Up to 10,000 people are expected to crowd Albany's historic streets this weekend to watch some of the country's elite mountain bike riders showcase their nerve and skills.

The Albany Urban Downhill is the only downhill mountain bike race through city streets in Australia.

Race director and track designer Paul Fage said the city's geography and strong local support for the sport made it an ideal and unique downhill mountain biking location.

"It's about the only place in Western Australia you could do it," he said.

"If you want to see another urban downhill, you basically have to go to South America...or Europe, so it's a big thing."

Challenging obstacle course

Local competitors Travis Fage and Andrew Hannig will test their skills during the Albany Urban Downhill. ( ABC Great Southern: Lisa Morrison )

The exhilarating event, now in its third year, involves daring riders hurtling at high speeds from the top of Mt Clarence down to Albany's main street.

The track combines natural elements, such as narrow bush trails, steep granite slopes and dirt jumps, with buildings, cars and stairs within the city landscape.

Mr Fage said the contest demands self-confidence and stamina.

"You have got to be brave and committed...there's no baulking or you're done. It requires a lot of focus and a lot of strength," he said.

"The last couple of years, we have had 15 to 20 per cent of the riders that enter back out. They get too scared when they walk the course."

Broken bones and internal injuries have been some riders' reward for braving the adrenalin-pumping action in the past.

At 49, Mr Fage was the Downhill's oldest competitor over the past two years but said he would not race this Sunday.

"I'm getting old now [and] it's a young man's game," he said.

Hills hoist, chicken coop, fences and sea container feature

Albany Mountain Bike Club president Chris Idle said this year's course would push competitors even further out of their comfort zones.

"It's a big step up from previous years," Mr Idle said.

Two sea containers stacked on top of each other, measuring 5.2 metres off the ground, are expected to provide an estimated 10,000 spectators with plenty of thrills and spills.

"It's the highest feature we have had and double what we have had before," Mr Idle said.

He said an ambitious new sequence of jumps over a resident's 2-metre-high fence and vegetable patch, past a chicken coop, under a Hills hoist and over a sea container to clear the back fence, had contributed to a genuinely "urban vibe".

Putting Albany on the mountain biking map

Mr Fage said interest in mountain biking had surged since the Albany Urban Downhill's inception.

Chris Idle (L) and race director Paul Fage are looking forward to the third annual event. ( ABC Great Southern: Lisa Morrison )

"There has always been a mountain biking community in town but it seems to be growing from strength to strength," he said.

Albany Mountain Bike Club's membership has increased from about a dozen members to nearly 80 members, which Mr Fage credited to the event raising the sport's profile.

"This is totally different to anything else," he said.

Mr Fage said the downhill, which is part of the Southern MTB two-day program, was a drawcard for tourism and stimulated the local economy.

"The run off to local business is huge," he said.

"You've got people who are going to want lodging, buy takeaway food, go to the grocery stores....

"It's not just mountain bikers; it's all the people with their families who come to watch."

Mr Idle said the potential for mountain bike tourism in Albany was significant, if permanent mountain bike trails for year-round use were created.

He said Albany could follow in the footsteps of Pemberton and Margaret River, which were popular tourist destination for riders.

"We need that to come into fruition to really make it a mountain bike destination," Mr Idle said.

"Once those trails are there, we are going to start using them for our events as well.

"We want this to get bigger and bigger and grow into an event like the [Margaret River] Cape to Cape [MTB], which has nearly 1,000 competitors now.

"It's probably the most well-known mountain bike event in Australia, certainly the preeminent event in WA. We would like to be at that level."