Success for Colin, Sharon Locke at mountain bike marathon world champs

And that rings true for Trevallyn's Colin and Sharon Locke who share a love of mountain biking.

With their 35^th wedding anniversary coming up, the couple both enjoyed individual success at their first mountain bike marathon masters world championships in Western Australia.

They were among numerous Tasmanian competitors at last weekend's event.

Colin, 57, won the 55-59 age category in a time of 3.01.39 hours on the 60-kilometre course in Dwellingup near Perth.

He was thrilled to take home a coveted rainbow jersey and add to his national titles.

Colin felt his climbing was his biggest asset.

"It was a pretty steep course in places and really punchy, steep, short climbs," he said.

"After the climbing, I could still go pretty hard on the flats and just keep the pace up."

READ MORE: JackJumpers enjoy tidy pre-season, raring to go for season-opener

A stoked Sharon had to wait to hear the news she claimed third in the women's 55-59 category with her time of 4.08.34 hours.

"I just went as hard as I could and actually crossed the line technically, in fourth," she said.

"When we checked the results, there was a man incorrectly entered in the women's."

While they came home with individual medals, it was a true team effort.

Colin is the mechanic keeping the bikes in good working order while Sharon looks after their nutrition.

"I'm a bit OCD in training I get really focused on trying to get everything perfect," Sharon said.

"He calms me down .... I couldn't do it without his support. It's just awesome to travel together. When Col told me he'd won, I just burst into tears. I was so happy for him."

Sharon is Colin's number one support when it comes to his 24-consecutive hours of mountain biking events.

He likewise said he couldn't do it without her help and it'll be all hands on deck when Colin competes in the 24-hour worlds in Armidale, NSW, in November.

The couple took up mountain biking in the past 15 years with Sharon following Colin's lead.

Sharon has been competing for about three years and gave great insight into the culture.

"I love being fit and healthy as a 55-year-old woman, I like pushing those boundaries," she said.

"I get some very interesting reactions when I tell people I mountain bike and at what level.

"It's like 'oh, do you?'"

She said she enjoyed defying that stereotype and said there was great camaraderie among the 50-plus age group.

"We all get along really well and support each other because we're doing something we're not expected to do in society," she said.

The couple train in spots such as Wild Mersey, George Town and St Helens.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: