Mick Spencer, a 22-year-old whose international sportswear business has cracked the $1 million turnover mark, has now started OnTheGo racing - a team spearheaded by Australian title holder and five-time world champion Jason English.

The team accepts amateurs and has been launched at a time when the popularity of mountain biking is increasing in the ACT.

''When kids join the team, all of a sudden they've got 10 new best friends,'' said Mr Spencer, a mountain biker himself who is organising the team with brother, and fellow enthusiast, Nathan.

''I saw that in Australia there was no team environment in the juniors and the parents were forking out a lot of money for gear and race entry fees.

''At the recent solo nationals [in April], we had six podiums and three wins.''

Many have said cycling is the new golf, in terms of it being a pastime where business people can get together and talk shop, and Mr Spencer said this rule applied to mountain biking in particular.

The ACT is home to the largest mountain bike club in Australia, the 800-member strong Canberra Off-Road Cyclists (CORC) organisation.

President Sarah O'Callaghan said the new race team organised from Canberra would add gravitas to the territory's claim of being a top destination for mountain bikers.

Later this year, the ACT government will open the Centenary Trail - more than 100 kilometres of unbroken mountain bike trails through the capital, only a small portion of which will touch roads. Most of it will use existing trails, but Ms O'Callaghan said up to 40 kilometres of new trails could be created in the next 12 to 18 months.

Much of this work is done by volunteers.

''We're seeing a lot of people crossing over from road cycling to mountain biking,'' she said.

A factor for some may be road rage from car drivers.