CONSTRUCTION is under way at Hastings Cunningham Reserve this week as the nation’s first world-class pump track takes shape.
International trail building company Velosolutions builds pump tracks, bike parks and trails across the globe and is the sole contractor for Red Bull’s Pump Track World Championship courses.
The $150,000 project is expected to take around three weeks to complete, paving the way for Mount Gambier to host Australia’s inaugural world championship qualifier in December.
“We are scheduled in for three weeks, but if everything goes to plan and we have good weather we should be done in two,” Velosolutions Australian director Jason Cousins said on-site yesterday.
“Velosolutions has built tracks all around the world but this is the first in Australia,” he said.
“It is really cool and shows how innovative the city can be.
“Pump tracks are relatively new and so it is really exciting for a country town to be at the forefront of the new era.”
As a BMX rider with more than 30 years experience under his belt, Mr Cousins will create the track designed by the Swiss company’s chief executive Claudio Caluori.
Pump tracks are typically around a quarter of the size of a BMX track and designed to be ridden without pedalling.
Riders gain momentum by “pumping” – using up and down body movements on the terrain transitions of the track instead of pushing or pedalling.
The Blue Lake city’s one-of-a-kind track will include a mix of berms, roller jumps, dog-legs and transfers, catering for beginners through to elite athletes.
A team of five track builders from the international company will be on site during the build, supported by eight Mount Gambier City Council staff and other local tradesmen.
“Most of us from Velosolutions are BMX riders,” he said.
“You have to be able to know how the jumps look, how they are going to feel when you go over them.
“But we all are licensed tradespeople as well, so we combine those skills to create the tracks.”
Mr Cousins said he expected the track to be well-used by the region’s youth, with a keen group of BMX riders around the Limestone Coast.
“On my own BMX trips I have done around the country I have come through Mount Gambier and there really seems to be a big group of kids keen on riding,” he said.
“I see kids on bikes and scooters and boards all the time and there seems to be a pretty good skatepark here.
“I know it is a pretty good scene for mountain biking as well, so I think all those groups will really get on board with the track – I think it is going to be really popular.”
Speaking when the project was first announced, Mount Gambier Mountain Bike Club member Nick Brooks revealed how the club lobbied council to consider the initiative in recent years, adding the track would provide a point of difference for the city.
“A pump track will be a great asset to our community as it has a broad reach,” Mr Brooks said.
“Essentially, you can use anything with wheels on a pump track and it’s suitable for all ages including young kids on scooters, older teenagers on BMX bikes and it’s something parents can participate in too.”
Council has backed the project as part of its commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of the community through the provision of activity based recreational infrastructure.
Once completed, the track will host at least two Red Bull Pump Track World Championship events, with the first taking place on December 15.
Started in 2018, the qualifying events are held across the globe, in destinations including Chile, the United States, South Africa and Sweden, with Mount Gambier the only Australian location.
Visit redbullpumptrackworldchampionship.com for more information about the competition including the Mount Gambier event.
