National MTB Features In The Gold Coast Sun

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The sun and cross-country guns will be out this weekend on the Gold Coast, Queensland for the first of the AusCycling MTB National Cup Gold XCO races across the country.

Nerang National Park, host venue for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games MTB race, will welcome some of the nation’s leading riders chasing victory on a course which has tested the best mountain bikers from here and overseas in the past.

Outside of MTB National Cup points and a much-needed hit out prior to the 2022 AusCycling MTB National Championships next month, event organisers, Gold Coast Mountain Bike Club, have added in an extra incentive for competitors with two KOM segments, which you can find on the course map HERE.

Chris Thompson, President Gold Coast MTB Club.

“To win the KOM you need the fastest time from each of the two segments and finish the XCO. The number of segments depends on the number of laps assigned for your category.

“We expect some hot times given the quality of riders that will line up in the Elite and Under 19 categories.

“GCMTB's aim is to provide an international quality course to help Australia's athletes progress to being the best they can be."

XCO Rider

From midday the elite riders which will include 2021 Elite Men’s XCO silver medalist and former Enduro World Series champion Toowoomba’s Jared Graves, as well as former Australian Marathon Elite Women’s champion Anna Beck will take their place on the start line.

They’ll take on some of Nerang’s most well-known trails, including Three Hills, Comm Games Loop 1 & 2 and Casurina Grove.

Mountain bike Hall of Fame coach Donna Dall said the course will be perfect for Sunday's race.

"Expect a few punctures if riders get sloppy and tired. A lot of trail work has gone into it and it shows, quite a few sections have been cleaned, tidied and maintained but lots of rocks as you would expect from Nerang.

"The bottom part of the lap coming down the jumps section will be spectacular which is Marshall Point 1 down to Marshall Point 4 (KOM segment). The riders really love that part of the course as it’s flowing and fun with quite a few jumps."

Entries close 11:59pm (AEST) Friday 21st January.

To enter head HERE.

To watch the course preview head HERE.

To see the schedule head HERE.

All results can be found HERE

The event is proudly supported by the Major Events Gold Coast.

When you are not riding your bike there are hundreds of activities and destinations you can visit on the Gold Coast.

Learn to surf, visit a theme park, play some golf or indulge in some great dining experiences. Visit the Destination Gold Coast website to find out what is on offer to see and do while on the Gold Coast.

Visit the Major Events Gold Coast website to find out what accommodation offerings are available to you on the Gold Coast.

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