MANNING-Great Lakes Tip Riders Club’s second annual PBM Hardrock six-hour mountain bike race has been deemed a great success by organisers and participants.
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The race, which is the flagship event for local mountain bike club, attracted approximately 350 riders, support staff and spectators to the Kiwarrak Mountain Bike Park in the
With no less than six separate activities on the program, including guided social rides and a sign-on function and the race-proper and gymkhana for kids, the event drew a healthy number of local racers, riders and families, as well as strong numbers of participants from out of the area.
There were 14 categories contested, with more than $10,000 in prizemoney. There were a number of notable wins, including the open solo male winner, Jason English from Newcastle.
English is well known for his racing status, having won the world 24 hour solo mountain bike seven times. His incredible effort of 13 laps of the 9.5km track in six hours saw him standing head and shoulders above most other competitors, including those who race in teams. Only two other entries rode more laps than him, those being a team of two and a team of three.
Fellow Novacastrian Alissa Rogers took out the open female solo category with a total of seven laps. Standout locals included Glenn Mathiske (third place solo male 40+), Stami Donovan and Sharon Stewart (second place male pairs), Dean Brame (first team of three male), Katherine and Vanessa Berry and Amy Cooper (third team of three female), Brad McPherson Jason Parker and Michael Eyb (third team of three males 40+), Mat Sylvester Dave Evans and Meg Muller (first team of three mixed 40+), Peter Johnston Linda Matuszny and Jeff Brunette (third team of three mixed 40+), and Thomas Worth (third junior teams).
Profits allow the club to continue functioning as well as providing infrastructure and maintenance funding for the 60 kilometres of mountain biking trails within the Kiwarrak State Forest.
Organisers have vowed to run the event again next year and promise it to be bigger and better thanks to the major sponsors.
“Thanks all club members and friends who volunteered their time for the event, which could not have been such a success without their assistance,’’ spokesman Michael Eyb said.
Anyone interested in mountain biking can go to the club website at www.tipriders.com