2014 THULE | Gravitate Mountain Bike Festival
Another year done and dusted for the THULE | Gravitate Mountain Bike Festival.
Another year done and dusted for the THULE | Gravitate Mountain Bike Festival. This iconic festival drew in numbers from the far reaches of Queensland and beyond for a long weekend of action and excitement. Kicking the festivities off was the eagerly awaited return of the Jungle Dual-Slalom, elbow to elbow racing under lights on Thursday night.
Friday Night saw the Pump-Track Challenge running alongside the Pony Xpress XC, where riders battled it out in teams to complete as many laps of the fast Rainforest course through the Smithfield MTB Park as they could within 2 hours. The Cairns BMX Club contingency showed up in force for the Pump-Track, showing off their unique set of skills adapted from years of racing in front of the MTB’ers and the crowd.
The atmosphere among the riders, both XC and pump track, the music, the wood-fired pizza truck keeping everyone fed and the crowd was a true sight to exactly what Gravitate stands for. The region has such a unique culture within the MTB scene, and is one that has the potential to spread across the nation over the coming years.
Saturday saw the kids come out and sink their teeth into the sport for perhaps their first time, with skills clinics and introductory racing going on around the UCI Worlds-Site. While one generation of riders grows, and moves onwards the local scene does an excellent job in bringing in the newest generation and educating them in all aspects of the sport.
Sunday was the centurion effort of the Dawn-to-Dusk DH tour. Broken bikes and broken bodies are a given, yet every year a large group of (slightly crazy) DH riders put themselves up to the challenge to ride as many of the regions infamous and notorious DH trails as daylight allows. A unique concept in its own, this day is often the main reason travellers for Gravitate make the pilgrimage.
Finally, the first showcase for the new BowHunters Dirt Jumps got underway during Monday Afternoon to close off the long weekend. Evan Winton, mastermind and builder behind the project along with a group of riders including BMX regulars took to the jumps for the first time in front of a large, and rather excited crowd. To see the positive reaction from the riders and crowd was a huge push in having these facilities recognised beyond just the riders in a traditionally ‘underground’ scene, and will pave the future for the coming years where we can only expect to see things built upon further.
