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WA DEC facility plays host to national mountain-biking event

Published Date

Written by Tony Scott

The Goat Farm Mountain Bike venue in the Perth Hills hosted the opening round of the 2011–12 Mountain Bike Australia National Series All Mountain Cup last weekend.

Perth Hills District project manager Clinton Hull said the event had put the site on the international mountain bike map.

“Designing and developing the world-class site was a collaborative effort so it’s great to see it being used for such a big event,” he said. “DEC designed the site and provided $560,000 for the works program that included car parking facilities, shelters, toilets, signage and interpretation, fencing, workshops and track. “The WA Mountain Bike Association, Perth Mountain Bike Club and Cycling WA received a grant from Lotterywest and organised the volunteers who have undertaken many thousands of hours’ work on the tracks.”

Perth Hills Parks and Visitor Services Coordinator Jamie Ridley said the venue had worked to reduce illegal mountain biking in the area.

“There has been a crucial sustainability outcome from this work,” he said. “Illegal mountain bike tracks and structures in the forest have declined as people join the various associations and individual users discover the site. “Involving the community in the site’s development has also led to there being no graffiti at this site.”

The 2011–12 Mountain Bike Australia National Series All Mountain Cup featured high-level mountain bike action as riders from round Australia and overseas traversed the tracks, and pushed their times to the limit.

London Olympics hopeful Jenni King from Victoria vied with Jodie Willett from Queensland in the women’s elite event to take out the first position. In the men’s category, Andrew Blair from New South Wales challenged elite cyclist Athens Olympian Sid Taberley from Tasmania, and won by less than 30 seconds.

The course was popular among riders. “I really loved the course, it was pretty technical when you were riding quick. The rock gardens, drops and chutes were great fun. The climbing was tough,” said elite female winner Jenni King.

DEC Swan Region PVS Leader, Ewen MacGregor attended the event in his capacity as a self-confessed mountain bike enthusiast and found himself bestowing the awards.

“Give it a go,” he said. “The numerous trail routes have a full range of challenges and the names speak for themselves: Dugite Bite, Gravel Rash, Blue Cruising, Cannon Ball, Ball Breaker, A-Kline.

“Originally, The Goat Farm was an agricultural research station with a focus on goats. What to do with it? A mountain bike venue seemed obvious as the goats had already made a few tracks,” he said.

The 2011–12 Mountain Bike Australia National Series All Mountain Cup round will be shown on SBS on Sunday 27 November on the Cycling Central program at 5pm. http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/news/33715/Blair-and-King-ride-to-victory-in-MTB-series-opener