World-class bikers to pioneer 500km race
A new endurance mountainbike event will be the first of its kind, HANNE DAVIS reports.
‘‘It is just going to be an amazing event, one that will put NZ on the map.’’
World champion Anton Cooper will begin his preparations for the 2016 season and the Rio Olympic games by taking part in the Pioneer, a new mountainbike race across the South Island.
The event, which starts in Christchurch on January 31 and ends seven days later in Queenstown, will see riders pedal more than 500km and climb some 15,000 metres along farm tracks and cycle trails through the Southern Alps.
Cooper, the 2015 under-23 World Champion, was only recently able to confirm whether he would be able to fit the new race into his schedule.
He said it would be a ‘‘perfect week of riding’’.
‘‘It is just going to be an amazing event, one that will put New Zealand on the map alongside events like the Cape Epic [South Africa] and TransAlp [Italy] that are renowned the world over for the challenge and the amazing riding through spectacular scenery.’’
The event requires riders to race as a team of two, and Cooper’s partner will be Australian Daniel McConnell.
McConnell was the bronze medallist behind Cooper and Sam Gaze at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and was also the first Australian to win an Elite XC MTB World Cup round.
‘‘Dan and I are both looking forward to sharing in the adventure and spirit of the event together and hopefully by using it as a training event it will set us both up well for the World Cups, Champs and Olympics later in the year.’’
They’ll be a formidable pairing in the race, but 21-year-old Cooper insists they will race just like all the other teams lining up in the inaugural event.
‘‘We will be like all the other entries in this race. Just as the recreational and social mountainbike rider will need a good mate, someone that is a good fit in terms of ability but also to share a tent with for a week, so I had to find that rider and Daniel fits the bill. We get on well together, we will spur each other on each day and he too will be looking to get a good base week of training under his belt.
Cooper said a big part of the race’s appeal is that it will give him a chance to lay down a foundation for the year ahead, which will see him compete in the World Cup as he hopes to qualify for the Rio Olympics.