Dunedin to host 2014 Nationals Mountain Biking

Dunedin to host 2014 New Zealand Schools Nationals Mountain biking

2014 sees Mountain Biking Otago Inc. not only host the Masters Games MTB in February, have the 10th Anniversary of the hugely popular Naseby 12 Hour, host the National Single Speed Champs in April, but now also for the first time in the South Island, the New Zealand Schools Nationals mountain biking will be held here in Dunedin in October 2014. This brings yet another Mountain biking first for Dunedin and the South.

Chris Arbuckle (Masters Games MTB and Secondary Schools Event Contact) said “This is a real bonus for Dunedin. A dedicated few have built a great resource of MTB tracks within the city, which can be tailored to the needs of any MTB discipline, rider’s ability and event need. The Secondary Schools event will be all about participation and building confidence for beginner riders. We ran a South Island Schools MTB event early this year as a “teaser” and had 153 kids from 23 schools have a great time on Signal Hills DH and Hill Climb tracks and XC tracks in Bethunes Gully/ Forester Park”.

Kevin Searle of the NZ School Cycling Association said “We are looking forward to re-establishing the National MTB event after a year’s hiatus.” We intend to run bi-annually in each island, and will hopefully encourage a growth in the sport throughout NZ. Mountainbiking Otago did not hesitate in offering Dunedin as a location when the idea was lofted. The club is also assisting with designing the structure of the new event series, they are a highly respected club and we expect they will host a fantastic event.”

The National Secondary Schools event was previously held in the North Island (Levin) and in its hay day attracted over 800 riders from a large number of schools.

Scarlett Hagan (Past World junior DH champion) said “We hope to attract a big turnout of participants from within the South Island and we expect to attract committed riders from the North Island. This event provides an opportunity for up and coming racers to test their skills against one another in a safe yet challenging environment, but this is not only about building the next generation of competitive riders, but also those younger riders whom can grow to just love the sport. We hope to provide the next generation of enthusiasts to maintain a steady stream of people using Dunedin’s and Otago’s (and NZ’s) trails and tracks.

It’s also a good opportunity for school age kids to test the skills they have gained from Scarlett's MTB Otago Skills Coaching to navigate the technical courses in Dunedin ahead of next year.

Chris Arbuckle said “The NZ mountain biking community knows we have a great resource of tracks in Dunedin, hence why we can run such a varied mix of events. The next big event on the Mountain Biking Otago Calendar is the popular URGE 3 PEAKS ENDURO on the 5th December 2013 which will hopefully include an Urban prologue this year (see http://urge3peaks.co.nz/), again another Dunedin first!”

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