You don't need pedals in the latest bike race to come out of Rotorua.
The Redwoods Coast, or the Inaugural New Zealand Mountain Bike Coasting Championships, is a new event which will feature at the first Rotorua Bike Festival from February 8 to 17 next year.
Riders will start at the top of a section of tarseal on Nursery Rd and coast to the bottom, reaching speeds of up to 60km/h.
Race organiser Dave Donaldson said racers didn't need to pedal, but just use the momentum of racing downhill.
"Nursery Rd is steep and terminal speed - even coasting will be at 50 to 60km/h, so it's not for the faint-hearted."
At the bottom of the hill the riders will roll out on to the flat on Long Mile Rd and whoever coasts the furthest wins.
"The rider doesn't only receive fame and glory, but settles many of the raging debates that torment the mountain biking industry - which tyres are best and at which pressures? Which diameter wheels roll best - 24 inches, 26 inches, 650s or 29 inches? Does lycra give you a better ride than merino? The list goes on."
Mr Donaldson said the name of the event was a "no brainer" as one of Rotorua's tourist attractions was the stand of redwoods along Long Mile Rd.
Rotorua Events and Venues event manager Martin Croft said the bike festival would be a 10-day celebration of cycling with a mix of events and entertainment.
He said the website for the event was live with a growing programme of events from the serious to the light-hearted.
"It really is great to see a range and variety of events. There are mountain bike skills clinics, a bike polo tournament, the World Shweeb Champs at Agroventures, fun rides, mountain bike orienteering, BMX events, street crits, the Rotorua Bike Expo and Rotovegas Jump Jam with a lot more to come."
He said enthusiastic event organisers would be crucial to the success of the festival.
"Dave D is a real legend of local cycling and is usually helping organise world, Oceania or national championships, so it's fantastic to see him having a bit of fun with something like The Coast."
The festival will launch with Rotorua's longest running mountain biking event, the Cateye Moon Ride, starting on the night of February 8.
A new event, the Giant 2W Gravity Enduro, will feature on the final Sunday of the festival, February 17, with a multistage format.
The websites for the Moon Ride and Gravity Enduro are now operating and entries are open.
See www.rotoruabikefestival.com for more information.