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| QUEENSLAND TO HOST FIRST NATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE MARATHON |
| Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport | |
More than 1,000 professional and recreational cyclists will converge on South-East Queensland in September for the inaugural national mountain bike marathon championship.
Minister for Sport Tom Barton launched the official opening for entries in the 2006 Flight Centre Cycle Epic, a gruelling 106 km course from Preston Peak to Hidden Vale - between Toowoomba and Grandchester - traversing the National Bicentennial Trail.
Mr Barton said the Epic had become a national trail-blazer for long distance mountain bike racing.
"In 2003, it became the first mountain bike marathon in Australia," he said.
"In September, it will become our first national mountain bike marathon championship.
"In addition to the national title, our top men and women riders will be competing for the right to represent Australia at the 2007 Mountain Bike World Championships at Fort William in Scotland."
Mr Barton said the Epic had gained a reputation as one of the best and most testing events in the Asia-Pacific region. It was also one of the most lucrative with a total prize pool of around $40,000, he said.
"This year's program will attract Australia's best cross country cyclists, including some great home-grown talent like Mark Frendo, who won the first Epic, and twice junior world champion Lisa Mathison."
Mr Barton said in terms of the physical demands on riders, 100 km mountain biking equated to between 160 and 200 km road racing and only seven riders had broken the four-hour mark.
"The names of local landmarks like Razorback and Devil's Tail give some idea of the challenges riders face," he said.
"This is not an event for the faint-hearted, but that of course, is part of its appeal.
"The emergence and growing popularity of extreme sports has been one of the more exciting developments of recent years."
The two-day program will be held on September 2-3, with two junior non-competitive rides - the Mini Epic over 5 km, for six to 12-year olds, and the Minor Epic over 12 km, for 13 to 18-year olds - on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday.
"It's great to see mountain biking introducing kids to the sport in tandem with the senior echelons," Mr Barton said.
"The Beattie Government is committed to helping more Queenslanders discover the benefits of lifelong participation in sport and active recreation, from the grassroots to the elite level.
"That commitment fits very well with the vision and hard work which have driven the Flight Centre Cycle Epic from drawing board to national championship in just three years."
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