in Canada by less than a second could easily have been heartbreaking, but instead it became another opportunity to learn.
"It was a bit frustrating to say the least, however it highlighted some skills I can continue to develop — sprint power and short-duration efforts — to capitalise on opportunities at the end of races. Overall, it left me feeling more motivated to chase gold."
Those reflections mirror AusCycling's own assessment, which identified Ben's growing confidence as one of his greatest strengths while outlining sprint power, patience and continued long-term development as the next steps in his journey. Coaches concluded that his performances reflected not only his current ability but significant progression throughout the tour, leaving Canada with "every reason to be excited" about what lies ahead.
Ben is now turning his attention to the road cycling season, where he hopes to once again earn selection in the NSW Under 17 team for the National Junior Road Cycling Championships later this year.
Beyond 2026, his ambitions are firmly fixed on the international stage.
"My goal is to be selected again for the NSW team to compete at the National Junior Road Cycling Championships. Long term, I'd love to earn a paid position with a professional cycling team that offers opportunities to compete internationally in both road cycling and cross-country mountain biking."
For a student who has already overcome injury, represented Australia with distinction and proven he can compete with the world's best, that dream is looking increasingly achievable.
