Four Tasmanians contested the 2015 Australian MTBO Champs in the Anglesea area on Nov 6-8. The warm-up event used easy flowing single track in the forest of the You Yangs. Mountain bikers note that this park also has a maze of "black diamond" tracks but these were not part of the course.
The Sprint was held on the busy Torquay foreshore, with a number of marshalls on road crossings. MTBO debutant Arabella Phillips won in W14, and dad Simon was the best of the Tasmanian MAMILs.
The Middle used a complex of mostly firm, fast single track in coastal scrub on and off a bluff just out of Anglesea. Arabella took another 5-point win for Tasmania, and Darryl Smith this time led the Tassie M50s.
The Long used 4WD tracks and often rutted and mogulled trail bike tracks in a steeply dissected forest and an old flooded coal mine. Nice cool weather, interesting scenery and route choices, long climbs and some brutal descents, made this a great event. Darryl Smith was on the podium with Arabella this time, helping to give Tassie 4th position with 16 points.
Australia defeated a strong NZ contingent, and around 200 entrants made this the biggest Aus MTBO Champs yet. Next on the calendar is the Vic MTBO Champs around Beechworth on 16-17 April 2016, and Aus MTBO Champs in WA in Nov 2016.