More than 800 cyclists will make their way from Millbrook to Chard Farm on Saturday during the inaugural New World Tour de Wakatipu, a response organisers say has exceeded all expectations.
Race director Geoff Hunt said 835 bikers from all over New Zealand have now registered for the new event, which will traverse some of the region's most scenic trails.
More than 200 entries have come from the Queenstown basin, 150 from Invercargill and Southland, 120 from Dunedin and 70 from the Canterbury region.
Also, about a dozen competitors were coming from the North Island, Mr Hunt said.
"To get these sorts of numbers for our first Tour de Wakatipu is very exciting.
"It offers exclusive access to the right bank of the Kawarau River, which is a plus in itself."
Beginning at Millbrook Resort, bikers will head to Speargrass Flat Rd and over Slopehill Rd to a single track along the Shotover River and across the restored Lower Shotover Bridge.
Mr Hunt said a "mini wine and food festival" would be held at the finishing point, with a range of refreshments and entertainment by Queenstown musicians Jessie Coutts and Mathurin Molgat.
The Tour de Wakatipu will give $5 from every entry to Cure Kids, which raises funds for research into children's life-threatening illnesses.
