Rotorua's new $1.6 million dollar world class track officially opened in 2019.
Rotorua is being “celebrated on the world stage” after its UCI BMX Racing World Cup was named best event of the 2024 cup series by Union Cycliste Internationale.
The accolade comes as Rotorua prepares to host more international cycling events, with a UCI Pump Track World Championshipsqualifier on Saturday and five-day mountain biking festival Crankworx Rotorua starting on Wednesday.
Tourism and economic development agency Rotorua NZ says major cycling events mean millions of dollars to Rotorua’s economy and the city’s recognition as a top host will help it attract more.
The Rotorua BMX Club was recognised for its hospitality by UCI, the international governing body for cycling, after hosting the first BMX World Cup in Rotorua last year. Photo / Mad Love Media
A representative for BMX from Switzerland-headquartered UCI presented BMX Racing World Cup event organiser Janette Douglas with the event award in Cambridge last week.
It was voted by the international BMX community - a panel of UCI riders, teams, officials, and staff.
Douglas told the Rotorua Daily Post the success of the “almost $1 million event” was testament to the “massive” contribution of a core team of 25 volunteers, plus another 150 who helped out.
The award also reflected the passion of Rotorua’s BMX riders and the manaakitanga (hospitality) for which Rotorua was famous.
“We had fun, and seeing Rotorua and the club being celebrated on the world stage made the win a real honour.”
More than 200 riders and 100 support staff from 27 countries, plus 3000 spectators, attended the sold-out race days on February 10 and 11. Rotorua NZ estimated the city had about 41,600 visitors that weekend.
The event was a collaboration led by Cycling New Zealand, BMX New Zealand and the Rotorua BMX Club, with support from Rotorua Trust, the Rotorua Lakes Council, One Foundation, Velosolutions NZ, Red Stag Timber, UCI BMX Racing, Thermal Explorer, NZ Major Events and newzealand.com.
Other events in the 2024 cup season were held in Brisbane, Australia and Oklahoma in the United States.
A vision fulfilled
The event was also the culmination of a vision and years of work by the Rotorua BMX Club, which opened Te Papa o Te Kauri BMX track in 2019.
Douglas said former club president Aimee McGregor and track manager Rupert Hastings had the vision to host a BMX World Cup “10 years ago” and set about planning a world-class track facility.
“If you’re excited about seeing what this event has achieved, then get down to the club, because you ride the same track that the champions do.”
Aimee McGregor (left), the former president, and Sam Hanna, the current president, of the Rotorua BMX Club. Photo / Mad Love Media
Rotorua track crew from Velosolutions at the 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Cup. Photo / Mad Love Media
She said some of the competitors went on to win gold at the Paris Olympics.
“We are very proud of how Rotorua and New Zealand were showcased to the world.”
Rotorua NZ chief executive Andrew Wilson said the UCI award was an incredible achievement.
“It puts us firmly on the map alongside the best event hosts in the world and strengthens our ability to attract future international events, benefiting not just our cycling community but our local economy and businesses.
“We know that large events such as this contribute millions of dollars to the local economy, both directly and indirectly.”
The Rotorua Daily Post reported in October an economic impact report found Crankworx Rotorua 2024 visitors spent more than $4m in the city.
The road to the Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships in Switzerland in September will start in Rotorua on Saturday, a media release said.
It has been a passion project for local Craig Pattle. The former world-class downhiller still rides and works building pump tracks with Velosolutions.
He and the team built the Te Papa o te Kauri BMX track with Nigel Robinson. The track at Waipa Mountain Bike trailhead followed in 2024 after a years-long community fundraising drive, and it will host this weekend’s round-one qualifying event.
This pump track at the Waipa Mountain Bike trailhead was the product of a committed drive by the local community and years of work to get funding. Red Stag Timber donated the site while Rotorua Trust and NZ Community Trust were among the funders.
Pattle said having it stage an international meet was a “dream come true”.
“As well as the pros, there’s age group racing so locals can meet their heroes and have a crack, too.”
It added to Rotorua’s history as a world-class venue, the statement said.
The Crankworx World Tour kicks off in Rotorua on Wednesday and runs until Sunday, based at Skyline Rotorua on Mt Ngongotahā.
This year marks two decades since Rotorua joined the Canada-born mountain-biking event, becoming the first stop outside North America and Europe in 2015.
A rider up high in the sky during a Crankworx Slopestyle practice session in 2023. Photo / Andrew Warner
A Crankworx statement said it would be “bigger, better and bolder”.
An expanded downhill series included the RockShox Kārearea Downhill Rotorua, which would be part of the UCI Downhill Continental Series.
Aleyna Martinez is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. She moved to the region in 2024 and has previously reported in Wairarapa and at Pacific Media Network.
