The reincarnated Queenstown Bike Festival, postponed a year because of Covid restrictions, will finally kick into gear for the first time from January 20 to 29.
Organised by the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club (QMTBC), it will encompass every biking discipline and appeal to the full gamut of riders — from young children to seasoned professionals.
It follows in the tyre tracks of the original Queenstown Bike Festival run each year by Queenstown event organiser Geoff Hunt.
QMTBC committee member Emmerson Wilken, who is overseeing the event, said Mr Hunt’s approval had been received to revive the festival.
Its final three days morph into McGazzaFest, which he said was "kind of still its own thing".
It was a jam-packed event first held in 2017 to honour the memory of legendary local rider Kelly "McGazza" McGarry, who died the year prior.
Mr Wilken said the bike festival started off as "kind of a grassroots event, to get the youth involved, and all of a sudden it’s just grown so all these international riders want to be a part of it too".
Those internationals included teams such as the Santa Cruz Syndicate team, from the United States, which would already be in the Wakatipu for pre-season training.
The theme was very much "something for everyone" — there would be everything from enduro, cross country, pump track and dual slalom races to jump jams, slopestyle and family-oriented gravel group rides.
The programme would start most days with junior events about 3pm, followed by women’s and men’s races into the evening.
Venues included Coronet Peak, Cardrona, Skyline, QMTBC’s Gorge Road Jump Park, Wynyard, Kerry Dr and Seven Mile.
Among other novelty events were a floating log ride and lake jump competition at Frankton Marina, and 16-inch pub championships at Cargo Gantley’s, in Arthurs Point, where adults would race around a course on children’s bikes before drinking a small beer.
Mr Wilken estimated the festival would attract up to 3000 riders, helping consolidate Queenstown’s growing reputation as a biking destination.
He thought it would particularly appeal to young riders, who would get to ride virtually the same tracks as their heroes, while also providing a potential pathway to higher honours.
In line with the festival’s inclusive policy, most events were only about $20 to $25 to enter.
Some one-off big events cost $250 to enter.
"We’re kind of hoping $250 will give you eight events".
He still recalled the buzz he got from the early bike festivals, which he would like to see again.
"Man, I had the greatest time.
"It was a week of just riding a bike every day and then going out every night.
"It was like a young person’s dream."
By Philip Chandler
