Thrills and spills: bikers push limit as event puts Lake Mac on map

The GWM Mountain Bike National Championships 2024 was held at Awaba's renowned track at the foot of the Watagan Mountains across six days, wrapping up on Sunday.

Footage captured trackside revealed the thrills and spills of the event - riders navigating huge rocks and slippery slopes at speed, with some taking a tumble.

A full medical team - including a doctor - was on site to treat patients that had come off and injured wrists, legs, shoulders, pelvises and collarbones, and those that needed further treatment were looked after at John Hunter Hospital.

Hunter Mountain Bike Association president Josh Bridson said it was nothing out of the ordinary for a competition of its size and calibre.

"Accidents are a part of the sport, because we're pushing things to the limit, particularly at the national level," he said.

Competitors - including world-class athletes bound for the 2024 Paris Olympics and UCI World Championships - were riding their hardest for the green and gold striped jersey.

Broken bones appeared to be the worst it got and "nothing out of the ordinary" was reported, according to Mr Bridson.

It's understood one rider who fractured their pelvis in a fall returned on crutches the next day to watch and cheer.

The championship events were well-supported by spectators, with Saturday's downhill event drawing an estimated crowd of thousands to the mountain.

Mr Bridson said the Awaba Mountain Bike Park was home to one of the three toughest downhill trails in Australia, with large rocks that catch out riders and bikes alike.

Competitors battled challenging weather conditions across the week as hot, dry weather gave out to rain the morning of the highly-technical cross country event on Sunday.

Hunter Mountain Bike Association volunteers worked tirelessly for months to ready the different tracks, creating new sections that had never been ridden competitively before, with Forestry Corporation of NSW allowing them to make it their playground.

Lake Macquarie hosted the GWM Mountain Bike National Championships for the first time this year after it was moved from Thredbo.

"In general it has gone extremely well, better than we could have hoped for," Mr Bridson said.

"AusCycling has been super impressed ... and based on how successful it has been, they would certainly be open to visiting the area again."

Event manager Ian Harwood said it was too early to say whether Lake Macquarie would play host again but said discussions would be held after the 2024 championships wrapped up.

"We've certainly had an enjoyable time here at Lake Macquarie," he said.

The championships also showcased the pump track next to Redhead beach at events earlier in the week.

Lake Macquarie City Council mayor Kay Fraser said more than 1000 competitors, their families and friends were part of the event, which brought a major tourism and economic boost to the region.

"We are becoming known as the capital for mountain biking competitions here in Lake Macquarie, we've got a fantastic track," she said.

"It's got some really tricky sections and some high adrenaline areas.

"It's putting us on the map, which is great."

In the downhill racing on Saturday, Lake Macquarie-based rider Jack Moir was denied a hometown victory by less than a second in the elite men's category.

The former world enduro champion, coming down 'The Monkey' track, Awaba's premier downhill line, clocked a time of 3:26.40 but was beaten by North Coast product Luke Meier-Smith (3:25.62).

Meier-Smith had a nervous wait as two-time world junior champion Troy Brosnan, who had qualified fastest, came down the hill as the final rider on course, but the South Australian's time of 3:27.21 was only good enough for third.

The Central Coast's Ellie Smith won gold in the elite women's category with a time of 4:05.18, a staggering 14 seconds clear of silver medallist Elise Empey.

In the short-track cross country championships on Friday, Canberra pair Zoe Cuthbert and Dan McConnell claimed the elite women's and men's categories, respectively.

On Sunday, in the Olympic cross country discipline, Cameron Ivory won the elite men's race, while Rebecca Henderson was crowned elite women's champion.