Armidale’s top mountain bike event heads back into the Pine Forest when the UNE 12 Hours in the Piney gets underway on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
More than 300 cyclists of all ages are expected to take part in the event, with the majority of entrants forming teams of four to fight it out.
Thursday’s downpour has dampened the numbers of participants but New England Mountain Bikers president Peter Hosking said he expects the event to continue.
"The numbers are looking pretty good,” he said.
"It is a little soft, probably because of the weather.
"We are still getting quite a few down from Queensland so if we were to call the event off, we don't want to do that, we are going to make the call Friday morning so that people don't travel [down].”
World champion 24-hour mountain biker Jason English isn’t returning for the event this year but there will be no shortage of stars with recently crowned national cross country junior women’s champion Katherine Hosking and elite women’s runner up Holly Harris taking part in the event.
While there are bikers at the top of their game competing in the race, the event ensures there is something for everyone.
"This event is really trying to cater for everyone, we have got A-lines and B-lines where the B-lines are a little bit less technical to make sure everyone can participate and just enjoy it,” Hosking said.
"It is quite different to the national events in that 70 per cent of the people are racing in teams of four so it allows you to go out and do a hot lap and then come back in and talk to other mountain bikers, you tend to walk around catching up with other people you may not have seen for a while so it is a very nice, social atmosphere.
"That is what makes it a success, even though there is some serious racing going on out there, there is some socialising to keep it a really fun day.”
The club have put in plenty of hours to ensure the tracks will be safe for Saturday’s race but a question mark remains over the river crossing.
With our locals excelling at high levels in the sport, the town is becoming known for its mountain bike tracks.
"We are very excited all our long term supporters University of New England, Council, Bowlo, Hutchinson and Harlow, Newcastle Permanent, Bicycle Central on Marsh and Bike Corp all didn't hesitate to jump on board and continue to support this event,” Hosking said.
"Armidale is now not only holding great mountain biking events like the UNE 12 Hours In The Piney but also National level events which will definitely lead to more mountain biking tourism in Armidale - this is a great thing for the region.”