Galen Catholic College brothers Levi and Jackson Billings have won gold in the AusCycling Victorian Interschools Mountain Bike Series which concluded on Monday, 8 September.

The seven-round series began back in May as Levi and Jackson raced against their mountain biking peers in Dromana, Lysterfield, Gippsland, the You Yangs, Ballarat, Castlemaine and Bendigo.

"It feels great to know that all the hard work I've been doing over the last couple of months has paid off," Jackson said.

Levi said his favourite round was the final one.

"The last round at Bendigo was my favourite because the conditions were muddy and wet which are my favourite kind of races," he said.

"One of the tough moments that I had to face was when I got a flat tyre during round six at Castlemaine and losing points.

"I wasn’t sure if I would have enough points for the overall win.

"I think the thing that helped me to have the constant success during this series was the amount of training that I had been doing for these races.

"It felt like all my hard work had paid off."

Each round featured a unique course style, some traversing school grounds, while others presented challenges with technical downhills and long climbs.

Jackson said he faced some challenges in the final round.

"During the final round, heavy rain and cold temperatures made my race quite challenging because I found it difficult to find my rhythm and keep smooth throughout the course," he said.

"Round six at Castlemaine was my favourite round because, from the start to the last lap, my position in first was hotly contested, which meant I had to fight for my position the entire race."

Jackson said "training his butt off for six months" contributed most to his consistency and success.

The boys' skills on the mountain bike, and hours of training led them to win six of their seven races each and then take the overall win for the series and bring home the gold.

Both had extensive training regimes in the lead up, Levi said this consisted of around 9-11 training sessions a week with a mix of riding, swimming and weight training.

The series was also fun and played a significant role in the boys' training as they prepare for their upcoming races during the school holidays.

Jackson will be competing in the NSW State Championships in Wagga Wagga on 27 and 28 September, while Levi is travelling to Japan to participate in the 2025 Mountain Bike International Cross Country Junior Development Camp from from 22-30 September, where he will compete in his first International race.

Jackson said he is looking forward to this race because he has ridden the trails at Wagga Wagga before.

"I'm looking forward to seeing where I rank against riders from other states," he said.

For Levi, the most exciting aspect looking forward is getting to race at an international level with the Australian Junior Development Team.