Mountainbiking: AGM tonight and upcoming events

It's winter and it's cold. However, it's still a busy time, on and off the trails.

The Rotorua Mountain Bike Club's AGM is tonight at 6pm, upstairs at the Pig and Whistle in Tutanekai St. Francis Pauwels from Grow Rotorua will speak about the evolving biking strategy for the city and Gil Peters will update what is happening with Mountain Bike NZ.

You'll find out about all the work that's been done over the past 12 months and what is planned for the next year. There will be continuity and stability going forward with most of the current committee standing again. And that is a very good thing.

Everyone is welcome, but you have to be a club member to vote (or stand for a role on the committee). The club has operated for two decades and has achieved a massive amount over that time, so show your support by joining.

Race 2 of the Nduro Winter MTB Series is this Sunday, August 2. There are 15, 30 and 50km course options, so it appeals to a wide range of riders - from novices to elite racers. Galaxy Travel is sponsoring the event again this year and there are some great prizes up for grabs. The final race will be on Sunday, September 7.

The series is the perfect way to tune up for the NZO Nduro Whaka 100 on Saturday, October 25. This is one of New Zealand's toughest mountain bike races and a metric century, off-road, is a real challenge.

More information and online entry for the Winter Series and the Whaka 100: n-duro.co.nz

The third Rotorua Bike Festival may still be more than six months away, however, one event has already opened entries. The Giant 2W Gravity Enduro is run by Rotorua events company, Dare 2 Sweat, and was one of the success stories of the first two festivals.

This year the 2W at the festival sold out a month before race day. In 2015, it will be on Saturday, February 21, in the second weekend of the festival, and will be based at a new venue, Blue Lake/Tikitapu.

The format is the same: a multi-stage race, shuttling to the start gates, then banging down some of the best combinations of trails in Whakarewarewa Forest. Best overall time wins.

2W has expanded to a 3-event summer series with races on October 4 and December 12. For more details and online entry check out: www.2W.co.nz

Entry numbers are strictly limited (these are complex races, logistically, and numbers need to be kept in proportion to shuttle transport to ensure they run as smoothly, as usual). And there is an early-bird special. So get in quickly.

The 2015 Bike Festival launches on Black Friday, February 13.

It will be the start of three very big months of biking events for the city. The Anzac Singlespeed Championships will wrap up the summer on Sunday, April 26.

It is the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli so it will be a special Anzac Day Weekend in New Zealand and Australia. April 25 falls on a Saturday, but it will still be a long weekend. It is the first Monday-isation of Anzac Day.

Entry for the ASS opens on September 1: www.rotoruasinglespeed.com