Stromlo Forest Park partners with Rando ahead of Aussie nats

Stromlo Forest Park signed a sponsorship deal on Wednesday with Jared Rando, a multiple-time Australian national mountain bike champion, just in time for the 2009 Australian National Mountain Bike Championships coming up at the park this weekend.

"Territory Venues and Events is extremely excited about Jared Rando signing up with Stromlo Forest Park," said Neale Guthrie, General Manager of Territory Venues and Events. "Rando is very well known amongst fellow MTB champions ... both locally and internationally."

"The relationship with Stromlo Forest Park being home to several mountain bike championship events - including last year's SCOTT Australian 24-hour and the UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships to be held in September this year - also highlights the fact that this agreement is a perfect match," said Guthrie.

Stromlo Forest Park welcomes the Australian Mountain Bike National Championships, beginning on Thursday with a club team relay and showcasing the best off road talent in Australia across all disciplines including cross country, short track, downhill and 4X.

Rando began racing downhill when he was 15-years-old and was first selected for the Australian team for the World Championships when he was 16. He has competed for Australia as a junior for three years and finished third at the 1999 World Championships in Sweden.

His first year as a pro in the US was in 2000 and he finished seventh overall in the US national series for 2000. He won the Australian National Series during the 1999-2000 and the 2000-2001 seasons. In 2003, Rando signed a two-year deal with Giant, his team ever since.

"In signing the sponsorship agreement with Stromlo Forest Park, Jared will represent Canberra's world class venue on a world stage, also marking a new stage in the parks development. We're looking forward to the partnership and looking forward to working with Jared," said Guthrie.