A professional who competes on the world tour, the Wollongong athlete has watched the region's youngsters hone their skills on the escarpment's numerous trails.

So when Green Valleys Mountain Bike Park hosted the Australian Gravity Enduro Championships over the weekend, Carlson was expecting the Illawarra's athletes to perform well.

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But even his expectations were exceeded.

Overall, seven Illawarra riders finished with Australian titles, while many more were in the mix for a podium finish.

"Over the last couple of years there's been a growing surge in the talent and mountain bike athletes in the Illawarra," Carlson said. "With the amount of trails we have to train on, we're developing into a world-class destination.

"Results like the weekend and the opportunity to race here locally are a great chance to showcase that. During COVID it's hard to travel, so the chance to have Australian Championships so close to home is a good way to show the local talent here in the Illawarra."

Leading the way for the Illawarra on the weekend were Carlson, who claimed the men's E-mountain bike category, and elite women's winner Leanna Curtis.

Ryley Shaw won the expert men's classification, with Doug Pollock taking out the men's M5 division.

The juniors also excelled, Poppy Pollock victorious in the under 17 girls, while Indiana Lambert finished on top in the under 13 girls and Byron Tynan prevailed in the under 13 boys.

Carlson is hoping to use last weekend's success as a springboard for greater facilities and racing opportunities in the future.

The Illawarra Academy of Sport has recently launched a new mountain bike program.

Wollongong Council has directed considerable resources towards road cycling in recent years as the UCI World Championships approach.

Now, Carlson is hoping to see the focus shift to the Illawarra's trails and is pushing for the legalisation of a number of tracks.

"With Wollongong having the Bike City label, we'd love to see growth moving forward and the real impact of what that label can offer," Carlson said. "Moving forward, we'll continue to push for legalisation of mountain bike tracks.

"These results have shown the potential for the best athletes to come out of Wollongong. Bike City is about incorporating every discipline and mountain biking is a huge part of it. We'll use that label to our advantage to help develop athletes of the future."