event overview
Pardon the pun, but “The Orca” was without doubt the biggest event from our first series in 2023 that definitely put the Quad Crown on the Australian MTB map of “must do” races.
Whilst the Sapphire Coast region is a tourist mecca, best known for the killer whales that frequent the coastline, the new trail network that was recently completed here is without doubt going to be the driver for tourism in the future.
The crew behind the brilliant trails built at Derby, Smithfield and Mount Buller, have done an incredible job building more than 50km of new single trail at Eden, and “The Orca” was lucky enough to play host to the opening of these trails at our first event in 2023. Every single rider who participated in the event left raving about the race in general but the new trails at Eden in particular.
This year we are back and as the saying goes, if the model ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
The Prelude Stage on the Friday afternoon will again start from the main Gravity Eden Trail Hub and feature a selection of the best 8-10km of the new trails immediately to the rear of the Eden Sports & Recreation Club. The time trial is a “must do” in order to not only get your handicap for the weekend stages but also to get your first taste of the incredible single trail. Then head into town for the Welcome Function that night at a watering hole in the main street of Eden.
Stage 1 on the Saturday morning will again be based out of Tathra, just over half an hour up the coast from Eden. Starting and finishing from the iconic Tathra Hotel, the trails stretch north and south from Tathra and offer an awesome array of coastal back trails combined with more than 35km of twisting single track. The Hotel will not only have coffee and breakfast snack to start the day, but a great lunch menu and a huge range of drinks to quench a well-earned first post-ride.
On Sunday our second stage will again be back within the extensive Gravity Eden trail network but this time starting and finishing from Hotel Australasia in the main street. That means the epic start climb from our first event is no longer a thing but riders will still face a challenging start before they hit the smorgasboard of trails within the mountain bike park. The biggest test for riders will be that whilst you will love the flowing descents, the paydirt comes from the climbs and there will be a few in this course.
We expect the two main stages to come in at around 40km with around 900m of elevation each. Full course details will be released for all 3 stages around 4-6 weeks prior to each event.
The Sapphire Coast is one of Australia’s best kept secrets, a coastal stretch offering a wide array of food, wine, beer and tourist attractions. Located pretty much right in the middle of a triangle from Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne it is a drivable weekend getaway for half of Australia.
