THE Valley Lakes trails were a hive of activity on the weekend, with the Inside Line Downhill Mountain Bike Club holding round six of the South Australian championships at the venue.
A big field of around 170 rolled into the region for the event, the fourth time the club has held the round at the Valley Lakes location, but this year witha changed track layout.
Mount Gambier rider Callum Morrison claimed the honours in the elite class, with a sizzling time of 2:20.029.
But it was not just the elite riders who enjoyed the competition, with various classes from novice, to sport and right up to super masters.
Inside Line president Ben Anderson said he was pleased with the way the weekend ran in a big year for the club.
“This is our 25th anniversary year which we have been celebrating,” he said.
“We are one of the oldest mountain bike clubs in the world which has been continually operating and one of the only downhill specific clubs.
“We are pretty happy with the way it all went.
“We had about 170 riders on the weekend, which is the biggest race we have had in Mount Gambier.
“With some people doing a few classes, we had over 200 timed runs.
“It was a really good turnout.”
Anderson said the event was embraced by the Mount Gambier riders, who put in a lot of hard work to bring the track up to scratch for the weekend.
“The local boys added some new features to change the track up a bit this year,” he said.
“The Mount Gambier boys and club are really good and do a lot of work for us.”
Anderson said the Mount Gambier round appealed to the Inside Line club – which is based in Blackwood, Adelaide – for a number of reasons.
“It is called the South Australian state series so we do try to get around the place,” he said.
“We used to go to Melrose in the Southern Flinders to have an away round.
“Originally the Mount Gambier lads approached us about using the crater – everybody really enjoys riding the track in the nice black volcanic loam.
“We have always been well received and get a lot of help from the local people and council.
“They make it easy for us to run the event.”
The various classes ensure everyone has a chance to experience the thrill of the downhill format, regardless of age or ability.
The younger riders start out at around 10 years of age, while the super masters category is for over 65s.
Anderson said a lot more women were also becoming involved with the sport.
He said the chainless class was always an interesting spectacle, with riders needing to use momentum to create a strong time.
“That really shows the skills people have to be able to go that fast without being able to pedal,” Anderson said.
“It is always a fun class to watch.
“This year we also ran a retro class as part of our 25th anniversary.
“You had to ride a bike built before 2005 and that was another fun class.”
Competitors from Victoria headed across the border to race this year, which all equated to another successful event, which continues to grow in popularity and size.
It appears the event will continue to be run in the Blue Lake City, if Anderson has any say in the matter.
“Early in the piece we had about 120 to 130 competitors,” he said.
“Our club membership and entries have improved each year.
“This year the mayor came down and did a speech and helped with the presentations and she was keen to have us back.”
