Inaugural Bike Buller Festival set for Victorian Alps

The inaugural Bike Buller MTB Festival will take place on March 21-22, 2009 at Mt Buller in Victoria, Australia. It will include three different races over two days and feature the resort's new trail network.

Events on Saturday, March 21 will include a 25km XC at Mt Buller, a 10km kids' event, 7km Super D and party. On Sunday, a 55km cross country marathon race around Mount Stirling will highlight the day along with a BBQ and awards presentations. Attendees will be able to participate in any single event or all events.

The festival is being organized by Rapid Ascent, which also runs the Otway Odyssey 100km MTB Marathon and Anaconda Adventure Race National Series. The Mt Buller resort is known for its skiing and winter activities, but has recently set about establishing itself as a summer mountain bike park. It has recruited Glen Jacobs, who built the Mt Stromlo World Cup course, to design a trail network.

"The first stage of this network will be ready for use in its entirety this summer, with the Bike Buller MTB Festival being the first competition to race on these trails," said Amber Gardner of the Mt Buller and Mt Stirling Alpine Resort Management Board

For more information, visit the event website at www.bikebullermtbfestival.com (to be launched at the end of October).