Paluma Push is a great weekend of XC MTB racing

Paluma Push is a longstanding XC Mountain Bike race through the rainforests of tropical north Queensland, at Paluma. Paluma is a part of Townsville, a popular tourist destination.

The courses are a combination of dirt roads, old 4WD tracks, technical single track through the rainforest, sections of cow pad single track with climbs and lots of fun downhills.

There is a wide range of rides to suit riders of all abilities, with rides for those that are new to MTBing as well as the experienced rider.

• 42km Recreational Class Course. This course will see you ride from Paluma Village to the Dam wall out to Hidden Valley Station via the State Forest Fire Road and then single track through the spectacular Hidden Valley complete with river crossing arriving at Hidden Valley Village. You will require a basic level of experience and confidence in mountain biking and a good level of fitness and endurance. Just because it is the recreational class does not mean it will be easy. There are multiple long climbs and long descents heading to the dam. Out the back of the dam, there is a long steep descent where the track is loose and can be tricky, speed control and balance is essential. So in your preparations, you must include uphill climbs and descents. If this is your first endurance mountain bike race the 42km Recreational Course will be the most ideal and suitable course. This course is recommended for the novice (6 months or more of regular riding) to intermediate mountain bike riders with a good level of fitness and reasonable skill level.
• 53km Intermediate Class Course. The Intermediate Course is a pumped-up recreational course incorporating the Paluma Dam loop and an awesome forest single track loop (Loop 2) about 5km after the dam to test your technical skill level. If you’ve done the 42km Recreational Course before and are looking to further challenge your mountain bike skills, then the Intermediate Course is for you. It’s hard work but will be rewarding. This course is recommended for experienced riders with a good level of fitness and a competent skill level for single track sections.
• 70km Competition Class Course. This course is the ultimate mountain bike challenge. It has long solid climbs and descents, technical sections along each loop. Loop 3 will make you work, sweat, cry and smile all at the same time. It’s a tough course but it is a fantastic ride. This course is recommended for very experienced and very fit riders who are trained for endurance marathon races only.
• E-Bike Recreational Class Course. This e-bike course will see you ride from Paluma Village to the Dam wall out to Hidden Valley Station via the Dam Loop, the State Forest Fire Road, then onto Loop 4 (Graves Loop) to truly challenge your technical skills and then single track through to Hidden Valley Village. This course is recommended for experienced riders with a good level of fitness and a competent skill level for single track sections even if you are on an e-bike.
• 100km Crazy Class Course. This Adventure course takes in all the best features of the 70km course and adds in a bit more fun along the way. This course is recommended for experienced riders only with a high level of fitness and a very competent skill level for single track riding.

This looks like a great weekend! With camping, live music, food truck fiesta, bon fire and beers to celebrate all things Paluma Push and mountain biking in North Queensland. Those that require a recovery ride to help stretch out those muscles is available in the Sunday morning. Remember, it is not a race.

You’ll find other great cycling events, like the Paluma Push, in our online Cycling Event Calendar.

Enjoy!