NZ Mtn Bike Festival - Feb 26-Mar 7
New Zealand mountain bike racing turned 25 recently. To celebrate Wellington is throwing a week long mountain bike party... And everyone is invited.
Wellington, as the major mover and shaker in the sport’s early development, was an obvious venue to celebrate 25 years of the sport. American cycle tourists introduced mountain bikes to Kiwis during the early 1980s and New Zealand’s first recorded mountain bike race was a break-burner down Christchurch’s historic Stock Route in 1985. But in 1986 Wellington’s Paul Kennett created the Karapoti Classic.
Karapoti was the first major gathering of what was then called “off road cycling”. The Capital City became the coalface of the sport, producing New Zealand’s first mountain bike book, first dedicated mountain bike park, first kids mountain bike races and was the first to host an international event when it organised the Mountain Bike World Cup in 1997. The Merida Karapoti Classic, which next week celebrates its 25th anniversary, remains the sport's cultural gathering attracting close to 2000 applications for the 1000 spots on the start line.
The “New Zealand Mountain Bike Festival”, which opens this weekend with the RaboPlus National Mountain Bike Championships, will celebrate a quarter century of New Zealand mountain bike racing. It will close next weekend with the Merida Karapoti Classic and in the week between the region will host all manner of mountain bike mayhem.
Events will include the Bike The Trail recreational ride this Sunday, bike skills courses, trail building courses, mountain bike movies, mountain bike trials riding and elite level downhill racing featuring New Zealand's best, who also happen to be among the world's best. During all this riders have a chance to vie for “New Zealand’s Ultimate Mountain Biker” by combining their result in each major event during the week.
Organisers expect more than 3000 people to participate in events over the week, many of which are free. Full information at www.mountainbikefestival.co.nz.