The racing was at Redhead on Wednesday but for the rest of this week all the action will be on the western side of Lake Macquarie as the Australian Mountain Bike Championships shift into gear at Awaba.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In one of the first competitive events of the week-long, multi-discipline championships, riders competed in the 'Pump' format at the recently council-built tarmac track near Redhead beach.
About 120 participants raced against the clock in junior and senior age groups.
Coffs Harbour's Ryan Gilchrist won the open men's final, while Sydney's Elleni Turkovic was crowned national women's champion.
Earlier at Awaba Mountain Bike Park, there was an inaugural adaptive national championship for downhill racing. The adaptive format is for riders with disabilities.
On Thursday, there is XCR (cross country and road) racing while cross country and downhill practice continue. Friday's schedule features XCC (short track) racing.
The main drawcard, downhill racing, is on Saturday, with XCO (cross country Olympic) racing on Sunday.
Hunter Mountain Bike Association, which leases and manages the Awaba park, is hosting the national championships for the first time.
About 600 people will participate over the course of the week.
"It's huge, it's been 12 months in planning," club president Josh Bridson said.
"We've had a lot of volunteer-effort to get the park prepared.
"It's putting us on the international stage, hosting an event of this calibre."