The Black Pearl sails into Newcastle with the Quad Crown
The Quad Crown's latest mountain bike event is sailing into Newcastle - the Black Pearl will take its berth in the port town this November!
Last week the Quad Crown event organisers announced that they had to postpone their fourth event, the Big O in Omeo. The trail builds in the area have had some delays and there was a chance they would not be finished in time for the November event, so The Big O will have to wait until November 2024 for release – we're sure it will be worth the wait.
But there was a silver lining, with the event team eager to announce a 5th event to the Quad Crown Series (but no news on whether it will be the Quintuple Crown?).
'Due to an unforeseen delay in the trail building plans around the planned Omeo, Victoria event, Quad Crown MTB is excited to announce the “fifth” event in the inaugural Quad Crown Series – “The Black Pearl”, hitting Newcastle November 10-12, 2023.'
Newcastle has enjoyed a short but healthy history with mountain bike stage racing, but it has been starved of the opportunities since 2019. So the Black Pearl represents a fresh opportunity for the Quad Crown crew to take the series to Newcastle, a location popular with plenty of riders.
The Greater Hunter and Lake Macquarie Region is home to lots of historic and well-developed mountain bike trail networks headlined by Glenrock, Awaba and Killingworth – all places that most riders anywhere between Canberra and Coffs Harbour would be familiar with.
You may know the Black Pearl as a fictional pirate ship that never truly stays sunk – and so it is a fitting name for a mountain bike stage race that heads to Newcastle, given the spate of event cancellations the region has seen since 2020.
What's on the cards at the Black Pearl?
Just like any Quad Crown event, the fun kicks off on Friday afternoon with the Prelude. This will be a 9km loop in Glenrock, so you can imagine it will be full of swoopy lines, beach views, and some enthusiastic encouragment from locals. You'll tackle plenty of the classics like Twisties, drop past the picnic table, ride Seismic, Snakes & Ladders and more.
Stage 1 takes to the hills in the Watagans, after a storming loop of all the best bits of the Awaba MTB Park. We're told there will be some hidden gems revealed, with local knowledge being scrounged so Stage 1 really hits different. There will be plenty in the mix along with some crowd favourites. Mountain bike events held here always impress – and we're told this will be no different.
Stage 2 brings the mountain biking to the people, with a finish in the heart of Newcastle. 40km of non-stop action will take in the trails at Whitebridge, Redhead, Fernleigh and Glenrock for one fantastic stage that will start and finish at the aptly named Royal Crown Hotel in Dudley.
Registrations are open for The Black Pearl, and The Orca, which is on September 8-10. You can get all the details about event categories and options to race one day only or the whole thing at the Quad Crown website.
