Edith Chow was one of 200 competitors in Canberra. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) A treasure hunt race or chess on wheels.
These are descriptions of mountain bike orienteering, a relatively new sport that mixes brains with bikes.
The Australian Championships in Canberra over the weekend attracted more than 200 entrants of all ages and abilities, and from as far away as the UK.
The aim of the game is to find all the treasure — or controls in the official lingo — mapped out on the course and get back to the finish line as quickly as possible.
However, the beauty of the sport is that it’s not necessarily the fittest competitor who is first past the post. Joe Sherriff (centre) said getting lost is part of the fun. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) "Mountain bike orienteering is so cool and exciting because it’s not clear who wins," event director Marina Iskhakova said.
"[A] Strong mountain biker can win and strong orienteer, who is very weak on a bike, can win, because you need variety of skills."
Competitors ride with a rotating map board mounted to their handlebars.An additional catch is that competitors are only allowed to view the course seconds before their 60-minute time-limit starts.Riders have to choose their route and have their progress tracked with a small electronic stick that record the controls they visit on their adventure. Finding treasure, or controls, are the aim of the game in mountain bike orienteering. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) "I tell people it’s a treasure hunt," Edith […]
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