Night Riders Converge On Rotorua For Epic 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race

Over 2000 riders will forgo sleep this weekend to race in the dark during the iconic Cateye Moonride, which takes place in Rotorua on Friday.

The annual mountain biking event is set among stunning native bush and sees competitors racing solo or in teams around a seven kilometre course for 24 hours straight.

Around 350 teams are scheduled to converge on New Zealand’s mountain biking capital this weekend, including past and present national mountain bike champions, Mark Leishman,
Carl Jones and Dirk Peters.

Cateye Moonride event organiser Murray Fleming, of Event Promotions, says top competitors from around New Zealand will be trying to smash the 2011 course record of 42 laps (294 kilometres),
held by Tim Mills of Mount Maunganui, who didn’t sleep at all during last year’s race.

“Tim rode non-stop for the first 18 hours of the race last year only pausing once to have a cup of soup,” Fleming says. “The Moonride is an enormous endurance challenge for solo riders so this year’s
new venue with hot showers, flushing toilets, powered sites and even cabins for competitors and their support crews to use will be a welcome addition to the event.”

Fleming says that for the first time in the race’s 16 year history, the Cateye Moonride will be held on private land at Tui Ridge Park, Hamurana.

“We wanted to make the event bigger and better than ever before,” he explains. “The course is normally reserved for school groups and has been painstakingly prepared exclusively for this event.”

Destination Rotorua Marketing general manager, Oscar Nathan, says the Cateye Moonride first began as a council-run event and has now grown to become one of New Zealand’s most iconic
mountain bike races.

“It’s the only 24 hour night ride in the country and riding in the dark is a completely unique experience. The tracks look and feel different than they do during the day and it’s more of a challenge to
see what’s around the corner which really gets your adrenaline pumping!”

This year organisers have partnered with online sponsorship company “Everyday Hero”, which allows riders to fundraise for a charity of their choice. One solo rider is fundraising for the
Wellington Free Ambulance and has already raised an impressive $1600.

Nathan says race participants are also encouraged to dress up in costumes with prizes on offer for the best efforts. “In the past we’ve had doctors and nurses, Mexicans and even cavemen.
The overall atmosphere has really developed in recent years and we’re looking forward to seeing what people come up with this year.”

For competitors who aren’t prepared to ride for 24 hours, there are alternative 12 hour and 6 hour race options that kick-off 12 hours after the main event, at 9am Saturday morning.

Spectators are welcome to come and watch the action at Tui Ridge Park, 260 Anderson Road, Rotorua.