Rally ready to roll across the region
Mountainbikers from around the world will set off on a six-day adventure on the top of the south’s best trails from tomorrow.
The inaugural NZ MTB rally will see 120 riders from New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada and Europe compete in six enduro race stages, starting at the Wairoa Gorge Mountainbike Park, south-west of Nelson, tomorrow.
Other stages include the Rameka Track from the top of the Tākaka Hill, the Cable Bay Adventure Park, the Wakamarina Track, near Canvastown, and the Coppermine Trail in Nelson.
In between stages, participants will be taken by helicopter, boat and shuttles to the next destination.
The rally is the long-time vision of event director Ali Jamieson, who has run similar events in Europe, including the Trans Savoie race in the French Alps.
He came to New Zealand on holiday in 2013, visited Nelson and was hooked on its lifestyle and mountainbike potential.
Jamieson said the region’s growing international mountainbike reputation was a factor in the rally selling out within hours of tickets being released.
Among the riders are Canadian Matt Beer, technical editor for mountainbike website Pinkbike.com, and described as one of the world’s most influential mountainbike reviewers.
Other competitors include former Australian professional road cyclist and podcaster Mitch Docker, Quentin Richard, from France, who helped organise MegAvalanche in the French Alps, Kiwi Matt Fairbrother, who at 19 already has an international reputation for his mountainbike endurance feats, and Nelson’s own enduro star Rae Morrison, who won the elite women’s race at the Cable Bay enduro last weekend.
The event has funding from the Nelson Regional Development Agency, which has estimated it could bring $1.8 million to the region through spending on accommodation, caterers, transport, hospitality and other support services.
Jamieson said events like the rally would lift Nelson’s mountainbike profile further, and would see it compete with destinations like Queenstown and Rotorua for visitors.
NRDA chief executive Fiona Wilson said the rally’s appeal to a high-value tourist audience was expected to translate to direct revenue for local businesses. “We also know that many participants will travel here with family and friends and extend their stay before or after the trip.”
Organisers say a recommended spot for spectators would be at the finish line on Friday March 15 between 1pm and 4pm at the Maitai Golf Club.