25 February 2010 For Immediate Release
The final details are being put into place for the 2010 DT Swiss Mountains To Beach with the organizers out this week signing the first few race stages of the near 400km of an intricate route through the bush of south eastern NSW, Australia.
Saturday see the 150 mountain bikers and their supporters arriving in the Snowy Mountains resort of Thredbo to prepare for the start of the race on Monday 1 March.
“It’s great to be back in Thredbo for the 2010 race” said Event Director Huw Kingston of Wild Horizons.
“The whole route is looking spectacular, with everything so verdant after the February deluges. Mind you the 600mm of rain received on the Far South Coast of NSW has made some of our final coastal race stages a little more interesting. We ve told riders to pack their water wings and snorkels!” he added.
Meanwhile Jason English, defending Mountains To Beach champion and World 24 Hour MTB Champion has been musing on his chances for the 2010 event:
“The Mountains To Beach was my favourite event last year with it s awesome combination of short, fast race stages and long marathon stages all with the backdrop of stunning landscapes (except for the Ay Up Dawn Raid raced in the dark, when all you could see was the track lit up in front of you!)”
“Last year I was riding as part a team who helped me throughout the week and I also had the full support of Dirt Works and my wife Jen to keep bike and body going. This year I m racing as an individual.”
“With all of the top 5 riders back again for 2010 I think this will be a close race. Andy Blair, pumped after his World Championship and World Cup racing, is keen to avenge the 20 seconds I beat him by in 2009 after 5 days of racing.”
“Nick Menager has been getting seriously quick, and Dennis Van Mil is always a threat in long races.”
“Next week I’ll be riding a brand new bike. Last year I broke a chain on one stage, got a little lost on another. In 2010 I’ll run heavier tires and try and limit any chance of a mechanical and will be watching the signage more carefully!”
At 8am on Monday 1 March, riders will take the chairlift from Thredbo to the start on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko and finish with a beach sprint across the sands at Narooma some 2000 metres lower and 400km in distance on Friday 5 March.
The event consists of 6 timed Race Stages and 4 untimed Cruise stages and covers all types of terrain from screaming downhill runs, across the snow plains and high country and into lush rainforest before finishing with a run up the coastline, crossing rivers and creeks swollen from recent torrential rains and negotiating sandbars
which weren t there last week.
Further details on the event can be found on www.wildhorizons.com.au
source: Beverley Atkins
InSync Public Relations & Event Management
