The REV 100
This was an event I had been wishing to take part in for a while. It’s not an easy one with 1500m of climbing packed into the 100km, with most climbs only going for 2-3 minutes so its an intense ride up and down on the NZ chip sealed roads, but the amazing countryside scenery and the numerous quiet narrow twisting roads make up for the demanding course. We even zoom by the world famous Hobbiton Tour site - The Shire! Definitely does look like scenes straight out of the Lord of the Rings. In fact, there are numerous Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie scene locations dotted all over New Zealand - you could really turn it into a Lord of the Rings cycling tour if you have the time. This event also has UCI 1.2 status, which is for the professional or elite riders and is a separate event to the 100km event I did. I did not have a current UCI license, nor was I in shape to compete with the best cyclists in New Zealand! This event is always held in late February each year and there are a number of other events on at around the same time frame so multiple events could be done if racing is a priority of yours. However, if you are here for cycle touring then discovering the seldom travelled on trails and roads can be researched on the New Zealand Cycle Trails website.
Karapoti Classic
This is New Zealand’s most iconic, toughest and gnarliest race. Canadian mountain biker Cory Wallace, who races all over the world, remarked that it was a proper old school style track! If you ride mountain bikes and are up for a serious challenge, I recommend signing up for this 50km event. It traverses through the rugged Akatarawa Ranges (close to Wellington). This event was established in 1986 by the Kennett Brothers and is the longest standing MTB event in the Southern Hemisphere! The course begins with a Le Man’s style start with hundreds of riders splashing their way across the river to begin the 6km ride up the Karapoti valley. It is a fantastic course that challenges the very best of mountain bikers yet is still achievable for weekend warriors. The climbing in this race is so steep that you will need to grovel in the granny gear to get up and over. However, many riders got off to push as it was not any slower that way. I noticed on one of the steep climbs that there was a long unbroken line of riders, half of them pushing yet keeping the same pace as the ones riding! I first did the Karapoti way back in 1994 as a fresh faced 19-year-old university student and was too chicken to race the 50k event so I downgraded to the 20k recreational event. It’s always been on the back of my mind to nail this 50km event: perhaps it was a 21-year-old dream of mine that was finally realized upon my return to NZ. Since I was coming back with some great fitness after some big training months in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I had high expectations that I would do well in the race by going under three hours and would glory in my name being added to the coveted SUB 3hr club. If you can achieve a time below 3hrs, it is a highly respectable achievement as more than 15,000 riders have raced the 50k but only 600 riders have ever gone below 3hrs over the 30 odd years since inception.
