Australia’s official Solo 24 Hour Mountain Bike National Championships will be held at The Australian Botanic Garden, Mt Annan near Sydney on 29-30 November 2014. The Championships are an annual event sanctioned by Mountain Bike Australia, the governing body for the sport in Australia.
In 2014, the event will be presented by Rocky Trail Entertainment, who will host the event in conjunction with their JetBlack 24 Hour Race. Solo 24 Hour Mountain Bike racing is one of the true spectacles in the sport, with riders in the Championships racing for the green and gold jersey as well as the coveted National Champion title.
Riders will tackle a tough and exciting Mt Annan course in a lap-based format, with the lead riders expected to cover over 400 kilometres in the battle for gold. The reigning National and World 24 Hour Champion, Jason English from Port Macquarie, will be defending his title at Mount Annan and one of his biggest competitors will be last year’s JetBlack 24 Hour winner, Brett Bellchambers, who is the reigning single-speed National Champion.
Riders from all over Australia are expected at the event and the reigning female National Champion and favourite Liz Smith from Wollongong will be facing some of the country’s most talented endurance racers, including Tory Thomas, the 2014 Commonwealth Games MTB Team rider from Mount Beauty in Victoria. Rocky Trail Entertainment has confirmed that the botanic garden trail crew is working on an extension to their popular mountain bike trail network and the new trails will be launched at the JetBlack 24 Hour event!
Jason English relinquished his XCM title to Andy Blair in 2014, but is unlikely to let go of his 24hr title.
Apart from the solo categories, competitors can take on the JetBlack 24 Hour in teams of up to six riders or race solo or in teams in the additional six-plus-six hour categories. Families are welcome, with kids activities and free junior races on Saturday afternoon! Spectator entry is free.
Online registration will be open until 8pm Wednesday, 26 November via www.rockytrailentertainment.com.