Ladies saddle up for unique biking event
MOUNTAIN BIKES:
Female riders will kick off a busy weekend of mountain biking at Toowoomba’s Jubilee Park this weekend when they line up in an Australia-first event.
More than 60 women are expected to take part in tomorrow’s Toowoomba Mountain Bike Club’s Fox on Rocks Ladies Enduro run in conjunction with the Dirt Angels MTB group.
The Gravity Enduro event features racing on a number of timed stages on sections of trail that are mostly downhill.
Sunday’s racing action will see a field of more than 300 riders competing in round three of the Shimano Enduro Series.
Toowoomba club media spokesman Philip Craft said tomorrow’s Gravity Enduro was the first of its kind in Australia and added another facet to the sport’s growing popularity.
“Mountain biking has traditionally been a male-dominated sport,” Craft said.
“But with it becoming more popular nationwide the aim now is to get more females involved in the sport through events like Saturday’s Gravity Enduro DOWN WE GO: Fourteen-year-old Laura Craft on Mackenzie Frenzy at Jubilee Park.
where women compete against each other.
“We believe this is the first of its kind in Australia featuring this style of riding.
“The format of racing is an in-between event of cross-country and downhill competition.”
About 20 Toowoomba riders are expected to
participate in the Grand Enduro which also attracted entries from Canberra and major South-East Queensland regions to Hervey Bay.
A large Toowoomba contingent will also contest the Shimano Enduro Series round.
Sunday’s racing follows the successful staging of round two last month, also at Jubilee Park.
“Mountain biking is a growing sport and Jubilee Park is becoming a popular racing venue,” Craft said.
“The sport is developing very much as a tourist-orientated one in many Australian regions.”