Beechworth’s first junior MTB competition of the year was a huge success, with a turnout of over 100 kids taking part at the weekend. The competition came as the fourth in the Alpine Cycling Club’s junior MTB race series, occurring across mountain bike parks in Bright, Mount Beauty, Yackandandah, Albury and Beechworth. Ian Burns, one of the main organisers behind the Beechworth competition, said Saturday's event was one the “biggest turnouts for Beechworth”. The Beechworth Chain Gang have been steadily growing the junior mountain bike scene in Beechworth, with a junior ride program for ages five to 11 which runs every Thursday night. According to the president of the BCG, Lynn Frerichs, the chain gang has “over 80 kids participating in weekly training sessions with certified volunteer coaches during the school terms". One issue which affects MTB competitions across Victoria is the underwhelming representation of girls. This is something that has affected the Alpine Cycling Club’s junior competition, with some categories, such as the girls under 13s being unable to run in the Beechworth competition due to a lack of participation. Despite this, the Beechworth Chain Gang plans to continue improving the numbers of girls taking part in their junior ride program, with hopes of more representation encouraging participation. The recent addition of the Indigo Epic trail, a mountain bike trail which runs between Beechworth and Yackandandah, has also helped to build participation in Beechworth’s mountain biking scene for both juniors and adults. Ian Burns said the BCG was “excited to continue to make improvements to the mountain bike park” as they intend to carry on with growing the club. The next junior race, the fifth in the series, is set to occur in Albury on Saturday, March 19. Winners from Saturday's events are as follows: Boys and girls under fives - Nash Treloar Girls under sevens - Matilda Gray Boys under sevens - Hugh McCann Girls under nines - Sienna Vivash Boys under nines - Ewan McInerney Girls under 11s - Zoe Caswell Boys under 11s - Alex McCann Boys under 13s - Hamish Retchford Girls under 15s - Ruby Burns Boys under 15s - Levi Billings
