Excitement is pouring through the Bega Valley as crowds gather to see the Quad Crown mountain bike riders hitting the trails in Eden and Tathra this weekend.
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President of the Eden Mountain Bike Club Stan Soroka said the prelude event hosted in Eden on Friday had received a "fantastic" turnout.
"It was great to see professionals at work, how they operate and to hear the riders saying how happy they were with our trails," he said.
"Some of the guys have already ridden to the outsider, right at the top and said it was just world class and they event went back to ride it three more times."
Mr Soroka said the Quad Crown was currently underway in Tathra with over 100 riders involved, which then would be setting course for the Eden trails on Sunday.
Mr Soroka said the riders would have access to 15 of the 20 runs at Eden on Sunday, with five still closed due to the lack of rain.
"The five remaining trails will stay closed until we get over 100ml of rain and the terrain is inspected, the trouble is it's been terribly dry for a few months now," he said.
Despite this, Mr Soroka said the feedback he'd received from Quad Crown riders, about the quality of the trails, paired with the level of interest from the community had kept spirits high.
"We've got riders here from all different parts of Australia and this event gives us the exposure to the tracks and our area that we need," he said.
Mr Soroka said the racing in Eden on Sunday September 10, would start and finish at the Eden Sports and Recreation Club.
"After the race they'll have the function there and they'll be presenting the winners of the Quad Series," he said.
Mr Soroka said the mountain bike competition in Eden on Sunday would be "a long one" spanning over 40 km of terrain.
"They're going to go out back right into the hills behind Eden and one of the trails is eight and a half kilometres long," he said.
"They're going to experience some awesome stuff and I think all of these riders and the crews will be able to go away and go wow, this is an amazing place."
Mr Soroka said any community members wishing to attend the event on Sunday were welcome to meet up at the golf course where people would have a chance to meet the riders prior or post the competition.
Mr Soroka added that the Quad Series was due to return next year as part of the final year.
Mr Soroka said looking back one of the highlights of their 'soft opening' was seeing the enthusiasm from several local kids.
"I saw two boys sitting there and I asked them 'boys what do you reckon' and they said 'oh it beats sitting at home playing video games'," he said.
Mr Soroka said he'd also seen a mother and her two year old daughter at the pump track and said the kid's response had been the "greatest gratification".
"I asked the mother what her daughter had said to her that morning and she turned to her daughter and said 'well tell the man' and this cute little face looked up at me and said 'pump track, pump track'," he said.
Mr Soroka said hearing that reaction had been really moving for him, as it confirmed that "all the club's hard work is paying off "and the tracks were garnering interest and enthusiasm from kids of all ages.
Mr Soroka said one of the prime objectives of the club in building the trails at Gravity Eden Mountain Bike Park, was to help attract more tourists to the areas in the off-seasons.
"To see riders in town going to cafes in town is great to see because it was all part of our objective for the trail to be an economic and social driver in our area," he said.
"If we can fill up our cafes and motels in the winter time then it'll just create a stronger economy and socially we're building a great community."
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