The Victorian Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships are being conducted on the weekend of April 17-18^th in the Beechworth area.   There will be sprint and middle events on the Saturday followed by the long distance championships at Stanley on Sunday morning.

These Championships are also the selection trials for the MTBO World Championships (both junior & elite) to be held in Portugal later in the year.

Nominations for the 2016 Australian MTBO Team must be made before the event commences via this link – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W7HFHQN

For more information contact Craig Steffens, Chair of Selectors, 0418871193

Angus Robinson, last year’s JWOC sprint gold medallist and Orienteering Australia’s 2015 “Athlete of the Year” will make his championship debut in the elite class at this event.  Will he immediately dominate in the elite ranks or will some of the older and more experienced guys still take the top podium?    Carolyn Jackson, the new Australian team coach, would be relatively happy to see some local women post faster times than her in the women’s elite races.  Hopefully there will be some more juniors looking to impress selectors and gain Australian selection.

The Middle, which commences at 11am Saturday, is on an enlarged Indigo Winery map utilising farm tracks, vineyard rows, cross country on open farmland, and purpose built single trail.

The Sprint will have starts from 4pm.  Courses set by Thorlene Egerton, include the historic Mayday Hills Campus in Beechworth with its extensive buildings and gardens.  Semi-rural tracks and roads, and open farmland will also feature.
The Long Championships is based near Stanley, just four or so kilometres from Beechworth and starts are from 9am Sunday.  The competition area is a large extension to the old Stanley map, consisting of forest roads and tracks and single tracks, with some steep country for the longer courses.  Leigh Privett is the mastermind behind this map and courses.

Normal entries close shortly via Eventor (April 4^th), with late entries accepted until April 11^th incurring an additional $10 fee.   There are already some New Zealanders entered, which will make the older age classes even more competitive.

Event Enquiries: Leigh Privett 0416 278 488  
leighprivett@bigpond.com