Cycling Australia

Saturday, 27 January 2007

The Management Committee of the UCI (International Cycling Union) at a meeting overnight in Belgium confirmed Canberra as the host city of the 2009 Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships. The Championships will be staged from September 1 to 6, 2009 and are expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors from up to 40 countries.

UCI Vice President, Ray Godkin OAM, said the UCI was impressed by Australia’s passion for mountain biking and the quality of the proposed venue – Canberra’s new $7.5 million world-class Stromlo Forest Park - where the Australian Mountain Bike Championships are currently being contested.

“Australia has a proven track record of hosting world class events and we are confident Canberra will deliver an outstanding World Championships,” Mr Godkin said.

The event will involve more than 750 of the world's top riders who will compete in the four mountain bike disciplines of Cross Country, Downhill, Four Cross and Observed Trials for the honour of being crowned World Champion.

Cycling Australia President Mike Victor said being awarded the right to host the Mountain Bike World Championships is a major coup and will not only highlight the talent of our elite mountain bikers but the excellence or our sporting organisers.

“The World Championships will put mountain biking well and truly in the spotlight both nationally and internationally and showcase Australia's emerging dominance in a cycling discipline that continues to go from strength to strength,” Mr Victor said.

Canberra Off Road Cyclists (CORC) and Apis Events have joined forces to host and manage the 2009 World Championships. MTB World Events, the CORC-Apis joint venture company will oversee the planning, organisation and running of the 2009 UCI World Championships.

CORC president Anthony Burton said it was a historic achievement for the ACT to host the World Championships and a major vote of confidence for the local mountain biking community.

“It's a perfect chance to highlight Stromlo Forest Park and Canberra as the number one mountain biking venue in Australia and a must-see facility for riders around the world,” Mr Burton said. “We are perfectly positioned to deliver a highly successful World Championships."

Stromlo Forest Park is Australia's most advanced, purpose-built mountain bike park with cutting edge courses designed by renowned international course expert Glen Jacobs.

Background Facts

• World Championships head Down Under
  The 2009 International Cycling Union (UCI) Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships is the world's largest and most prestigious annual mountain bike event. To be staged in Australia's capital city, Canberra, from September 1-6 at the new, purpose-built Stromlo Forest Park, the World Championships will attract more than 750 of the world's top riders from up to 40 countries. Elite riders will compete across the four mountain bike disciplines of Cross Country, Downhill, Four Cross and Observed Trials for the honour of being crowned World Champion. The World Championships is the pinnacle international competition on the calendar for Downhill, Four Cross and Observed Trials and second only to the Olympics Games for Cross Country. An estimated $20 million is expected to be injected into the local economy from the large-scale event that will attract about 30,000 international visitors on key days of the competition, together with a worldwide television audience of 25 million and significant levels of international media coverage.
• 
  Stromlo Forest Park – the world's ultimate sporting venue
  Stromlo Forest Park is Australia's most advanced, purpose-built mountain bike park with cutting edge courses designed by renowned international course designer Glen Jacobs. The onestop-shop sporting facility features internationally-accredited mountain bike tracks including a world-class downhill track, monster mountain cross facility, a permanent trials home and over 60km of sweet cross country trails with plans for more to come in the future. The park also caters for all levels of riders from beginners to mountain bike experts. Spread across 1000 hectares and located 10 minutes drive from the heart of Canberra, the $7.5 million multi-use, purpose-built park was constructed following the 2003 Canberra bushfires that destroyed Mount Stromlo Forest. During the world championships, the site will also embrace a festival atmosphere with a wide range of action-packed activities, displays and typically Australian attractions. The park also boasts a spacious event pavilion, criterium cycling circuit, grass cross country running track and horse trails.
• 
  MTB World Events
  Canberra Off Road Cyclists (CORC) and Apis Events have joined forces to host and manage the 2009 World Championships. MTB World Events, the CORC-Apis joint venture company will
  oversee the planning, organisation and running of the World Championships, which will be
  broadcast to an audience of tens of millions worldwide. CORC and Apis have previously
  delivered high profile mountain bike events including the award winning SCOTT Australian 24-Hour Mountain Bike Championships - the world's largest 24hr mountain bike event and the 2007 TicketMates Australian Mountain Bike Championships.
• 
  About CORC
  Born in 1989 when mountain bikes first started to become popular, CORC is one of Australia’s most active mountain bike clubs with more than 560 members. The non-profit, membership organisation facilitates and promotes safe and environmentally conscientious off-road bicycling. CORC is an affiliated club of Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) Inc and has association with the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), and other local, regional and national cycling interest groups.
• 
  About Apis Events
  Apis Events is a specialist event management team within the Apis Consulting Group, a
  Canberra-based international project management business. Apis boasts a highly experienced team of more than 50 professional project managers, successfully delivering project-based outcomes for government and the private sector since 1999, with additional offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, Singapore and the Middle East. The combination of Apis’ core project management and sport marketing experience means that Apis can provide a strong events management and media marketing capability to professionally deliver a diverse range of events and marketing solutions.

For further information (media only) please contact:
Gennie Sheer, Sheer Rhetoric - Communications Director, Cycling Australia
Tel: +61 (0) 418 863 533

Sharon Payne - MTBA Media Manager
Tel: +61 412 773 500

Karrie-anne Lawson - APIS Events
Tel: +61 418 669 549