The normally sleepy township of Derby has been given a rude awakening.
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A round of the mountain bike Enduro World Series is being staged in Australia for the first time, generating a buzz not experienced in the town since 1874, when George Renison Bell discovered tin in the area.
More than 300 elite riders have descended on the 80 kilometres of mountain bike trails, some of which were available to ride for the first time on Friday ahead of the weekend’s races.
Numerous different languages can be heard through the main street and deep into the surrounding forests.
An event village has taken over part of the grassy area alongside the Ringarooma River with numerous traders looking for sales among the international clientele from global brands like Shimano to local businesses like Scottsdale’s Cottage Bakery.
More than 50 international media are covering the series which began last month in New Zealand and will also visit Madeira (Portugal), County Wicklow (Ireland), Millau (France), Aspen (USA), Whistler (Canada) and Ligure (Italy).
The new trails appeared to receive positive feedback from both the mountain bike media and the riders on Friday with an iconic rock split on Detonator generating plenty of discussion along with Trouty which passes the town’s famous painted fish.
The Derby trails have previously hosted the Australian marathon mountain bike championship and will be in the running to welcome the EWS back to Australia in 2019.
The main EWS race will be on Sunday at 8am.
- RIDER REACTION: Page 68
Rob Shaw
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
