Connor Wright is a cyclist who was awarded a Tier 1 Scholarship within the 2026 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring Program. He was paired with former cricketer Adam Gilchrist AM as his Mentor.
Connor is an exceptional and passionate young cyclist who has been racing since the moment his training wheels came off. With a deep love for the sport, Connor competes across various disciplines, including Cross-Country Olympic (XCO), Cross-Country Short Circuit (XCC), Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) and Road Cycling (Road / Time Trial / Criterium). His primary focus and passion has been in XCO, where he has consistently demonstrated his prowess and potential, securing the Australian XCO and XCC National Champion titles for six consecutive years (2020 U13, 2021 U15, 2022 U15, 2023 U17, 2024 U17, 2025 U19). In 2025 he added the U19 Australian National Marathon Championship title to his accomplishments.
Connor’s dedication and talent have positioned him as one of Australia’s most promising young cyclists. Currently holding three Australian National Champion titles, he is laying the foundation for a long and successful career in cycling. His ultimate ambition is to represent Australia in XCO and Road at the Olympic Games and compete in the European and World Cup circuits. The selection for the AusCycling Mountain Bike Team in 2024 to compete in several Junior World cup series was a significant milestone in Connor’s career, providing him with invaluable experience on the international stage and achieving 2 wins for Australia. In 2025 he travelled to Crans Montana, Switzerland with the Australian Cycling team to compete in the UCI World Cup Cross Country Championship where he placed 6th Junior in the world. Driven and focused, he is eagerly preparing for the 2026 season and beyond.
Connor hopes to remain involved in his sport for as long as possible. While he knows he can’t be a professional cyclist forever, he’s determined to stay connected to cycling in some way — whether as a coach, team manager, mechanic, or bike store owner. No matter where his career takes him, he envisions his future firmly within the cycling community.
“So much work, sacrifice and expense goes into getting you to your goals and receiving this scholarship just acknowledges and rewards this. It will help so much in this important time of my career where I have to keep pushing on, getting to events and achieving to be recognised and reach the next level of sponsorship and team selection as an elite athlete. Cycling is a very lonely sport at times where its just you in your own head – all the training and coaching that goes on leading up to an event prepares you but on that start line it’s just you. Very few people understand that and can relate. Having a mentor like Adam Gilchrist, who has lived the highs and lows of elite sport will be invaluable to me” – Connor Wright on being selected as a 2026 Tier 1 Scholarship Holder.
Honours & Achievements
- 2025 Australian National Cross Country Mountain Bike Championship – 1st Place U19
- 2025 UCI Junior World Series Bike The Rock Mountain Bike Cross Country – 1st Place U19
- 2025 Gran Premio della Liberazione in Rome Italy – 1st Place Junior
- 2025 Cape to Cape Queen – 1st Overall (all age categories)
- 2024 Oceania Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships – 1st U19
- 2025 Australian National Cross Country Marathon Championship – 1st U19
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