Bike festival gets into gear for fun times
Organisers turn attention to next big event The festival is all about bringing the community together around the love for cycling.
The Rotorua Bike Festival got to pump up its tyres and run cycling events over Labour Weekend after two years of Covid-related delays. This year the festival ran in conjunction with the Whaka 100 mountain biking races hosted out of the Waipa biking hub.
Festival chairman Philip Macalister says it was a relief to finally run the popular festival after having to postpone earlier events due to Covid restrictions.
The festival is made up of a series of events over four days, and aims to encourage cycling in Rotorua.
“The festival is all about bringing the community together around the love for cycling and encouraging more people to jump on a bike,” Philip says.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re new to riding or a pro, there is something for everyone, new things to try and new people to meet.”
Besides biking events, the festival included a cycling-themed pub quiz at the Pig and Whistle and entertainment for children at the Whaka 100 finish line and expo.
“Both the climbing wall and face painting were a big hit with kids,” Philip says.
He says the festival will grow into a bigger event over time.
“Our events had a positive impact on attendees — meeting others, trying new things and having a blast on two wheels.”
He says the atmosphere at the festival’s events was great.
The Whaka Eliminator in the central city on the Thursday night was full of entertainment, music and a big screen. Crowds were wowed with onstreet actions, wall rides, jumps and some carnage, he says.
With the festival completed for the year, the trust is now working to bring the well-loved Ride the Runway back this summer when the airport grounds have dried out a bit.
Ride the Runway is an event in which people are able to spend one to two hours riding up and down the Rotorua Airport runway, looking out over Lake Rotorua and Mokoia Island, enjoying the smooth surface and novelty of the location.
Festival chairman Philip Macalister