More than 140 competitors braved the treacherous course in an attempt to become the next king of the mountain. Taking their marks at the top of Black Hill Mountain Bike Park, riders reached breathtaking speeds in an effort to finish with the fastest time.

Club Mud president Graeme Coutts said more than bragging rights were on the line as competitors staked their claim in front of a capacity crowd.

"Because you're racing against quality riders, being able to say you took out the KOB does have a bit of a status to it," he said.

"We have racers from all over Victoria. It's a very well-known race, and very well-liked because it has a very fun, comfortable family atmosphere."

The event marked the first of a three-race series which will take place over the winter months.

A number of Ballarat riders made promising starts to the series which will see them accumulate points based on their results in an effort to be named overall winner.

Travis Dawkins headed up the men's elite category with a time of one minute and 59.7 seconds, narrowly edging out Lee Ellis who took runner-up honours with a time of one minute and 59.8 seconds.

Tory Bilney took out the women's elite category with a time of two minutes and 40 seconds, ahead of Jessica Sheridan who recorded a time of two minutes and 42 seconds. Jack Atchison won the men's expert category, while Danial Brooks won the over-35s category.

Coutts said the event had a healthy number of riders compete, particularly in the women's categories.

"We have a very strong commitment for the development of the junior members, especially females," he said.

"Because it's been such a male-orientated sport for many years, we're focusing on trying to get women and young girls to join the sport."

Coutts said the sport had been growing at a rapid rate in recent years, and was fast making up a large part of the cycling community in Ballarat.

He said the adrenaline rush it created was like nothing else.

"Each of our tracks have different characteristics, which enables the rider to experience different challenges and different levels of competitiveness," he said.

"The fact it's central enables it to be accessed very easily so anybody can ride it whenever they like."