New events for bike festival

Ride the Runway as part of this year's Rotorua Bike Festival. Photo/File

The full programme for the up-coming Rotorua Bike Festival has been finalised, with six new events added for the 2016 festival.

The fourth annual staging of the bike festival will be held from February 12 to February 21.

The World Endurance Mountain Bike Organisation (WEMBO) 24-Hour Solo World Championships is one of the new events on the programme, which will wrap up the festival on the weekend of February 20-21.

The world champs have never been held in New Zealand before and will see riders ride through the Whakarewarewa Forest trails over the course of 24 hours.

Organiser Tim Farmer, from Nduro Events in Rotorua, has been the driving force behind getting the event to the city, and said they had already secured the current men's and women's world champions.

"We have currently got 90 people signed up and expect that to swell to about 200 to 250 solo riders," Farmer said.

"We will be holding a team event as well, and anyone can enter that solo world champs race, you don't have to qualify."

Farmer said he and his wife were both endurance mountain bike riders and wanted to show case the massive event in New Zealand.

"It is amazing what these riders can do. They will go about 300km to 400km in 24 hours and they will climb the equivalent of Mt Everest twice."

Other new events during the festival include the MTBiker's Ball, which is being promoted as a bow tie and bike shorts event held at the Blue Baths.

It is a chance for riders to party until midnight in one of Rotorua's iconic buildings and fundraiser for the James Dodds Memorial Fund.

The other events include the Triple D Descend Downhill Dash on February 14, run by Descend Rotorua, and Orienteering Bay of Plenty's MTB Rogaine.

The other two new events are the Revolve Rotorua Dipper Dash, which is an all-female race in the Whaka Forest, and the Hill Climb Challenge which is open to all bikes. The Hill Climb Challenge is being organised by Cycling Rotorua and is a test of strength and stamina up Mountain Rd on Mt Ngongotaha.

FACTBOX:
New events added for the 2016 Rotorua Bike Festival:
- The MTBiker's Ball, Blue Baths, February 13
- The Triple D Descend Downhill Bash, Whaka Forest, February 14
- MTB Rogaine (orienteering race), Whaka Forest, February 14
- Dipper Dash (all-female race), Whaka Forest, February 17
- Hill Climb Challenge, Mountain Rd on Mt Ngongotaha, February 20
-WEMBO 24-Hour Solo World Championships, Whaka Forest, February 20-21.

To view the full programme for the 2016 Rotorua Bike Festival go to www.rotoruabikefestival.com.