Event overview

Pardon the pun, but “The Orca” was without doubt the biggest event from our first series in 2023 that definitely put the Quad Crown on the Australian MTB map of “must do” races.

Whilst the Sapphire Coast region is a tourist mecca, best known for the killer whales that frequent the coastline, the new trail network that was recently completed here is without doubt going to be the driver for tourism in the future.

The crew behind the brilliant trails built at Derby, Smithfield and Mount Buller, have done an incredible job building more than 50km of new single trail at Eden, and “The Orca” was lucky enough to play host to the opening of these trails at our first event in 2023. Every single rider who participated in the event left raving about the race in general but the new trails at Eden in particular.

This year we are back and as the saying goes, if the model ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

The Prelude Stage for The Orca will start and finish at the main Gravity Eden Trail Hub and feature a selection of some of the best trails right in the heart of the Gravity Eden Park. The time trial is a “must do” on Friday afternoon in order to not only get your handicap for the weekend stages but also to get your first taste of the incredible single trail that will keep you smiling all weekend long. Starting in 30 second intervals from 3pm, riders will enjoy a short 10km blast at their own pace before heading into town for the Welcome Function at Great Southern Inn for a free drink and some delicious food. 

Stage 1 on the Saturday morning will again be based out of Tathra, just over half an hour up the coast from Eden. Starting and finishing from the iconic Tathra Hotel, the trails stretch north and south from Tathra and offer an awesome array of coastal back trails combined with more than 35km of twisting single track. The Hotel will not only have coffee and breakfast snack to start the day, but a great lunch menu and a huge range of drinks to quench a well-earned first post-ride. 

The final stage of The Orca ’24 will start with a rollout from Hotel Australasia down the main street of Eden and out to the incredible new trail network at Gravity Eden MTB Park. With the new start and finish venue in town, the brutal 10km of climbing to start last year’s course is gone, with riders instead enjoying a casual 2km warm up of the legs, before heading into 30km of some of the best trails in Australia. Stage 2 will once again be highlighted by the incredible 8km Wilderness Trail (Round The Outside), possible the best descent you will ever ride, as well as featuring a number of new trails that we were unable to include in last year’s stage. 

The Sapphire Coast is one of Australia’s best kept secrets, a coastal stretch offering a wide array of food, wine, beer and tourist attractions.  Located pretty much right in the middle of a triangle from Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne it is a drivable weekend getaway for half of Australia.