Western Sydney will be one of seven hosts for the inaugural Evocities mountain bike series.
The series, sponsored by Fairfax Media, will start with the Ginja Ninja in Orange on February 15. The Wylde Western Sydney 7 hour is the second race of the series and will be held in the Western Sydney Parklands on July 12.
Mountain bike event organiser Chocolate Foot will host the Western Sydney round, which will be the only metropolitan race of the series.
Chocolate Foot event director Joe Ward is hoping the meet will be a big drawcard for Sydney-based riders.
''There is a large riding population in Sydney, but there's not that many places to race,'' he said. ''It's great to have a facility that is closer to the centre of Sydney and it would be great to see a big number of local riders."
The event will be a seven-hour race on the newly built 10-kilometre course, which Mr Ward said should be a good challenge for all riders.
Mr Ward said they are expecting more than 300 entries.
''We are only in the early stages, but I've already had some chats with some elite riders who are really high calibre,'' he said. ''It will be the first major event held on the course, so it should be interesting.
''It's exciting to be able to host an event like this and we're really looking forward to it.''
Other events in the series include Bathurst on May 31, Albury on June 21, Dubbo on July 12, Tamworth on August 8, with the final round to be held in Wagga on September 6.
For more information: www.evocitiesmtb.com.
