Media release | 12 September 2019
The Mitas Terra in the Berra is a three-day mountain bike event in Canberra from 27-29 September 2019. Organised by Rocky Trail Entertainment and under the patronage of the Canberra Off-Road Cyclist Club it promises to be a celebration of the vibrant cycling lifestyle in the Capital.
The Mitas Terra in the Berra was first launched by the Canberra Off-Road Cyclists Club in 2018. Under the patronage of the original club founders, the three-day mountain bike event was taken on by Rocky Trail Entertainment in 2019 and will feature their flagship marathon event at Stromlo Forest Park, the AMB 100 Marathon.
Rocky Trail founder Martin Wisata says it will be the perfect long weekend for mountain bikers and their foodie friends and families. “We evolved the original race into a 3-day schedule with start at Mount Majura Vineyard, we ride and race along the Murrumbidgee River, play with e-Bikes, chase the kids around the skills playgrounds, make our riders tackle the infamous AMB 100 Marathon ‘monster circuit’ at Stromlo Forest Park… and in between all the action, we all get to enjoy Canberra and all that it has to offer in Spring!”
The event will include ride and race stages across town, including Majura Pines and Mount Majura Vineyard for day one as well as the Centenary Trail from Stromlo Forest Park via Kambah Pools, along the Murrumbidgee River to Pine Island on the Saturday. The race organisers have been working together with local businesses and will deliver a Kids MTB Fair at Stromlo Forest Park and are partnering with The Handlebar who is hosting the first Hills and Hops Spring Festival at the popular mountain bike trail network. On Sunday the AMB 100 Mountain Bike Marathon is supported by the Australian Mountain Bike Magazine and Events ACT and will be the final endurance challenge of the weekend for participants from all over NSW and the ACT.
Terra in the Berra Event Manager Bob Morris said that the event was designed as ‘A Mission to Ride Canberra’s iconic Mountain Bike Trails’. “It will be a multi-day event that is accessible to a wide range of riders and for the future the aim is to grow the event into an ACT Flagship event over the next few years together with CORC, which will have a very strong competition element”, he indicated.
Australian artist creates artwork for local charity
The event will mark the 10-year Anniversary of Rocky Trail Events in the ACT and the Australian up and coming artist Daniel Beresford created a painting, which was inspired by his racing experience in Canberra and with Rocky Trail.
“I have such amazing memories of racing at Stromlo Forest Park and the AMB100 Marathon has become one of the major events that I compete in and with this painting I want to express my passion for the sport and the pride I have for being a part of the Rocky Trail riding and racing community”, said the avid amateur racer from Wagga Wagga.
Rocky Trail will give away a print on canvas of the original painting, which is valued at over $600 as part of the Terra in the Berra racing weekend and all proceeds will be donated to the local Pedal 4 Pierce charity to raise funds for research to cure Congenital Muscular Dystrophy.
“It is our way of giving back to the community”, says Juliane Wisata, one of the founders of Rocky Trail Entertainment. “We love that the Pedal 4 Pierce crew rides and races with us ‘for kids who can’t’ and we have supported their cause for over a decade now. Chris Jefferys and his family do such an incredible job to raise awareness and funds for research and the Capital Region Muscular Dystrophy Association – we met him when he was only 9 years old and in a way he inspired us to launch the Rocky Trail Kids MTB Fair, because we want to nourish this passion for riding and the community spirit among young cyclists.”, she added.
Kids MTB Fair plus launch of Hills and Hops Spring Festival
The Rocky Trail Kids MTB Fair will be one of the additional events held at Stromlo Forest Park on Saturday, 28 September. Local coaches from Dynamic Motivation will host fun mountain bike skills stations for little riders up to 12 years old to collect rewards and Rocky Trail goodies. The event is free to enter and encourages a cold coin donation for Pedal 4 Pierce in return.
The local Handlebar cafe at Stromlo Forest Park will put on the first Hills and Hops Spring Festival to coincide with Rocky Trail’s mountain bike racing action on 28 September and has announced a tasty line up of mobile food trucks and vendors as well as local brewing companies.
Support from local MITAS Tyres Australia and major MTB stage races and tour operator
The competitor line-up includes Canberra’s National Marathon Champion Brendan Johnston as well as top Australian cross-country marathon athletes Em Viotto and Andrew Blair.
As one of the master minds behind the original Terra in the Berra club event Blair said that he was looking forward to racing in the event under the new management by Rocky Trail,
“I am really pumped for the 2019 event. Having been involved in the inaugural event last year with the local club, I’m not too proud to say this year will be really good! Should be a very fun weekend, nice work from Rocky Trail Entertainment for taking it to the next level.”
MITAS Tyres Australia is a Canberran importer of European cycling tyres and has been secured as the naming rights sponsor for 2019. The competitors will race for daily stage win honours as well as a prize pool for overall classifications across elite and age group categories. Prizes include entry vouchers from two of Australia’s major mountain bike stage races, including the internationally acclaimed Crocodile Trophy in Queensland and the Outback Cycling Easter in the Alice in the Northern Territory. The event also offers an eBike classification, which is sponsored by the award-winning Southbound Escape touring business from Narooma on the NSW Southcoast.
Participants are encouraged to enter the events online and a full schedule of events is available on the event website.
You must be logged in to post a comment.