PLANNING for the Dubbo 300 is well underway with Geurie selected for the location of the course, however the course itself is still yet to be determined.
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The Dubbo 300 is Dubbo’s section of the Evocities MTB series, to be ridden in 2015.
Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson spoke to major sponsor Fairfax Media about the planning and printing of the course map.
"The course still being developed, we are planning on linking up a couple of tracks," he said.
Geurie is part of the Wellington Shire, but Cr Dickerson said they are happy to allow Dubbo to use it as part of the Evocities MTB event.
The event has already registered a great amount of interest
"It's set to be one of the richest mountain bike series in the nation," he said.
"It has become a significant event in the mountain bike industry and it gives significance to the Evocities name."
Riders from Queensland, Victoria and across NSW are expected to compete; Cr Dickerson said the target market is Sydney and the surrounding suburbs.
"It is expected half of those who compete will be from Sydney," he said.
Multi world champion bike rider Jason English is one of the high-calibre MTB riders who has expressed his interest
"The standard of those wanting to be involved is great," he said.
"The MTB series Facebook page was only made two weeks ago and already has more than 240 likes."
The Evocities Series is expected to attract more than 4,000 competitors across all events.
The first race will be held in Orange on February 15 while the Dubbo 300 will be held on July 12 and the final round will be held in Wagga Wagga on September 6.
Other races will be in Albury on March 14, Wylde MTB Park in Western Sydney on April 12, Bathurst on May 31 and Tamworth on August 8.
The series has attracted $80,000 worth of sponsorship, but Cr Dickerson said closer to $100,000 will be given away as prize money.
Evocities MTB series has received a high level of praise for providing equal prize money for males and females.
Cr Dickerson said he "didn't even think about it. I thought we would obviously have equal prize money for men and women."
The series will also be a great economic and tourism boost for the cities involved.
"If 900 people attend an event and they all spend an average of $132 that equates to close to $120,000 per race," he said.
"The event gets people attracted to the city and they will hopefully see what a great place it is.
"We'll let people know what's happening in specific cities and what there is to do."
