World-first Freestyle Bike Bungy Jam tests riders

Jumping off AJ Hackett’s Kawarau Bridge Bungy is a challenge tackled by tens of thousands of thrillseekers each year.

Now imagine doing that while also riding a high-performance mountain bike.

That was the test for competitors at what was billed the world’s first-ever Freestyle Bike Bungy Jam.

Local crews have been testing out a specially built bike bungy ramp this month at the AJ Hackett attraction.

Riders were secured to a giant bungy rope, as they raced their unsecured mountain bikes off the narrow ramp and hurtled 43 metres down towards the Kawarau River.

Mountain bikers from around the globe took turns at launching themselves off the bike ramp, attempting to impress the judges with whatever skills and tricks they could still muster, while attached to a rope.

Spectators were treated to a show as riders overcame their fears to perform backflips, no-handers and twists while soaring through the air.

Event organiser Emmerson Wilken said the bungy mimicked what it was like to do tricks off the ground, allowing riders to show off their own style.

The extreme event was the opening party for the Queenstown Bike Festival, which features 30 different mountain bike events over the next 10 days.

rhyva.vanonselen@odt.co.nz