Mathew Dickerson has declared the first round of the Fairfax Media Evocities MTB Series at Orange a resounding success after more than 200 riders took part in the event.
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The Dubbo mayor was one of those to line up on the grid for Sunday's Ginja Ninja 250 and said the event laid the platform for what was shaping to be a thrilling series.
"It was fantastic," Mr Dickerson said.
"You are always a little bit nervous when something is happening for the first time and you hope everything goes well but everything clicked.
"The track was perfect, the weather was great and they had a good field turn out."
The men's race was taken out by Jason English, while Eliza Kwan claimed victory in the women's event.
While 2015 is the inaugural MTB Series, the Ginja Ninja 250 is an established event. The benefit of the series was obvious, with a one-third increase in participation from 160 riders last year to 218 in 2015.
"It was a high-quality field made up of some of the best riders in the country and people who are riding for the enjoyment of it," Cr Dickerson said.
"It's great to have someone like Jason English, who is one of the best in the business, putting his hand up to race.
"The women's race probably had an even better depth of field with five or six riders who were considered contenders.
Organisers of the Dubbo race are hoping the profile of the series will increase with each race and by the time they host the fifth round in July, the number of competitors will have grown.
"Hopefully the series will continue to gain momentum but being at the later stage of the series, those who are competing for the championship may drop out if they are out of contention.
"I don't know if there is a perfect round to host but we have an opportunity to look at what the other cities are doing and learn from them."
The Kinross Forest track proved popular, catering for all standards of rider.
"The course had a great hill and then a good fun downhill section after the hard work. They got the balance right, it was a challenge for the elite riders but also possible to finish for the average rider. For some sections of the course they have different paths, A, B and C for riders of different abilities," he said.
Camaraderie was another highlight for the mayor.
He said there was a friendly atmosphere out on the course, and he said talking to other riders from Dubbo, they had thoroughly enjoyed the first round.
