Grant and Renee - MTB National Championships Trip 2024
2024 Saw the AusCycling MTB National Championships being held at Awaba towards the NSW beachside city of Newcastle.
Grant and Renee who both work out of the Push office in Adelaide and are representatives from the Bowhead Sport Development Team made the trip across to compete in the first ever proper MTB National Championships for both able bodied riders and adaptive riders alike. This was the first year that classes have been contested for both a Cross Country event as well as a Downhill event.
Riders from across Australia came to the same location with the same collective vision. Ride bikes, race bikes, have fun and get together with old faces and new ones alike.
For Grant and Renee it was a great chance to meet face to face a lot of riders and customers they've dealt with for some time in a work capacity actually out and enjoying the equipment they have helped them to acquire through their work at Push.
The organisers from both The Hunter Mountain bike Association, the local club holding the event and the Aus Cycling events team did a great job in making the event accessible and enjoyable for all the adaptive riders. Parking close to the event start finish hub and accessible bathrooms were well done. Most importantly as well, the courses for both the Cross Country and the Downhill were done really well.
The downhill racing was the most contested event and the one that most riders were excited for. There was a great variety in bikes as well as riders with varying levels of impairment present. As mentioned before, the course was really well suited to the different riders. The trail used is named Faulk Line and was something that anyone and everyone was able to ride and enjoy. The challenge being that the harder and faster you try to ride it, the difficulty level would then increase further. A perfect situation that allowed riders willing and wanting to push harder and faster to do so whilst those just wanting to get down at their own pace were able to do so!
In terms of categories for riders, this is a very new space for event organisers and collectively the group were able to help the organisers to work out suitable groupings. In the end, categories for men and women that looked like:
- Adaptive 3 Wheel Quad - Elbow or wrist braking
- Adaptive 3 Wheel Para - Regular braking with hands
- Adaptive 2 Wheel Analogue bike
- Adaptive 2 Wheel E-Bike
Collectively riders agreed this was a good way to break up the differences.
Getting into the racing in the Downhill event saw a number of great results and great racing among competitors. The 3 Wheel Quad category was always going to be interesting with both Forrest Campbell and Gordon Broome pushing each other and Forrest taking the win.
Renee and Coleen had a great race in the Women's 3 Wheel Para category with Renee proving to be too quick and even quick enough that her time would have slotted her into 3rd place in the Men's category!!!
Dan McCoy was way too quick for everyone in the two wheel E bike class and Patty Best cleaned up in the analogue bike category.
Grant managed to take the win in the 3 Wheel Para category choosing to ride his pedal powered Bowhead RX and despite a flatter and heavy pedalling section at the bottom of the course where the fully powered bikes and riders would have an advantage, he managed to still stay in front.
The Cross Country racing was well attended and held on a circuit that had a bit of everything from technical single track through to open fire road which presented opportunities for passing. It was super interesting to see all the different riders on different bikes and where some bikes and riders were faster and then slower.
Grant and Renee had a pretty epic battle amongst the 3 wheeled para riders. Renee was riding on her full powered Bowhead Reach whilst Grant was still on his pedal assist Bowhead RX. Close racing and a small bobble at the end saw Grant slip just in front of Renee to cross first. The jury tends to think Renee might have let Grant take this one but it made for great racing!
On the journey back home Grant and Renee dropped into the little town of Bright to stay for a couple of nights and get a big day of riding in on the Saturday with another Victorian Bowhead rider by the name of Rory "The MadDog" McKercher. Lots of good times were had, laps up and down some of the trails that work great for adaptive bikes.
All in all, a great trip and a great way to connect with customers, friends new and old and ride bikes and share the stoke that comes with it!
The big goal is to get even more people involved with the event next year! Get in touch with Grant or Renee if you would like to know more!