Rotorua Bike Festival on track to be an even bigger hit

PLANNING: Next year's Rotorua Bike Festival is promising to be bigger and better. PHOTO/FILE

With spring just around the corner, there are just six months to go until the second Rotorua Bike Festival.

The first festival in February was a big success, with well-attended events and 10 days of super summer weather.

The next festival promises to be bigger, better and brighter and key events are already signed up for 2014.

On the first weekend, New Zealand's elite cross-country and downhill racers will compete for 2013 titles at the Mountain Bike National Championships, in Rotorua's world-renowned trail network in the Whakarewarewa Forest.

Cross country will be on Saturday, February 15. It will be a Commonwealth Games year so this will have extra significance.

Then on Sunday, February 16 the downhillers will tackle the challenging Taniwha course.

Mountain Bike NZ has confirmed that the nationals will be based in Rotorua until 2016, as part of the festival.

The second weekend will feature two of the big success stories of the first festival.

The Sprint Warrior will return to Skyline Skyrides on the slopes of Mount Ngongotaha on Friday, February 21. This attracted some big names in 2013, including international downhill racers Emmeline Ragot and Loic Bruni from France, and local stars Sam Blenkinsop and Wyn Masters.

The next day, the Giant 2W Gravity Enduro will be raced in the Whakarewarewa Forest. This multi-stage event is widely considered the future of mountain bike racing with the first Enduro World Series in Europe and the US attracting big fields.

In between these headliners will be a full array of cycling events - from full-on racing to family fun rides.

And a little bit of eccentricity.

Launching the festival on the evening of Friday, February 14 will be the second running of The Redwoods Coast. No pedalling, just momentum and who rolls furthest, wins. The location is the tar-sealed Nursery Hill road.

"One of the best results of the first festival was almost universally positive feedback about individual events," said Martin Croft from Rotorua Events & Venues. "Even so, all the organisers are fine-tuning and improving their events."

For a second year the festival will be supported by the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust and the Rotorua District Council.

Rotorua hosts thousands of cycling visitors every year from New Zealand and overseas.