THE State Cross Country Mountain Bike Championship event will be held for the first time at Castle Hill Blackstone Reserve on November 3 and 4 hosted by the Ipswich Cycle Club.
Works, Parks and Sport Committee deputy chairperson Cr David Morrison said the event would highlight Ipswich as a major destination for nature-based recreation.
“Castle Hill Blackstone Reserve is the number one public venue for mountain bike riding in Ipswich and the western corridor.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mountain Bike Australia as the national body governing the sport in Australia.
“The competition known as the Queensland XC MTB State Championship has previously been held in Toowoomba, Samford, Gatton, Townsville and Mackay.
“XC MTB is also a Commonwealth and Olympic Games sport.”
Cr Morrison said the Ipswich Cycle Club, as the host club, had expressed its intention to apply for council support for the event including sponsorship.
“Ipswich is proud to welcome this significant sporting event to our city which is estimated to attract up to 200 competitors and around 400 spectators over the weekend.
“From an economic viewpoint MTB tourists are known to spend between $60 and $100 per head per day locally.
“This translates to approximately $100,000 injected into the Ipswich economy during the competition.
“It will also raise the profile of Castle Hill Blackstone Reserve well beyond the city boundary.”
CASTLE HILL BLACKSTONE RESERVE FACTS
Address: 7 Mary Street, Blackstone
Length of tracks: Over 13km of trails ranging from 300m – 1100m
Rating: Over 15 International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) rated mountain bike trails ranging from easy to very difficult