On 1 August 2020, and for the first time ever in Queensland, the Shimano Mountain Bike Grand Prix event will be held at the Daisy Hill MTB Trails, supported by the City of Logan and under the patronage of the local RATS Cycling Club. As the first event of its kind at the popular trail network, the competition will be a highlight on the race calendars of the active local mountain bike community and will attract elite and casual race competitors and visitors from across NSW and the ACT.
With the Shimano MTB GP Australia’s largest private mountain bike events promoter Rocky Trail Entertainment will be launching their popular cross-country racing series in Queensland. With a 12-year history the series now offers regular events across NSW, in the ACT as well as QLD and events are planned for later in the year also in VIC. SHIMANO Cycling Australia has been the principal sponsor since the series was founded and with strong support from the cycling industry has grown to one of the major cross-country endurance racing series in Australia.
The Shimano MTB Grand Prix events is described as “classic cross-country lap racing at its best” and as a “seriously fun experience”. In the current COVID-19 event recovery stage, registration patterns for the 2020 Rocky Trail season were proving events hugely popular with riders and their families, driving up demand for the series in all regions, says Juliane Wisata, one of the business founders.
“We are relaunching our racing season after an almost 4 month hibernation and we have put all our efforts into adapting and making changes to our operational procedures, which has been essential to getting the events industry back on track”, she said.
“In order to bring our riders and spectators the racing action that they love, we are introducing new rules and regulations which make sure we all adhere to social distancing and gathering laws currently in place.”
Juliane Wisata, Rocky Trail co-founder
“We still have very conservative self-imposed event participation limits in place, which are well below the Government and State Health authority regulations. As those laws tend to change quickly, and we will be constantly screening any developments – our racing rules will be a constant work in progress, and we will keep adapting them over the weeks and months”, Wisata added.
New Event Managers leading the charge in QLD
With Jo Parker and Bob Morris Rocky Trail Entertainment is introducing a highly experienced local Outdoor Events Management team, who have been driving the expansion into Queensland.
“We are proud to lead the charge in Queensland for Rocky Trail Entertainment”, says Race Director Bob Morris.
“The Shimano MTB GP series is known to be the most inclusive mountain bike series in Australia. From the first time between the tape to racers that have spent a lifetime training for power output, they will all enjoy lining up at our start line in Logan.”
Bob Morris, Race Director
Morris added that participants will be able to race solo or in relay teams for four or seven hours alongside Australia’s elites and experienced endurance racers. With Elite and a range of age group categories as well as an eBike option, racers can expect less of a winners-only-focused competition, but a positive and inclusive experience for all racers.
The Race Director also pointed out that with temporary COVID-19 event rules active, there was a participant limit in place and specific event health and safety regulations were available via the event website. The event is tracking all participants, which means that competitors must sign up and pay online. Every non-racing spectator or supporter must be indicated via that online registration process to reserve a race access pass at no charge. Non-racing event participants also include media and sponsor representatives, who are encouraged to sign up via the same online portal for an event village access pass at no charge.
First XC event supported by City of Logan
Logan City Council Mayor Darren Power said the event, the first of its kind for the popular Daisy Hill mountain biking track was hoped to be the first of many for the area.
“We have some wonderful natural assets here in Logan, Daisy Hill among them,” Cr Power said.
“We are looking forward to welcoming the racers here in August and watching them enjoy the fantastic riding experience that is our Daisy Hill mountain biking trail.
Logan City Council Mayor Darren Power
“The location is an enviable one in the mountain biking community, just a hop skip and a jump down the M1 from both Brisbane and Gold Coast.
“It’s mountain biking, but practically on your doorstep.
“I’m looking forward to seeing it become a regular haunt for our local mountain biking enthusiasts, as well as those from further afield.”
Logan region to host Rocky Trail racers
The event will take place at the popular Daisy Hill MTB Ttrail networks, which is located right in the heart of the Logan Region. “What makes this venue so special and a perfect fit for the launch of Rocky Trail cross-country racing in QLD is that this venue is so unique – the quality of the trail network has been well-known in the mountain bike community and thanks to input from the local club we will use every bit of terrain on offer to truly showcase the amazing beauty of the bushland that surrounds the event centre”, Morris explained. He added that the event village was located near Karreman Quarries and credited the support by local riding communities and authorities in the event preparation process.
Rocky Trail Entertainment is encouraging its visiting racers to spend the weekend in the area via a specific #rockytrailjourney Destination Guide for the area. The event organiser is showcasing the Logan region and invites its racers to discover the variety of hotels, pubs and experiences to recover from the race and to escape the everyday grind.
Ends.
Photos: OuterImage.com.au
For more information, please contact us or visit the Shimano MTB GP website portal for the Logan event:
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