Elite Hobart road riders Nathan Earle and Nicole Frain claimed the respective titles king and queen of the mountain atop a freezing Ben Lomond.
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Prize money of $1000 each lures Tasmania's best climbers to try and beat the record times set by Launceston mountain bike royalty Rowena Fry and Ben Mather.
The records almost tumbled with Earle winning the men's race in 1 hour 11 minutes, just 20 seconds short of Mather's 2009 record.
Launceston's former world championship representatives Alex Lack and recently-crowned under-23 national champion Sam Fox tried in vain to hunt Earle down.
Frain, originally of Launceston, was just two minutes outside Fry's eight-year-old women's record, in 1 hour 36 minutes.
After 23 kilometres and 1250 metres of climbing, icy 50kph winds greeted the hardy riders finishing on the high plateau at Ben Lomond Ski Villiage.
The course winds its way up from the Blessington Hall on steep and rocky fire trails and cold creek crossings before climbing the gravel road up the spectacular and exposed Jacobs Ladder.
Weary riders battled snow flurries and a savage headwind on the final 3km.
After finishing, competitors donned warm jackets and returned down the mountain for a well-earned barbecue lunch and some much-needed warmth.
During the presentations, the Phil Crothers Award for Launceston Mountain Bike Club person of the year was awarded to president Peter Bird.
The good news for Tasmania's gun riders is that the $1000 prizes will return again in 2022.