It seems unbalanced but it was all worth it for Warrnambool Mountain Bike Club (WMBC), which successfully hosted its Brucknell three-hour enduro on Saturday.

WMBC treasurer Jeff Mutsaers said setting up the 3.6-kilometre circuit for the club's season-opening event was hard work.

"We had three working bees," he said. "It probably took between 50 and 70 man hours."

"It was a technical course.

"There were rolling hills.

"After the warm-up laps, people were coming in and saying it was fantastic."

The event welcomed 53 riders from Warrnambool, Portland, Colac, Forrest, Geelong, Ballarat, Surf Coast and Hamilton.

"It was the biggest event the club has ever run," Mutsaers said. "The relationship between the local clubs has grown considerably.

"We've all been attending each other's events."

Richard Gristese, of Timboon, was the male solo winner on Saturday. Portland's Gav Piergross and Warrnambool's Matt Hand finished second and third respectively.

The trio all completed 13 laps.

The female solo winner was Geelong's Irene Thompson, who completed 11 laps, one more than second-placed Irene Whennen, from Hamilton.

Colac's Ben Scott was the best in the junior male solo category, with he and second-ranked Harrison Ernst, from Warrnambool, completing 11 laps.

The Colac husband-wife combination of Tim and Fiona McDonnell (11 laps) took out the mixed pairs category while the promising Hamish Middleton and Tom Power, also of Colac, endured an exceptional 15 laps in the junior male pairs.

Other winners were Marie Middleton and Jane Surge (female pairs), Paul Lacy and Grant Cole (male pairs) and Michael Mullins, Alex Occhipinti and Will Howard (junior team).

Some riders used the event to prepare for the Kona 24-hour in Forrest at the end of the month.

WMBC, which Mutsaers was pleased to announce has more than 150 members, plans to use Brucknell for other events.