 Riders exiting Aid Station 2 heading up into the Motatapu Valley(Photo: Alan Nelson; click to enlarge) |
Competitor entries to the increasingly popular Speight's Summit 47km Mountain Bike race at Motatapu 2014 have closed in record time.
Two-thousand riders from around New Zealand and internationally have signed up to compete in the challenging high country race on March 8, 2014 – with race organisers having to close the field two weeks earlier than ever before.
"It's fantastic to see that so many people are signing up to the Speight's Summit 47km Mountain Bike event so quickly. Next year we celebrate 10 years of the Motatapu, so it just goes to show how popular the event has become," Motatapu Race Director Gemma Boyle says.
The Speight's Summit 47km Mountain Bike race starts at Glendhu Bay on the shores of Lake Wanaka and traverses spectacular countryside through the magnificent Motatapu, Soho and Glencoe Stations before finishing at historic Arrowtown. The track follows a route used by early Maori for hunting and gathering.
"People love entering the Speight's Summit 47km Mountain Bike race because it gives them the opportunity to bike through a truly stunning part of New Zealand that's not usually accessible," Boyle says.
"The 47km-long ride is an achievable goal – with the right training anyone can take this event on. There's also a great sense of camaraderie amongst the competitors and volunteers on race day that creates a really special atmosphere."
Event organisers place a self-imposed cap of 2000 on the race, to maintain the experience for competitors. There will be a waiting list for those that have missed out.
Meanwhile, entries for other events at the Queenstown Trails Trust-owned Motatapu Event are filling up fast. Entries for the Icebreaker Off-Road Marathon, the Arrowtown.com 15km Miners Trail, XTRERRA UDC Finance Triathlon and the R&R Sport 49km Team Adventure Run are currently open.
 A rider near Aid Station 3 in the Motatapu Valley(Photo: MMProX; click to enlarge) |
