Smail and Leary Face Off At The 2009 National Marathon Mountain Bike Championships

This weekend is set for some extreme mountain biking in Rotorua, New Zealand’s mountain biking Mecca with some of New Zealand’s hardest mountain bikers lining up for the 2009 National Marathon title. Sunday the 5th of April is the 2009 Bikevegas Highlander Mountain Bike Marathon which sees the classic Highlander event doubling as the national mountain bike marathon championship.

The elite women’s race is set to be a tough battle with Rotorua’s Annika Smail using her local knowledge to take on the gruelling 80km and will face her biggest challenge from Nic Leary (Raetahi), who came second to Rosara Joseph in the National Cross Country Championships earlier this year.

Former Elite Men’s racer, Mark Leishman is the favourite to take the Masters Men class earning him a National title for 2009 after being narrowly beaten at the Cross Country Championships in Nelson.

The Highlander, presented by local bike shop Bikevegas, is an old school mountain bike marathon for all mountain bike riders which utilizes Rotorua’s single track network. It comprises of one lap of challenging terrain in the world-renowned Whakarewarewa forest. 2009 is the seventh year that this event is being run which is a testimony to its popularity.

The mountain bike marathon championship is being run on the 80km course for licensed riders. There are three different jerseys up for grab in this event for each gender; juniors (under 19), pro-elite, and masters (30+). Last year the championship was held at Mt Peel in the South Island. Mountain bike marathons involve huge amounts of fitness and skill, which attracts some of New Zealand’s top riders from all over the country. 2008 titles went to Marcus Roy of Invercargill and Erin Greene of Dunedin.

This year is the first year that there is three different course lengths on offer at the Highlander, 20km, 40km and 80km, ensuring that there is a course for every fitness level. The 20km course is ideal for recreational riders, and those who are giving it a go for the first time. 40km is perfect for those who are wanting to race but aren’t quite up to the challenge of the mighty 80km.

Also new this year is the location of the start and finish. Both will be at the stunning Blue Lake Reserve, which presents more spectacular scenery, and an opportunity for a well earned dip in the lake after your ride.

Registration will be at the Blue Lake Reserve between 3 and 6pm on Saturday, and from 7am on Sunday. If you have not entered yet, online entries are open until 5pm Saturday, which allows for any last minute spontaneous decisions to enter. Come on, you know you want to. It’s guaranteed to be a good day for all adrenaline junkies.

Visit the website (www.n-duro.co.nz) for the recently finalised course maps, any last minute registrations and directions to the start.


As the Highlander organisers say; expect it will hurt…