Entries roll in for Bike Festival

Tu Mutu (left) with Empire of Dirt trail builders Adam King and Chris Martin are preparing a new course for the Skyline Sprint Warrior which is part of the Rotorua Bike Festival. Photo/Stephen Parker

With about a month to go before the start of the second Rotorua Bike Festival one of the flagship events has already sold out.

Bike Festival officials said entries were well up on 2013 with the Skyline Sprint Warrior on the slopes of Mt Ngongotaha already sold out.

The course is the only gondola-access mountain bike trail in the North Island.

However, Mountain Bike Rotorua's Tak Mutu said a new feature of the Sprint Warrior was an open day on Thursday, February 20.

"This will be a chance for those racing the Warrior the next day to get an early look at the race course and for other riders to sample some of the other trails our expert builders from Empire of Dirt are constructing at Skyline."

Entries to the open day were also selling fast with the main event on Friday February 21, Mr Mutu said.

"The Rotorua Bike Festival is well and truly growing in popularity with our event being a cog in the machine.

Another successful event from 2013 is back the day after the Sprint Warrior.

The Giant 2W Gravity Enduro features some of the very best trails in the world-renowned Whakarewarewa Forest network, with shuttles to the start gates of timed stages.

Entry numbers for the 2W were already up on last year's event with the limit rapidly approaching.

"If people don't want to miss out they should enter very soon," said event organiser Neil Gellatley.

The 2W starts and finishes in the heart of Rotorua's city centre, on the newly refurbished Eat Streat.

"It's a competitive event and sociable too," Mr Gellatley said.

"You can enjoy a coffee before heading out and then a cooling beverage or two while comparing your times with your mates when you're finished," he said.

Ibis Bike the Lake is a regular part of the Rotorua cycling calendar.

However Sunday, February 16 will see the first summer edition of the event.

Event organiser Shane Hookes was very pleased with entries so far.

Bike the Lake features one lap of 42km for recreational riders or a two-lap option for the more competitive cyclists.

Rotorua Deputy Mayor Dave Donaldson said that was what the festival was all about.

The 10-day festival runs from Friday, February 14 to Sunday, February 23. The full programme is available at www.rotoruabikefestival.com.