A national mountain bike champion, born and bred at Bright, Mark saw huge potential in his own backyard to replicate what he had raced on around the world.

Together with his father, David, and a huge volunteer effort from members of the Alpine Cycling Club, Mystic downhill was born.

It soon became one of Australia's most popular mountain bike destinations and has stood the test of time, hosting multiple national championships.

But Tuesday is the end of an era for Mystic downhill, part of the wider Mystic Mountain Bike Park established more than a decade later, as it and around 10 other trails will be lost as planned logging works of the area begin.

"We always knew the huge potential of the area, it just took time for the sport to gain momentum and the trails to be put in place," Mark said.

"I visited a lot of mountain bike parks during my travels and New Zealand were probably 10 years ahead of us as far as this type of park is concerned.

"A lot of the European races were held in pine forests and we had that available to us, so we tried to create something similar."

Mark raced from 1991 and started with Team GT in 1993 as a sub-junior.

He was national cross-country and mountain downhill champion two years in a row and went through to the junior ranks where he claimed downhill and cross-country titles, before he took the step up to the elite category and was crowned Australian downhill champion in 1997 and 1998.

Four-time Olympian and 2011 Tour de France winner Cadell Evans was among his main rivals in cross-country.

"Racing internationally, I saw how technical the trails were and we needed a trail in Australia that prepared us for that," Mark said.

"We started it during the winter of 1998 and built Mystic here and the second trail we built was Mount Hotham downhill in 1998 as well.

"I went overseas and did the US national series and when I came back we finished the track and we raced here in November. It was all completed within that year."

David, who competed at masters level after 25 years racing motorbikes, wanted to see a trail that would challenge riders more.

"We had some kickback and some riders thought it was too difficult, but they all learnt in the end and they all progressed," he said.

"The secret in the early days was to find the best lines as fractions of seconds were gained everywhere. You would break equipment if you didn't find the right lines, so it was a bit more critical."

Mark said the time was right for a new trail to be built, but would like to see a natural element maintained.

"I think a blend (of machine and hand-built trails) in the park is what you need and that's why people enjoy it so much," he said.

"I haven't raced downhill for a while and it's probably an old-fashioned point of view, but there are a lot of riders that have a modern influence on what needs to be built. I'd love to be involved in new trails if necessary.

"We might be losing a bit of trail, but forestry allow us to ride there and that's massive for the town."

Monday was the final chance for riders to tackle Mystic downhill.

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