Mountain biking in Far North Queensland has been given another boost, with Cycling Australia's successful bid bringing the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships to Cairns in 2017. 

It's the latest local development for the growing sport, initially popular in the 1980s and 1990s, now experiencing another surge around the world. As The Newsport reported last week, nearly 600 mountain bike riders participated in the iconic RRR Mountain Bike Challenge on June 3, as part of the Cairns Airport Adventure Festival. And local Thor Stovell, amateur mountain bike rider and owner of Macrossan Street business PD Bikeworks, said about 300ha of land near Newell Point in Port Douglas has been identified and earmarked as a recreational reserve ideal for mountain biking. 

"It's an evolutionary thing, but obviously with the impotus of having a big event like [the World Championships], there's potential for seed funding and regional development grants. That sort of thing is going to have to come online to do some more work for the World Championships at Smithfield - that's only good [news] for local riders, because it means upgrades to tracks and improvements are all there as a lasting legacy," Mr Stovell said. 

The championships will draw a global television audience and thousands of professional riders from 45 countries to compete for the coveted Championship title. Cycling Australia's successful bid was supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.

“This is fantastic for Cairns, coming just weeks after the region secured rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups for 2014 and 2016,” Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Jann Stuckey said.

It’s the second time Cairns will assume hosting duties - the city became the first ever Southern Hemisphere location for the event in 1996.

"That was a really exciting time," Mr Stovell said, "I was just getting into mountain biking, like a lot of people. Going and seeing that event - and Cadel Evans, who was on the podium for cross-country, and local guys like Michael Ronning - it was just awesome."

Though Evans would go on to become a four-time Olympian, 2009 World Road Cycling Champion and winner of the 2011 Tour de France, his bike career began in Australian cross-country mountain bike events. Apparently, he even earned the nickname 'The Lung' in the '90s, for hill-climbing skill. Michael Ronning is legendary in the mountain bike community, and is an internationally renowned downhill champion. 

Mr Stovell said the 2017 event would benefit the whole region. For amateurs, it means access to high-profile participatory events. "It's great for the shops because everyone starts gearing up, so it's good for the bike economy, but also for the rest of the economy," he said. 

Ms Stuckey said the mountain bike championships and two world cups announced for Cairns over the past few weeks supported the State Government’s goal of doubling annual overnight visitor expenditure to $30 billion by 2020.

Hundreds of national and international media are expected to attend the event, resulting in global coverage of Cairns and Far North Queensland.