CAPTION: Sam Gaze in action on his way to victory in the UCI Mountain Bike Under-23 World Championship recently. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
CAPTION: Sam Gaze in action on his way to victory in the UCI Mountain Bike Under-23 World Championship recently. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Mountain biking in New Zealand is expected to take a giant jump with the establishment of the Mountain Bike National Performance Hub in Rotorua.
It was announced today the inaugural training and development camp will be held on October 10 to 16 in Rotorua.
The camp will be led byhead coach, Sam Thompson, who has more than10 years' experience as a mountain bike coach, including leading several prominent riders on international campaigns and managing the recent national team at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championship.
"We're stoked to be making this programme happen. We know there's a need for it because mountain biking is such a popular sport in New Zealand and there's a huge talent pool. As a result of the hub in Rotorua, we're looking forward to more promising talent taking their mountain biking further on the national and hopefully international stage," Thompson said.
The camp is open to both cross country and downhill riders. Interested riders are invited to submit an expression of interest via Cycling New Zealand's website. Following the inaugural camp, the Mountain Bike National Performance Hub will provide training for a small squad of riders who will be based full-time in Rotorua, as well as running six to eight training camps a year for wider groups of young riders.
Riders selected for the hub will have access to some of the best trails in the country, along with sports science and training facilities at the Waiariki Bay of Plenty Polytechnic's Mokoia Campus.
With the first cycling hub operating in Cambridge and now the mountain bike hub to launch, Cycling New Zealand said the concept was gaining momentum.
The Mountain Bike National Performance Hub has received support from local stakeholders and businesses including Waiariki Bay of Plenty Polytechnic as the official tertiary education partner, Red Stag Timber, Rotorua Lakes Council and Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust.
