20 events, 7,400 cyclists, 12,000 spectators and 1 record broken at the 38th Contact Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge Event

Event Village Atmosphere at Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge 2014.

Taupo turned on a stunning day for the 38th annual Contact Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge and a few spots of rain and summer breezes did little to dampen the festive spirit at the Event Village where supporters and spectators were entertained as they welcomed back participants from the 20 different events on offer.

Cycle Challenge is an event where people push boundaries and celebrate personal achievement and the 2014 event was no exception.  Starting his ride on Wednesday, Ron Skelton completed eight laps of the 160km course around Lake Taupo in just over 74 hours, while today, local man Patrick Bevin broke the course record in 3 hours 40 minutes. 



This year’s oldest participant, part of a four-person relay team was 83 while starting young were several three-year-olds riding in the 5km Heart Kids Ride event.  As always, bikes of all shapes and sizes were seen around the lake today, from unicycles to handcycles and for something really different Andy Elliston (a.k.a Rickshaw Andy) rode a rickshaw to fundraise for Heart Kids the official charity of the Contact Lake Cycle Challenge.



Champion mountain bikers Sam Gaze and Karen Hanlen held onto their winning titles in the Contact Huka XL 85km mountain bike race and it was a thrilling finish for Ruby Livingstone in the Women’s Road Race with only .2 of a second between first and second place.  Karl Murray was the first male home in the iconic Bike Barn Solo while Rebecca Kingsford was the first female in this category.  A full list of participants and provisional results are on www.cyclechallenge.com.

Cycle Challenge organisers are thrilled with the response to their new 73km Half the Lake event; likewise, the Accumulator relay proved a popular option.  The Time Trial, held on Friday, was a new addition to the suite of activities, was held at the Taupo Motorsport Park – a venue more used to horse-power than pedal power.

“Cycle Challenge is for riders of all ages and abilities,” says Kay Brake Event Director of the Contact Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge.  “The 16km Lakesider is a fun ride, we’ve got four mountain bike options, three enduro events, elite races and our most well known category, the 160km Bike Barn Solo.”

“Although the elite riders are competing, this is largely a non-competitive event, with people happy to take part and when it’s a challenge –  equally happy to finish!” she says.

You can find out all you need to know about the Contact Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge at www.cyclechallenge.com.