Bike expeditions yet to start but win award

A new Taupo business which is yet to start trading has won a regional award for its business plan.

Tread Routes, an innovative mountainbike-expedition company, won the Waikato regional award and was a top five finalist in Business.govt.nz's 2013 ANZ Flying Start Business Plan Competition.

The company is owned and run by husband and wife team Ted and Erin Webb.

The two experienced mountainbike-expedition organisers plan to introduce the concept of point-to-point multi-day trips to Nga Haerenga, the New Zealand Cycle Trail, and other mountainbike tracks around the North Island.

As part of the win, the company will receive $1000 cash from award sponsors Ernst & Young, MYOB, OpenHost and Servcorp.

The couple were inspired by their own experiences with mountainbike expeditions overseas that combined camping and biking experiences.

These included Erin Webb's work on an African cycle expedition, on which 70 mountainbikers travelled from Cairo to Cape Town, and Ted Webb's work with 11-day tours around Lake Ontario in Canada.

Business.govt.nz manager Katie Wellington said having a well-thought-out business plan was crucial for business success.

"A business plan is like a blueprint for the future - it helps businesses stay on track and realise their goals," she said. "With more than 600 individual entries from businesses of all shapes and sizes, it was amazing to see so many quality business plans that will set our firms up to compete nationally and on the world stage."