Mountain biking in the Northern Territory is set to make its debut on the National Series race circuit.
John Pyper from the Central Australian Rough Riders (CARR) mountain bike club and Mountain Biking Australia executive officer Shane Coppin announced today that the Lasseters Easter in the Alice Mountain Bike Muster will be a part Australia’s National Cross Country Marathon Mountain Bike Series.
The Lasseters Easter in the Alice (LEITA) is a three-day, four-stage mountain biking event that utilises the mountain bike tracks around Alice Springs, NT. It is run by the local mountain bike club, the Central Australian Rough Riders (CARR).
From next year, the first stage of the LEITA will also be the first round of the National Marathon Mountain Bike Series. This is the first time in mountain bike history that the NT will host a round of a mountain biking national series.
Mr Pyper said: ‘This news is huge! It’s massive!’
‘The only other sport to hold a national series event in the NT that I know of is the Tatts Finke Desert Race.’ The Tatts Finke Desert Race, a two-day motorsports event, is part of the Australian Off Road Racing Series.
My Pyper said: ‘Adding Lasseters Easter in the Alice to the National Marathon Series will make our club-run event one the pre-eminent mountain bike events in the country.’
Mr Coppin from Mountain Biking Australia (MTBA) visited Alice Springs in the wake of this year’s LEITA event to discuss the recent mountain biking developments in the Red Centre and to discuss ways MTBA could support and further enhance that development. He was full of praise for the riding scene in Alice Springs and the Lasseters Easter in the Alice event, with its trademark emphasis on participation and Territory-style hospitality.
‘It’s a very active scene,’ Mr Coppin said. ‘There’s a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of support from council and local tourism bodies.
‘JP (Pyper) is a very passionate character, and he and the club are putting on a great event.’
Mr Coppin hopes the NT round of the National Marathon Mountain Bike Series will attract riders of all skill levels and abilities.
‘As executive office of MTBA, one of my goals is to host a national event in every state, to ensure that as a national body, we’re putting on a truly national series, taking mountain bikers to as many points across the country as possible.
‘MTBA recognises the challenges of hosting events like this in a place like Alice Springs. Linking a national series like this to a national holiday gives people a chance to travel to these places and to ride in these events.
‘I encourage riders to travel to Alice Springs to ride in the National Marathon Series and associated events.
‘The quality of the event and the hospitality you will receive in Alice Springs is impressive. I enjoyed my time in Alice Springs,’ Mr Coppin said.
About Easter in the Alice Mountain Bike Muster
The Lasseters Easter in the Alice MTB Muster is a three-day, four-stage mountain biking event, plus a kids ride. It is run by the Central Australian Rough Riders (CARR), and it is held in Alice Springs from the Saturday to the Monday of the Easter long weekend.
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To learn more about this, please contact
John Pyper
Race director – Lassters Easter in the Alice Mountain Bike Muster
President – Central Australian Rough Riders (CARR) mountain bike club
jpmtbnt@gmail.com