JASON English and Kate Penglase backed up their solo 24-hour MTB national endurance success last year when they won a shortened first-ever event in Port Macquarie.
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Organisers were forced to cancel the event in the early hours of Sunday morning when a southerly buster brought down trees and branches and made riding conditions too hazardous.
English had covered 310 kilometres to win the male division while Penglase had ridden 260 kilometres when the decision was made 17 hours into the 24-hour event.
After a change hit the Mid North Coast just after 1am, organiser Jamie Vogele deemed conditions were too hazardous for riders to continue through the night.
“We had to call it off due to fallen trees when the southerly hit at 1.20am,” Vogele said.
“It was a pretty hard decision to make because we didn’t want to do the wrong thing by competitors who had paid their money.”
Vogele, however, conceded riders’ safety was paramount and after an inspection of the track, the final decision was made in the best interests of competitors.
“One trail was blocked by a tree that had fallen over and then there were other points where trees were leaning on other trees,” he said.
Before the race was called off, riders had the added challenge of dust blowing straight into their eyes earlier on Saturday evening.
“Because we hadn’t had any rain beforehand, it was hard to see around the corners where people were braking,” Vogele said.
Adding to the drama, organisers also had to keep a close eye on a bushfire that was burning within two kilometres of the trail on Saturday afternoon.
“When the southerly hit we could smell the smoke which we couldn’t before then,” Vogele said.
“We also had the risk of spot fires that we had to keep an eye on.”
Vogele and 63-year-old Nick Thompson were the best performing locals out of the field of 50 riders.