Close to 300 junior mountain bike riders plus their parents and teachers visited Singleton for the NSW Schools Mountain Bike Relay Championships held at Maison Dieu MTB Park, Singleton, on November 14.
The relay style racing for primary and secondary students drew entries from Singleton, across the Hunter, Central Coast and throughout New South Wales. The race day was hosted by Singleton Mountain Bike Club in conjunction with Hunter Schools MTB.
Singleton Mountain Bike Club President Nigel Robinson said the Club volunteers did a great job getting the track prepared for the race resulting in a dry and fast mountain bike track.
“The large number of kids riding meant we needed to mow a very large area for car parking, it was full to the brim with cars and bike racks. It was great to see so many boys and girls riding the trails and having fun.
Local school teams gained great results with both Singleton Heights Public School and St Catherine’s Catholic College standing on the podium.
Nigel thanked all involved with the organisation and particularly Jason English who arranged the registrations, timing and presentations.
“Special thanks to the event sponsor Glencore Coal Australia. Also thank you to Local Land Services who manage the reserve and Enright Land Management who mowed the giant carpark,” said Nigel.
Jason English from Hunter Schools MTB said it was a great day of mountain bike racing.
“The Singleton Schools Teams MTB race was identified by AusCycling, the Australian peak cycling organisation, as the NSW Schools Championship teams relay race. This attracted talented riders. The format and location also attracted a lot of kids who have never been in a mountain bike race. It was a lot of fun,” Jason said.
-ALAN FLETCHER
SINGLETON MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB
