This Sunday marks a first in local sport when Walcha hosts the third round of the northern Inland Cross Country series (NIXC), a five-race mountain bike competition held in Manilla, Tamworth, Walcha, Armidale and Inverell.
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The Walcha leg will be conducted at the newly constructed Common Track on the corner of the Uralla and Ohio North roads.
Local mountain bike enthusiasts including the Feltham and Ledingham families and Graeme Wall have been busy building a 9 kilometre track throughout bushland at the local common and first impressions of the layout have been very positive.
There will be some very talented riders competing this Sunday including former world 24 hour champion Sean Bekkers, current under 23 Australian champion and world 24 hour champion Holly Harris and two time under 15 Australian cross country champion Katherine Hoskings.
Walcha’s own Jack Feltham, who won a bronze medal in the Enduro at the national championships earlier in the year and is a current member of the NIAS Mountain bike team, will also be strutting his stuff as will bronze medallist at the Australian Cross Country championships Michael Harris.
The race will be run in various categories including Olympic Cross Country (XCO) with the format under 15 (two laps), under 17 (three laps), under 19 (four laps), open (five laps), masters (four laps), sports (three laps), and dirt masters under 12 (20 minutes).
Registration is from 9am with all the action kicking off at 10am.
Organiser Chris Feltham invites and encourages locals to either enter as riders or come along as spectators.
Anyone who wants to race on eh day can enter on the MTBA website or purchase a day licence for the day. Down the track Walcha is looking at having two new England Mountain bike (NEMTB) run races per year but the new track is not just for racing there is an aim to hold regular social rides as well.
Members of the NEMTB club have tested out the new track giving it the tick of approval and several local riders who have made the 9 kilometre journey have been equally impressed.
Plans are already in place to hold a skills clinic under the guidance of ‘Bicycle Central on Marsh’ boss Dave Harris and his daughter Holly as well as Try Mountain Biking Rides and possibly introduce mountain biking as a local school sport.
