Rotorua Bike Festival ready to roll (+ video)

With less than two weeks to go, the Rotorua Bike Festival is ready to roll - with an event for everyone.

Festival director Megan Dimozantos said everything was in place and ready to go.

"Right now it's just getting the final touches on everything and getting the message out to people about what is happening," she said.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing it all come together, and getting along to the events to see the end result of what all the event organisers have been working on in the lead-up."

Ms Dimozantos said not all the events required pre-registrations, with some allowing people to show up on the day, but most of the events that did have them were tracking as expected.

She said the Giant 2W Gravity Enduro increased the number of available entries this year and had already surpassed last year's limit, so there were a limited number of entries left.

Reaction to the new events and the variety had been positive, and they had noticed people engaging who had not been to the Rotorua Bike Festival before, she said.

"It's encouraging to see there are some new people keen to come and see what the Rotorua Bike Festival is all about."

Ms Dimozantos said she encouraged people to get involved as playing on bikes was "just great fun".

"Not to mention the obvious side benefits that it keeps us fit and energised and reduces traffic congestion.

"The Rotorua Bike Festival is a fantastic way for people at all levels, all ages and from all walks of life to experience the magic of biking in our truly unique town!"

Festival trustee Jonathan Dodd said the 2017 festival would be the biggest yet, with a lot of new events and some old classics.

He said the many new events kept it fresh and interesting, and that there was something for everyone.

Mr Dodd said the events were also fun to watch if you were not a biker.

"I think a really key thing is a lot of the events are spectator-friendly."

Mr Dodd said one of the new events, Cyclezone Rotorua Tour of the Valleys, was a great old-school road bike event which used to be a lot more prevalent in New Zealand.

It was moved to February 12, the date of the now-cancelled Bike the Lake, having been held in October in the past.

He said it was an annual fundraiser for the Cycling Rotorua club, costing $40 for early entries.

He said usually about 100 took part, but since Bike the Lake and The Rev had been cancelled they were expecting a lot more riders.

"It's basically a race or fun ride, however you want to do it. You can take it easy on 43km or hammer it out on 86km.

"It's a fantastic way to explore a lot of the back roads of Waikite Valley that a lot of Rotorua people don't really get to go around or probably get lost on, so it's a great day out and it's the biggest road cycling event of the festival this year."