Western Australia to host mountain bike world championships as state launches MTB strategy

Western Australia will host 2023 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon Masters World Championships as part of the Dwellingup 100 event in September next year.

Marking the first time the world championship event has been held outside Italy, thousands of visitors are expected to descend on the South-West of the state for the festival of mountain biking.

Already Western Australia 's largest one-day mountain bike race, the addition of the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon Masters World Championships to the schedule will see the Dwellingup 100 series will extended to four days in 2023.

The UCI Mountain Bike Marathon Masters World Championships caters to mountain bike enthusiasts of all abilities from around the world, from novices to elite riders.

Cyclists who meet the minimum age criteria of 30 years will be eligible to race in the 100km and 60km distance events.

Each course has been curated by a team of mountain biking experts and designed to highlight the region's natural attractions, including parts of the Marrinup State Forest, Nanga Forest and Lane Poole Reserve, as well as sections of the iconic Munda Biddi Trail and Bibbulmun Track.

In the lead-up to the Championship race, contestants will have the opportunity to test out the local terrain and ride sections of the course via a series of planned familiarisation days.

Dwellingup 100 will also host a range of activities outside of the competition, including a Welcome Ceremony which will involve a Parade of Nations through the main street of Dwellingup.

Both the Dwellingup 100 and 2023 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon Masters World Championships are supported by the Western Australian Government, through Tourism WA's Regional Events Program.

The mass participation event will start on 14th September 2023.

Western Australian MTB strategy
Developed by WestCycle in partnership with Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and WestCycle, the Mountain Bike Strategy: mountain biking and off-road cycling in Western Australia 2022-2032, identifies 59 recommendations which seek to address the key challenges facing mountain biking in Western Australia and help build on the strong foundations that have been established for mountain biking across the state in recent years.

The launch of the strategy was followed by a guided mountain bike ride on some of the newly completed Dwellingup Towns Trails, and the Munda Biddi trail.

The strategy provides an updated direction for mountain biking in Western Australia, outlining a vision for “more West Australians and visitors to access and participate in mountain bike opportunities that are sustainable and provide long term health, economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits to the community”.

Click here to view the Mountain Bike Strategy: mountain biking and off-road cycling in Western Australia 2022-2032.

Images: the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon Masters World Championships (top) and the Dwellingup moutain bike trail (below, credit: The Event Team/Clip Media).