Tour day for tracks

More than a decade spent building tracks by hand is finally beginning to pay off for an avid bunch of Hamilton-based mountain bike riders.

The Te Miro site located near the water reserve on Waterworks Rd, comprising more than 30km of technical tracks unavailable in the Hamilton area, will host an open day on Saturday following a Sport Waikato bike-wise safety event to educate young riders.

Open day organiser Sam Boswell began riding the park about five years ago before it became clear a club was needed to organise activity in the ever-expanding area.

"The park's been used for tracks for about 15 years, just run by the community really," Boswell said.

"It wasn't until a year ago that things were getting out of hand with so many people building tracks that we had to form a club so that we could monitor it and gain access to some of the grants that you can get.

"Hamilton itself doesn't have technical trail riding ... it's good for people who normally ride in Rotorua as they can save an hour's drive."

The young club already has almost 100 members, with about 70 attending the first annual meeting.

Those numbers amount to critical mass, allowing for improved track maintenance, additional routes and signs preventing the uninitiated from losing their way.

"We've spent six months getting signage up there so people know where to go - it's pretty easy to get lost up there," Boswell said.

The club open day, from 1-4pm, will include riding tours, demonstrations from sponsored New Zealand BMX riders and a barbecue lunch.

Registration for the morning's bike-wise safety event can be made through Sport Waikato.