Keen riders got their first official look at Lake Macquarie's newest pump track on Thursday in a push to better support biking in the city.
The $450,000 track has been designed by Lake Macquarie Council as a gathering place for community, with paths for experienced riders and young families alike.
Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser cut the ribbon on the track, which overlooks the surf, more than a month ahead of schedule.
"It's fantastic to see this track open in time for the school holidays," she said. "The number of people using it since fences came down last week shows how much demand and appreciation there is for it."
For local competitive rider Chris Redshaw, the track is a great place to practice his skills close to home - including humble backflips.
"It's sick, it's unreal, we need more," Mr Redshaw said.
He has previously travelled down to Sydney regularly to train on "higher-end" equipment, which before now was not available in the Hunter.
"I want to see more done to progress the riding of people here," he said.
Mr Redshaw said biking was frowned upon when he grew up. He hopes the pump track will be a positive step forward.
"We didn't have anything like this growing up," he said. "Biking is becoming more mainstream, where riding a bike is now like playing soccer. We are creating athletes. It isn't frowned upon in the same way anymore."
The semi-professional rider hopes to "give back" to his community by helping younger riders.
"Newcastle and its riding [scene] has really been left in the dark previously.
"We have a lot of talented riders and a lot of them used to have to move to Sydney and Melbourne. We are slowly catching up," Mr Redshaw said.
The track is designed for riders to 'pump' by pushing down on lower parts of the track and pulling as they go uphill, propelling them along.
The shortest route around the winding circuit measures 134 metres, while the longer route stretches 158 metres.
The track is funded by Lake Macquarie Council's Charlestown contribution funds.
It includes shaded seating, a bubbler and a bike repair station, with a tyre pump and various tools needed to make bike adjustments.
