Mountain Biking: A singlespeed champion

Garth Weinberg has racked up another title on his singlespeed mountain bike.

It is becoming a familiar narrative for Rotorua's Garth Weinberg.

Dress him up in a costume, get a beer or two in him, send him off on his singlespeed mountain bike and watch him win a title.

Weinberg travelled across the ditch and claimed his second title at the Australian Singlespeed Nationals near Melbourne earlier this month, to go with his four New Zealand titles and one world title.

Rotorua's Garth Weinberg competing at the Australian Singlespeed Nationals near Melbourne this month. Photo / 22 Photography Melbourne

Weinberg fell in love with singlespeed racing about eight years ago and has become something of an icon within the alternative sport in Rotorua.

Weinberg, who works at Scion, said he first started riding singlespeed mountain bikes after a visiting scientist introduced him to the discipline.

"It was curiosity to start with. We had a visiting scientist come over and he had four bikes and they were all singlespeed bikes.

"I had only been mountain biking about two years and the simplicity and challenge of singlespeed riding attracted me."

Add in the colourful and social culture attached to the mountain bike discipline and Weinberg was hooked.

He said it was nice to win his latest title in Australia after getting two second places in his last two attempts.

" It is a really good bunch of guys and the whole community get right behind it and the local brewery provided a lot of beer."

He said the Singlespeed World Champs were being held in the same area of Australia next year as well and it was a good build up for that event.

Weinberg explained the Australian Singlespeed Nationals this month was held as a stage race.

"The first stage was a mass start with a 10km cross country circuit.

"Stage two was a time trial on a 4km circuit and halfway around there was a dart board on a tree.

"Whatever you scored with the darts on the board, half of it was seconds off your time.

"My first two just hit the board, nowhere near the numbers, and my last dart hit number two so I got one second off my time."

The last stage was another cross country race about 17km long.

"It was 36C on race day and I felt like I had done about 20km when one of the marshals said you still have 7km to go. I just went as hard as I could and had the second fastest time."

Fortunately, he had the overall best time across the three stages and won the title. Weinberg said he was currently doing some long rides on his bike and was considering doing the WEMBO 24-Hour Solo World Championships in February.