Welcome to another edition of Pedal Talk from Bike Taupo
Issue #31

Kia Ora

Fellow cyclists, first off I must apologise profusely for our lack of communications, few IT issues and what not, but its great to catch up with you all now! We at Bike Taupo have been busy as usual and for those who ride regularly around the area have probably seen a few changes.  Catch up with the boys in "track crew news" for updates, and also check out facebook.
Memberships for Craters have been busy, we saw huge visitor numbers over the first week of the last school holidays and Easter.  It is wonderful to see so many people out and about enjoying our tracks.

A group of us from Taupo (with a couple of extras from Hawkes Bay) were fortunate enough to ride the Old Ghost Road in March.  This was a fabulous trip and I really cant rave enough about this track. I describe it as the "best of the best" as it reminded me of bits of good stuff from lots of other tracks all put together in one epic ride!  We rode the track from Lyall to Seddonsville over 2 days. We also went with the "glamping" option of having our food/camping gear helicoptered into the hut, this was a great option as it meant the boys had a beer and we enjoyed some good food. If this is a trip you are thinking about, it is definately worthwhile.  There is lots of info our there about the track, so plan your trip well informed.  Before we hit Ghost Road we rode some of the "Charming Creek" track which was lovely.  We then spent some time in Nelson, highly recommend the Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike Park, they have done some awesome work here with their tracks.

Also, a bit closer to home, I recently went with Cath and the Kids BT crew for a ride at Tokoroa at Cougar Mountain Bike Park.  This has recently had the addition of a new pump track just below the carpark, its very cool and unfortunately I was too busy riding over the humps and forgot to take photos!! Great work done in here with some new tracks, especially loved Bam Bam and Yabba Dabba Doo, and if you head up the Mountain Lion track, its a very awesome downhill on Speedy Cheetah.  Check it out here http://www.sportsground.co.nz/tokoroamtb/28313/

Taupo-nui-a-Tia College social studies group has put together a very short bike survey and would appreaciate your input, if you could please fill in details on this link before 26th May, that would be great thanks.   https://goo.gl/xMCpZY

Hope to see you out there. Until then, happy riding :)  Cheers, Melissa

Words of Wisdom (from our Leader!)

Tena koutou kaieke pahikaras,

For us it is a new year with a fresh new committee eager to make Taupo great again for biking. Well actually it is pretty much the same committee (minus our very capable secretary and cyclist Pam Anderson) and Taupo is already a great place to ride. This last point was well recognised by the results of NZTA’s Great Place to ride competition. While we only won one category (on road) we were finalists in all categories, the only place in New Zealand to do so. While you can only read so much into such competitions it was clear that Taupo is recognised as a place for everyone to ride, on the road, around town on our Great Lake Trail and at Craters. We are pretty stoked as it has been the hard work of Bike Taupo over the last 12 years that has helped Taupo gain the reputation that it has for biking.

For us it is going to be another year of improving on what we have, this will include keeping the trails to their usual standard, and maybe building a new one here and there. We are hoping to get an underpass in under Wairakei drive so that people can get from the Hub area to Craters without having to cross the road. We will also be working with TDC to try and get our roads safer for all the visitors to Taupo, all the commuters and all the thousands of kids who are going through our kids on bikes programme.

The track crew have also been busy as usual. They have done some serious upgrades on the Rotary Ride and also have finished doing an upgrade of the Waihaha Hut Track in the Pureora’s. The last one I am particularly stoked about as it is a trail that has been, in theory, off limits for bikers for the last ten years. Bike Taupo submitted to DOC that it should be open to bikers as it is a close track which allows access to some awesome country. The gradient and distance to the Waihaha Hut (9kms each way) means it is also a good way for families to get out into the bush on their bikes. DOC’s decision was that bikes were only allowed if the track was made suitable for bikers. So with some help from Trailfund, we secured funding and upgraded the track. We are just waiting the official word from the department but I urge you all to give that one a go once we have the green light.

While it is taking its time this year, Winter is coming. This means that if you are on your bikes around town make sure you are well lit and reflective so that motorists have every chance of noticing you. It is very heartening to see quite a few more people riding their bikes to and from work every day now too. The good thing to remember is that we live in a paradise of pumice tracks which really come into their own in winter as they ride just as well when wet as when dry, so you have no excuses

Thats all from me this time, and if you want to know more about Bike Taupo or want to know how to help out, please get in touch. remember we are only a bunch of volunteers and need all the support we can get to keep Taupo the great place to ride that it is.

“Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world.” ~ Grant Peterse

Track Crew News

The guys have been busy with lots of projects on the go.

Te Iringa

We received $15,000 funding to fix up the last section from the swing bridge to the Hut, with the help of Heli Sika who donated the flying we managed to clean up the whole track getting rid of wind falls and making the totally unridable into a riding line. Greta said you can get to the hut and back in five and half hours riding time now, its still bloody hard but some of the best back country riding you can get. Another way is ride in fly out with Heli Sika

Waihaha

Another Trail Fund fix up job. We have fixed all the water damaged track, taken out the old steps, made the mud walk into a single track and scrub barred about 2km of track. Still got another section to do next year but its now just one spot to carry your bike. If you are going into the hut its another great old school mountain bike ride, 10 kms each way and you can get in and out in about 2.5 hours riding. We have had a lot of help from the Taupo Language school and also the old farts who rode in and helped on this project.

The trail fund has been set up by the government to help volunteer organisations like us to rebuild old tracks, Huts etc all around the country, for us its been a great way to keep those nice old mountain bike tracks open in our area. In a lot of case’s the work is just outstanding maintenance that has not been done for years and once the track has had the fallen tree’s cut off and water control put back they are as good as new again.

Huka Trails

The big change is at Taylor’s Bluff which has had two projects to improve both the grade and decrease our maintenance. Its flowing much better now and will pack down over winter. We also have a grant to plant more trees in that area this winter.

The area around Paddy’s bridge is being planted on Saturday the 4th of June, Queens Birthday weekend, if you are around to help that would be great.

Craters

The tracks have been very busy over summer but have held up thanks to being able to get onto the maintenance and the tree cover coming back . We are in the process of rebuilding the "Mrs" which will be on a totally new line, plus we are re aligning the old up hill into Young Pines as the new Mrs will join this track much lower down the valley.

The Beagle boys have done an outstanding job over the summer working with Bruce. Thanks to all who have got their pass’s great to see everybody compiling

Dont forget:

Greening Taupo Community Planting Day, Saturday 4th June 10 am at Paddy's Bridge on the Rotary Ride.  

Track Crew Contact Details

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More info: http://www.biketaupo.org.nz/news/track-crew

Kids Bike Taupo

We usually see the Kids Bike Taupo programme slowing down over Term 2 and Term 3, but not anymore. With the times filling up quickly, teachers take what they can get and we are as busy as ever. Term 3 is filling up fast and Term 4 even has some bookings. To keep a better focus on our priorities, we ask for bookings for early childhood and from the juniors at school first. The kids in Year 3 and above take up what is left. We want to capture those who can’t ride on two wheels as young as we can so everyone can participate in biking adventures when they are on offer to older classes.

There is some discussion on how to continue to fund Bertha the van and her human. Perhaps the time is approaching for more ‘user pays’? KBT is a free service. Now that it is popular and has proved its worth, we are looking at ways to ask schools/whanau to contribute.

We purchased a heap of new helmets recently. What a difference to have enough good quality helmets for everyone. A big part of the programme is about how to make sure you have the correct fitting helmet. Amy Masters has given us the helmet that she smashed in Craters a few weeks ago. It is a very good prop to show what a helmet is designed to do when you hit the dirt.

Phil, our bike maintenance man, has been spending more time in prison. Several bikes have escaped and are hiding in various homes around the district. Waitahanui whanau have been very keen to rehome these bikes and it’s great to see them being appreciated. There is a small problem with the quality of some bikes that are being given to the men to refurbish. Phil is going to get ruthless and ‘triage’ the bikes before the guys waste time trying to resurrect them. It has really emphasised the problem of poor quality bikes that are being sold in New Zealand through various retail outlets that advertise their ‘bargains’. These bikes are just plain terrible and, in some cases, downright dangerous.

Which brings me nicely on to the idea of having some form of a community bike shed? Other towns do this. If we could find a shed/warehouse/building the size of a double garage, or bigger, we could house good quality recycled bikes and a community workshop. People who need a bike on a budget could come and choose a recycled bike and learn how to repair it themselves. The kids could come and fix their own flat tyres. It’s a pipe dream at the moment, but we are certainly putting the thought out into the community and we’ll see what comes back. It would certainly get the bikes out of my shed!

We had a very successful day at Cougar Mountainbike Park in Tokoroa with Whakamaru School last week. It was our first visit with kids to this park and it was an excellent place for all abilities. We are so lucky to have so many choices to ride in this area. Melissa Johnson, our funding guru and Phil Simpson, the bike mechanic came along too. It was so good to be able to share the day with the whole team.

Bertha, the van, has a lovely new pair of antlers. Pete McFarlane has put a bike rack on the front of the van so I can take my bike along without it being munched up inside with all the other bikes. It works a treat, but it’s very weird driving behind your bike!

We have recorded over 21,000 ‘rides’ on the bikes and 502 kids, and 1 adult, learning to ride on 2 wheels for the first time. We love what we do and receive wonderful feedback from families. Thank you to everyone for their support over the past 3 plus years.

Cath Olfield, Kids Bike Taupo  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Taupo Mountain Bike Club 

Firstly; thanks to all of you who came and “raced” in the 2016 summer series. We had amazing attendance which truly shows the strength of our great little community and a commitment to get out there and do it! Well done everyone! On average about 120 riders competed in the Pack and Pedal long and short courses. With the Huka cycles kid’s races, around 50 would front each event.

Following on from the summer series we held the inaugural Top Gear cycle’s club champs. For the first running, this event was solidly supported. It was great to see strong competition in a supportive environment.

Next on the race calendar is the Craters Classic which is scheduled for Sunday the 12th of June. Like last year the club has engaged Nduro events to help us facilitate this popular event. Anyone thinking of doing this event can choose from 3 different course lengths, 12k, 28k and 38k. Places are filling up fast so don’t leave your entry too late. Visit the MTB website for details.

July will see the return of the night series so dust off those lights and charge the batteries. It is always a fun event.

On the social rides, Gina has been busy planning and the event calendar is looking full. Along with regular Thursday evening rides (Check Facebook for weekly updates) we have plenty of trips planned for local riders. These include Rotovegas Shuttles happening this Sunday, Timber trail, 42 Traverse and the Old Coach road. Most of these trips are now full or have limited places available. Our Old coach road trip planned for the 19th June includes a lesser known track, the Martin sash door tram track near National Park before heading to Ohakune and riding the classic Old coach road. Places are limited so get in quick. If you don't want to ride both there is an option to just ride old coach road.

Of course we will soon have some more downhill shuttles planned for July! More details can be found on our Website or Facebook.

If you have any great ideas for rides or fancy helping to plan some rides contact Gina. Your ideas, help and feedback are much appreciated.

TMTBC JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT SQUAD UPDATE courtesy of Paula Pietersma

Due to the high level of interest shown by applicants for the 2016 Junior Development Squad, the Management Team decided to take on a larger group this year. The 17 member squad are of varying capabilities, experience and skill levels. More experienced riders will be focussing on building their racing skills and providing leadership to younger squad members. The less experienced members will focus on skill development through regular coaching sessions and will also be introduced to the racing scene mainly through our locally held events.

The Squad marshalled the St Patricks School Monster Mash MTB race in March. It was an opportunity for the Team to give back to the Club and was great for young up and coming Taupo riders to look up to the squad members and aspire to be just like them one day.

The Squad participated in the TMTBC Summer Series and the Club Champs, with many gaining podium positions. Sammie Maxwell competed in the Oceania Games in Queenstown over Easter and placed a highly respectable 4th in the Under 17 Females Cross Country Race.

Nine squad members competed at the Waikato/Bay of Plenty School Championships in April, with four earning podium positions.

The Squad are now turning their attention to further building their skills and race endurance in preparation for the upcoming Craters Classic in June and the Nduro Winter Series held in Rotorua over July, August and September.

As always thanks to Bike Taupo and the track crew. So get out there and go hard!  www.mountainbiketaupo.org.nz

Cheers Mat

Craters Classic

Craters Classic is back with a few changes for 2016, there are three distances on offer ranging from the family friendly 10km, 25km and the feature of the event, the 40km course all set on the most amazing single track in Taupo.

The course is out...

Craters Classic course maps are now online. Our new event base and presenting partner of the event is Wairakei Resort Taupo. The course will start and finish at the resort with single track leading in and out towards Craters of the Moon MTB park.

As an added bonus, Wairakei Resort will have event only accommodation deals for you, go to the event website and click the accommodation tab. Don't forget someone must win the Go Pro Session 4 this Sunday, all you need to do is enter before 11pm

Enter here: http://nduro.co.nz/our-events/craters-classic/

Taupo Cycling Club                                                                                                                

The results are out for the first of the 2016 Interclub Series held in Rotorua. A great turnout from the Taupo team with 19 riders. Keep an eye out for more information to race at Tokoroa on the 12th June.

The Taupo Cycling Club are pleased to announce the return of the Club Champs.

When: Sunday, 22nd May 2016, registration from 9am racing starting at 10am

Where: Huka circuit, start finish based at the carpark opposite the Hub Cafe

Any questions please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More Info: http://www.taupocyclingclub.org.nz/sun-morning-rides.html

 https://www.facebook.com/taupocyclingclub

Escape Winter Tour  -  Australia

July 13th- July 20th 2015

7 days of riding the best Mountain Bike parks and trails in South east Queensland, Australia. Old Hiddenvale MTB Park, Mount Joyce MTB Park, Gap Creek trails/ Brisbane, Parklands/ Sunshine Coast , Wooroi state Forest/ Noosa. Escape the bitter cold to Sunny QLD. Sit back in the tour bus and let the crew from Have Fun MTB Tours take you to the cream of the mountain bike hot spots in the Brisbane and Sunshine Coast areas. You will also have time off to see the city and beaches. This tour suits intermediate and better skilled riders. Mostly all mountain style trails in MTB Parks. Only ten persons per tour. Accom in motels and cabins. Two to a room. Get your own airfare to Brisbane QLD. We will pick up you and your bike from there, and let the fun begin. Meals not included. Bike hire can be arranged. $990.

Contact John at Have Fun Tours for further information:   http://havefuntours.com.au/

 Dingo Digs

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