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Tathra MTB Enduro – Mountain Bike Race
WHEN: March 26-27, 2011
WHERE: Tathra, Far South Coast, NSW (Five hours south of Sydney, 2.5hrs hours south east of Canberra and 3.5hrs north of Bairnsdale).
DISTANCE: Saturday - 10km prologue. Sunday - 20km, Goat’s Knob 50km, King Nelba 100km and a 2km kids race.
ENTRIES: Entries open December 2010. www.mountainbiking.com.au/tathraenduro
Race IntroductionThe Tathra MTB Enduro is a mountain biking odyssey that pays homage to the early coastal pioneers and captures the best of beaches, the forests and the mountains. From Tathra Beach , Moon Bay, and “Gillards” the event offers a rare opportunity to race along the coastline, tracking through reclaimed farmland and the stunning Mimosa Rocks National Park.
Local history is full of old tales about gold being in ‘them thar hills’. Hundreds of prospectors flooded into the area in the 1850s. Whilst the boom in Tanja proved short lived – the prospectors have left behind a “gold mine” of trails. Loggers also plied their trade in the early to mid 1900s in the nearby Tanja forests. The forests were alive as teams of men and beast felled the native hardwood trees for building, railway sleepers, bridge beams and latterly telegraph poles and mine struts. Saw mills sprouted like mushrooms and locations like Goat’s Knob, Hell Holes, Monkey Dung and Vimy Ridge are now entrenched local landmarks. These earlier pioneers have inadvertently created a modern mountain bikers dream, their legacy a labyrinth of old mining and logging trails ripe for riding.
These trails form the heart of the Tathra MTB Enduro, offering a mix of forest roads, double track and secret stashes of single track deep in the heart of the coastal wilderness. For those familiar with Tathra’s established single trails – rest assured these iconic super quick paths are also in the mix. But as pretty as the picture is, the Tathra MTB Enduro also offers some of the same hardships shown to the early settlers. You’ll no doubt spare a thought for that poor bullock, snigging a 500kg log from the forest when you tackle the mountains and the gullies.
50kers can expect to climb some 1000m, as they race from the beach to the full height of Dr George Mountain, before plunging back down to the sea. Those opting for the epic 100km can expect plenty more, as they tickle the trigs and ride perilously close to the district’s highest point.
Are you up for the challenge? You still want more?The Tathra Enduro is a mere appetiser of the district’s mountain biking menu. It is the aim of the event to promote Tathra, its surrounding forests and National Parks as a coastal mountain biking destination. Sweet single track can also be found at the nearby Manna Park and Mandeni Resorts (near Merimbula) and at Bermagui, 30 minutes north of Tathra.
WHO ARE WE?
The Tathra Enduro is a collaboration between the local mountain bike club - Wilderness Coast and Snowy Mountains MTB Inc – and environmental group Clean Energy for Eternity (CEFE). Profits from the Tathra Enduro will directly benefit the community – through the provision of solar panels for local service organisations. Wilderness Coast and Snowy Mountains Mountain Bike Club Wilderness Coast and Snowy Mountains Bike Club Inc was formed in 2008, bringing together passionate mountain bike riders in Tathra and Thredbo. The club has sought to promote X-Country riding at Tathra, and been involved in the construction of over 21km of challenging coastal single trail – in the eucalypt forests that surround the coastal tourist town. In addition the Club has mapped hundreds of kilometres of challenging fire trails and logging tracks in the surrounding Mimosa Rocks and in Bournda National Parks!In 2009 the club held its first race, a 4hr Enduro at the Manna Park circuit, and is involved in ongoing talks with National Parks and State Forests about future trail development.
Clean Energy for EternityCommunity group Clean Energy For Eternity (CEFE) was created in May 2006 to raise awareness about climate change and look at achievable solutions.Founder Matt Nott and CEFE have sought to establish South East NSW as a centre of excellence for renewable energy, and since the formation of the first human sign on Tathra Beach, have raised over $100,000 for solar panels and other clean energy programs.
In 2006 CEFE secured a major regional coup with the Bega Valley Shire Council adopting it 50/50 by 2020 clean energy target. The Snowy River, Bombala and Cooma Shire Councils have also adopted the target which requires 50 per cent of each shire’s energy requirements to come from renewable sources by the year 2020. The 50/50 by 2020 campaign has also attracted national attention with CEFE a finalist in the Australian Museum’s Eureka Awards (Innovative solutions for Climate Change) for the past four years.In 2011, the organisation continues its clean energy campaign through the placement of solar panels on rooftops of local organisations.
