Sport
16 March, 2023
Mountain bike orienteering event coming to town
Maryborough will play host to the first round of the Victorian Mountain Bike Orienteering Series for 2023 as riders navigate two maps in the area on Sunday, March 26. Riders will navigate Mosquito Flat and Bull Gully Wells, with races held in the...
Maryborough will play host to the first round of the Victorian Mountain Bike Orienteering Series for 2023 as riders navigate two maps in the area on Sunday, March 26.
Riders will navigate Mosquito Flat and Bull Gully Wells, with races held in the morning and early afternoon on the day.
Both courses will have four middle distances which range from eight kilometres in length to 17 km.
Event director Blake Gordon said it was exciting to come back to Maryborough — a location that is extremely popular with mountain bike orienteers going back to the 2004 world championships, where the town hosted a race.
“It’s all coming together. Riders will be able to ride one of two maps — one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It’s our way of giving them good value for money, and we’ll be starting out at Jack Pascoe Reserve,” he said.
“Maryborough, ever since the world championships that were held in Australia in 2004, has been regularly visited by mountain bike orienteers. That particular event was the last in the championships as a relay event.
“People know about it from Australia and overseas, it’s a natural choice. The bush doesn’t change that much and the track is worn in by people who ride their bicycles through the area.
“The area is suitable as the maze of tracks have good four-wheel-drive tracks and smaller tracks close to town where bicycle riders regularly ride. The bush is fairly sparse, which makes for good visibility. It’s not very hilly — mountain bike orienteers don’t like to go up and down hills necessarily since we have controls on the map.
“The map is quite complex. Many thought it was the best map in the world championships as it was complex to navigate. There are so many different ways of doing things, and it made it a very popular map.”
Gordon added the surrounding area of Maryborough, and how flat it is, made it quite popular with mountain bike orienteers.
“The two maps we have are some of many good tracks around the area. Bristol Hill is also an ideal track for mountain bike orienteers, and there is one around Dunolly. There’s also one near the True Foods factory up north. The area is a highly-rated one in the state, but as we go all around and people want to see different parts of the state, we only come back every couple of years,” he said.
Gordon said local history will be integrated into the event.
“At Bull Gully Wells, there is an Aboriginal well there that has a fence around it. We have a control just near the fence. People will ride past it and have a chance to catch up with a bit of history around the area. It’s one of many things we will do to allow riders to discuss it after their ride,” he said.
Gordon says that a handy number of participants will come in from surrounding towns and Melbourne.
“Most people who will be at the event will come in from Melbourne. Country Victoria, particularly Ballarat and Bendigo, will also have good contingents. We anticipate around 55-60 people coming. There will also be a number of families here that will compete,” he said.
“The stories that come back are authentic. Everyone that goes to a mountain bike orienteering event participates.”
The event is due to begin at 11 am on March 26.