Thirty cyclists took on the challenge of Samoa's first ever Mountain Bike Racing event on Saturday 27 July at the horse racing track in Tuanaimato. 

Organised by the National Federation for Cycling, Bike Samoa, cyclists of all ages raced in either the Kids, Intermediate, or Open Divisions.

"It was a magnificent morning of biking," said Nalei Paul, Secretary-General for the Bike Samoa Federation (BSF). "A wonderful opportunity for our children to safely participate in bike racing and build their bike skills. We had parents racing as well, so a great chance for families to ride together."

The event started at 6 am and participants did their warm up loops on the grass horse track under a stunning sunrise. While some brought their own bikes to ride, others made use of the bikes BSF had there to share.

There was music, food, lots of laughter, and cheering from family and friends. It was an event for the whole family with the youngest rider being four-years-old and the most senior riders in their 50s.

Mountain Bike Racing (MTB), an Olympic sport since 1996,  is the competitive cycle sport discipline of mountain biking held on off-road terrain. There are many different types of MTB races, the most popular being cross-country.

"Usually a cross-country MTB race would be six to eight kilometres but since we are very much at the development stage, today's course was only 1.6km and mainly flat, although there's a bit of a rise climb on the other side of the horse track," explained Darren Young, Vice-President for BSF. 

"The little kids biked a 600m distance. Our goal is to introduce MTB racing gradually, make sure it is fun and safe for all ages to come give it a go. Before we start doing more rougher courses and longer distances."

According to Ms Paul, this is just the first of many MTB events that BSF will be hosting, alongside their regular road biking training and activities.

"We have a regular Group Ride every fortnight that starts from Coffee Roaster to Malua and back, with a shorter ride around the town area. All our events are open and free to the community."

She expressed thanks to the Samoa Racing Club for the use of the Horseracing track and to Peter Sexton and Cycle Journeys Company for the use of their additional mountain bikes.

"Congratulations to all the participants - you were amazing out there on the course. A big faafetai to all the volunteers because without your support these events cannot happen. We encourage anyone interested to join us in a ride!" said Ms Paul.