This year’s race, famously named ‘pleasure and pain’, attracted over 320 starters, from all over Australia, to the subtropical rain forest.

Blessed with perfect racing conditions the scene was set at the testing course, which displays some of the best single track in Australia.

Brian started very strongly and powered himself into a good race position. However, 12 kilometres into the race, Brian had the misfortune of a rear-gear failure, due to an unwanted stick.

But with lots of determination, and what some would say a quick fix, Brian was back on track for his 100-kilometre marathon.

As many riders succumbed to the challenging track, Brian continued on and completed the 100 kilometres with a smile on his face.

When asked about his broken gear so early in the race, he stated, “thats racing”.

Prior to the 8.00am start, Dr Mark Smith was well prepared and, once under race conditions, it seemed to pay off as, after four hours on the bike, it saw him well placed at the 75-kilometre stage.

With each lap of the course, comprising of a winding and very technical 25 kilometres, Dr Smith maintained a good pace and pushed his way through the field, seeing him finish on the podium to take out third place in his class.

Congratulations to both riders who represented the Nambucca Valley well. Both Brian and Mark are also competing in this years mid-north coast mountain bike series, which involves racing at Bonville, Kempsey, Grafton, Telegraph Point and Armidale.

For those interested in becoming involved in Mountain Bike riding contact your local bike shop or their web sites.