Planning for 2014 bike festival already underway
8 January 2013
The first Rotorua Bike Festival from 8 to 17 February won't be the last.
With a full schedule set for this year's 10-day celebration of cycling, the festival team is already looking to 2014.
Events & Venues' Martin Croft said it's great to have a full roster of events with something for everyone for the inaugural festival.
The support of the Rotorua Trust and local businesses like More FM, Daily Post, Advocate Print, Expand A Sign, Nzo Active, and Victoria Grove Costume Hire are helping set the foundations of an event that will grow and grow over the next few years.
He said it's not just headliners like the Cateye Moonride, 2013 Mountain Bike National Championships, BMX Rotorua National Championships qualifiers or the brand-new Giant 2W Gravity Enduro that are putting a spring in the step of festival organisers.
The local cycling community is organising different events. We've got a full range from fun rides for the kids, bike polo, street criterium, Pimp my Bike, road races, skills clinics, Agroventures Shweeb World Champs, bike speedway, The Redwoods Coast, and most things in between.
The Strawberry Bike Jam will be at the Onepu Mountain Bike Park on the road to Whakatane. While not taking place in Rotorua, it underlines the regional strength of cycling.
One of its organisers Mike van der Broom said they are really excited to be part of the Rotorua Bike Festival.
We've got one of New Zealand's top jumps experts, Paul Langlands, doing demos which the kids will love and plenty of other entertainment. It's going to be a cracker.
He said the Strawberry Jam is proving mountain biking isn't just for young people.
There's also lots of interest in our Gold Card Ride. Plenty of over 65 year olds seem keen to mountain bike.
Cycle Action Whakatane chairman, David Wicks will lead the ride, and said he is is confident he can cater for all levels of skill and fitness.
I'll have some of my Golden Card friends with me so we can make sure all the older riders can ride a course to suit their ability. If you don't want any hills we can still cater for you.
Another festival event, a group ride on the new Rainbow Mountain trail built by the Department of Conservation (DOC), will feature some serious hills.
DOC's Rob Griffiths said one of the great things about Rainbow Mountain is people can ride to it on Te Ara Ahi, the Rotorua section of the National Cycleway, from the city running parallel with the Taupo road.
Rainbow Mountain is a trail for grade 3 to 4 riders and is quite technical, but we'll have experienced guides from Mountain Bike Rotorua helping us out and a sausage sizzle to carbo and protein load at the end.
He said the Rainbow Mountain track is a spectacular mix of rocky single track and sections in native bush with magnificent views of the surrounding countryside.
It's also close to Kerosene Creek if anyone wants to have a hot pool.
The full programme for the 1st Rotorua Bike Festival is on www.rotoruabikefestival.com