It Takes All Sorts

Whether it’s for fun, an excuse to get the fitness regime back on track for summer, going for a personal best, or ticking something off your bucket list, our country’s largest cycling event is attracting all sorts this year.

Taking place in just under 2 weeks – Saturday 28 November - the Contact Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge has a vast array of participants descending on Taupo wanting to be part of the Best NZ Owned Major Event.

Kicking off early Friday evening, well known faces such as motorsport legend, Greg Murphy, ex All Black Frank Bunce, and lightweight rowing fours team members Alistair Bond, James Hunter and James Lassche, will take on local identities including Taupo Mayor, David Trewavas, in a fun Le Mans style celebrity criterium taking place in the main street of Taupo’s CBD.

The rowing boys will then be taking on some of New Zealand’s best cyclists in Saturday’s Holden Men’s Classic elite race, racing for a prize money pool of over $13,000.


Genessa Tabak. Photo courtesy of Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge

With a core value of participation and camaraderie, the ethos of the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge event will be played out by an estimated 7,000 other riders on event day, including the likes of Phillip Maas coming across from Melbourne, and doing the event for the first time on the back of recommendations from friends in Australia who did it a couple of years ago.

Peter Quinn and his son Jack will be travelling down to the event from Warkworth. Pete is coming back after a 5 year hiatus from the event and is bringing along his son Jack this year to take part in the 5km Kids Heart Ride.

Peter says “Each November I always wished I was doing the ride again, so this year I thought I would pull finger, get out of my comfort zone, not make any more excuses and tell Jack he was going to do the last 5km with me”.

Genessa Tabak from Christchurch, who’s had Taupo on her bucket list for a long time, is heading up this year after doing the New York Gran Fondo earlier in 2015, with a trip to Tour De France on the cards for 2016.

Event Director Kay Brake says, “Every year, we’re blown away by the wealth of different reasons that people travel to take part in the event. As a small but dedicated team we strive to offer a variety of options to suit all ages and abilities. Whether it’s one of our team relay options, the 16km Lakesider fun ride, our four mountain bike options, or our most well-known event category, the Bike Barn 160km Solo, we believe we have something to appeal to everyone”.

If you want to be part of what’s sure to be this year’s biggest cycling occasion, online entries are open until this coming Saturday, the 21st of November at  www.cyclechallenge.com