Rotorua a key ingredient in the Home of Cycling
Sunday 2 December 2012
A single board of timber has become a symbol of the Rotorua Bike Festival's commitment to the new Home of Cycling's Avantidrome in Cambridge.
Sections of the wooden track can be named as part of fund-raising for the new velodrome.
The Rotorua Bike Festival is one of the first to put up their hands, pay the $250 and be part of history, says Martin Croft, from Rotorua District Council's Events and Venues Rotorua who are backing the Festival in its first year. The connection between Rotorua and the Home of Cycling is a strong one.
We have some of the best mountain bike trails, anywhere, says Dave Donaldson, who is a trustee of the Home of Cycling and a legend in the Rotorua mountain biking community.
Cambridge is the ideal place to base road and track cycling and BMX, and Rotorua will be the National Mountain Bike Centre of Excellence - it's a natural fit.
Home of Cycling Charitable Trust Chief Executive Geoff Balme agrees.
Rotorua and its extensive mountain bike trails were a key factor in the selection of Waikato and Rotorua as the future home for BikeNZ and the National Cycling Centre of Excellence, says Balme. The Rotorua Bike Festival supports the Trust's vision of increased community participation inspired by world-class cycling facilities, programmes and champions. It's all part of Waikato and Rotorua becoming New Zealand's region of cycling excellence.
The Rotorua Bike Festival has drawn together many locals involved in mountain biking, cycling and major events in the last ten years. A team with strong links to the sport gives the Rotorua Bike Festival a unique flavour and style.
Sure, the guys bring serious talent and skills to the project and a real professionalism, says mountain biker, Graeme Simpson, who is in charge of media for the Festival. Then there is an absolute passion for the sport - a lot of stuff gets decided on a ride in the Whakarewarewa Forest, rather than around a table. The result is a distinctively local look and feel.
The Rotorua Bike Festival is supported by the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust and will run from February 8-17. It's a 10-day celebration of cycling and a mix of events and entertainment.
The website - www.rotoruabikefestival.com - features a long list of events from the serious to the light-hearted: the MoreFM Bike Expo, the iconic, long-running Moonride, the Redwoods Coast (no pedals, just momentum), fun rides, Bike Polo, the BMX National Qualifiers for the 2013 UCI World Championships, Bike Speedway, the 2013 Mountain Bike National Championships, the Giant 2W Gravity Enduro and Frocks on Bikes.