Queensland XCO State Championships head to Mackay

Mackay has been better known for mining than mountain biking over the past decade – but times are changing. With the hot pace of mine development having slowed down, the face of Mackay is changing. Transient workers are on the way out, and a stronger sense of community is on the up.

Part of that is the growing cycling and mountain biking community, especially with the Mackay and District Mountain Bike Club (MAD MTBC). We've got a full feature on the trails in and around Mackay coming up in our next issue, but what we really want to share is how rad their MTB Park is, where the 2016 Queensland XCO State Championships will be held on October 2nd.

A look at the trails

We were invited up by MAD MTBC Vice President Peter Lister. LIster is ever-present on the national XCO scene, and has ridden and raced in many corners of our country and the globe. That experience has been essential to creating the trails at the mountain bike park which is about a 20 minute ride from the CBD.

The XCO course is set to take in about a 5km lap at the park, starting in the grassy staging area and leading into a not overly steep climb into the rainforest. Winter is the dry season, and you can expect to be riding on dry dirtt with exposed rocks and roots, not on rainforest mud in October.

The course moves onto some wider benches and traversing trails, through a creek crossing and onto another climb, before the trail tightens up into a switchback singletrack climb. You'll need to crest with plenty of focus as you shoot straight into a long, rock filled descent, with drops to take if you want to straight line sections, or even a wider B line that will suit some grades better.

The course swoops down through the forest, using natural features to create national level technical features. There are gap jumps, step downs, berms, big rock gardens, and technical climbs. The course is an assett for Northern Queensland, and offers some very similar terrain and climate to Smithfield – but with less stinging trees.

The race

With the Queensland XCO State Championships falling on the October long weekend, getting there couldn't be easier. mackay is about a 4hr drive from Townsville or Rockhampton, and about 1h30min flight from Brisbane, depending what aircraft you are on. So there's time to head there on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, do some race recon, then race on Sunday. You've got Monday to relax and eventually make your way home before getting back to the real world on Tuesday.

The club has even negotiated preferential rates with Quest Apartments – but you'll be best to head to the event page for full details.

Don't miss our full feature on Mackay in our September Issue