Cairns Mountain Biking

Mountain Biking is a sport currently experiencing renewed interest and rapid growth with its recent inclusion in the Olympic games.

Cairns has a lot to offer to the Mountain Bike (MTB) world with many of the world’s fastest professional riders choosing to live and train here. Hosting the 1996 World Championships placed Cairns on the global MTB map and earned a reputation as one of the most challenging and spectacular places to ride in the world.

The Cairns Mountain Bike Club has recently constructed The Smithfield Mountain Bike Park, a riding park that was designed to support a world cup event in the near future.

Cairns Mountain Biking

Riders of all abilities are catered for whether you are an inexperienced novice or a weekend warrior. The Park includes tracks designed for all 3 disciplines of Mountain Biking:

Cross Country:The MTB Park offers up to 5 different cross-country loops each winding through spectacular rainforest. Fitness and riding skill is essential for the more difficult loops however there are tracks designed to cater for novice riders and each loop is signposted and graded for difficulty

Downhill: Downhill is the extreme sport for the real adrenaline junkie! If you like high speeds, gnarly rock gardens and have a blatant disrespect for fear this is the sport for you. The surrounding Cairns area plays host to some of the most demanding Downhill tracks some of which have gained international recognition.

The Downhill track for the 1996 Cairns World Championships set a benchmark for tracks of the future, something that the Cairns Club has built upon. The Park currently offers one race level Downhill track and plans are underway for the construction of further Downhill tracks. Along with the trails offered at the Smithfield Park other Downhill tracks are available such as the Kuranda track, this track is world-renowned and has easy vehicle access for multiple runs.

Mountain X: This is the newest discipline of Mountain Bike Racing on the World circuit. Mountain X (MTX) is a combination of Downhill MTB and BMX. Mountain X merges the extreme jumps and shoulder-to-shoulder competitiveness of BMX racing with the sheer speed and technique of downhill. The MTX track at the Smithfield Park incorporates Double jumps, berms and Downhill chutes into a short 25-second adrenaline pumping burst of riding. Whether you are challenging yourself or a group of friends there are many different line choices and overtaking areas to ensure exciting results each time it is ridden.

The Smithfield Mountain bike park has been designed with both leisure and racing in mind and the local club has organised social rides and race meets scheduled regularly.

The site is located at McGregor Road Smithfield (on the way to the Bungee tower) and is open all hours, so ride at night if you’ve got a light.