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First centenary for Rocky Trail with JetBlack 24 Hour Race

Wednesday 27 November 2013, 4:03PM

By Rocky Trail Media

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 Race start at the JetBlack 24 Hour race at The Australian Botanic Garden, Mt Annan.
Race start at the JetBlack 24 Hour race at The Australian Botanic Garden, Mt Annan. Credit: OuterImage.com.au
Brett Bellchambers, regular Rocky Trail racer and strong contender for the JetBlack 24 Hour elite solo win.
Brett Bellchambers, regular Rocky Trail racer and strong contender for the JetBlack 24 Hour elite solo win. Credit: OuterImage.com.au
National Downhill Champion Danielle Beecroft, junior ambassador for mountain biking in Australia.
National Downhill Champion Danielle Beecroft, junior ambassador for mountain biking in Australia. Credit: Ales Matousek
Crocodile Trophy runner up 2013 and Canadian National Marathon MTB Champion Cory Wallace to compete in JetBlack 6+6 Hour competition this weekend.
Crocodile Trophy runner up 2013 and Canadian National Marathon MTB Champion Cory Wallace to compete in JetBlack 6+6 Hour competition this weekend. Credit: Kenneth Lorentsen
JetBlack Racing Team: launch of Australia's biggest amateur racing team this weekend.
JetBlack Racing Team: launch of Australia's biggest amateur racing team this weekend. Credit: JetBlack Racing

For the third time the JetBlack 24 Hour mountain bike endurance race will be held at the iconic Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan this weekend. It will be the 100th race hosted by Rocky Trail Entertainment since the cycling events company was founded in 2008. The organisers expect more than 500 solo and team racers at the popular 10 km trail near Campbelltown, including Australia’s Junior Mountain Biker of the year, Danielle Beecroft, and Canada’s National Marathon Champion, Cory Wallace.

At the JetBlack 24 Hour riders will participate in teams or challenge themselves to a solo 24-hour race around the Enduro Trail, one of Sydney’s most popular mountain bike tracks. The race track will be around 10 km in length per lap for the event. Race start is on Saturday at midday.

Team categories popular in 2013
One of the strongest contenders for this year’s JetBlack 24 Hour solo elite race win will be Singlespeed 24 Hour Solo World Champion Brett Bellchambers from Canberra. Multiple-JetBlack 24 Hour winner Jason English and Jessica Douglas, the reigning 24 Hour Solo MTB World Champions overall are noticeably absent, however, the race attracts some of the best endurance racers in the country and also international guests says event director Juliane Wisata. “Australia hosted the 24 Hour Solo Worlds in October and I think a lot of solo riders are still recovering. We have about 20 solo racers at the start and across the board our event has strong growth in the team categories - we actually have a lot of the new local 24 Hour World Champions' names pop up among those teams.”

The event will host the launch of Australia’s largest amateur racing team. The JetBlack Racing Team includes over 45 male and female riders, ranging in age from 20 to over 60 these riders will compete in MTB races all over NSW in 2014. Another huge team will be the almost 30 riders and juniors who will be competing for the Indigenous MTB Team of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.

“We love that our races attract such big groups of riders – they’re exactly what our company is all about: racing competitively, but having fun doing so, being inclusive of all kinds of riders who set themselves a goal to race and be the best they can be.”

Local and international racing stars at the start line
A regular at Rocky Trail downhill events and showing her strong form across all racing disciplines is Danielle Beecroft. The 2013 Cycling Australia Junior Mountain Biker of the year will be at the start as a 6+6 hour team racer. More than one third of the field will compete in the 6+6 hour race. Riders have a break overnight after 6 hours of racing on Saturday, before racing for another 6 hours the next day until 12pm.

More than 30 solo riders will compete in it as well, including the Canadian National Marathon Champion and fourth at in the 24 Hour Solo World Championships 2013, Cory Wallace, who is excited to finish his trip Down Under with Rocky Trail. “I’ve known Juliane and Martin for years from racing at the Crocodile Trophy – I’m stoked that I finally get to race one of their events and the fact that it’s such a milestone makes it all the more special.”

Online registration is open until 8pm tonight, Wednesday 27 November, at www.rockytrailentertainment.com