The tech device is the brain child of retired representative triathletes James Elvery, of Wānaka, who excelled at short distance triathlons, and Dylan McNeice, of Christchurch, who has competed with distinction in Olympic and long-distance events, including winning Challenge Wānaka three times when it was a full Iron distance race.
The duo launched RaceRanger in 2022 and it has now been trialled in 37 professional triathlon races in New Zealand and overseas.
Challenge Wānaka no longer has a professional field, so the device will be trialled on up to 290 age-group athletes.
Mr Elvery said trialling the RaceRanger at Challenge Wānaka was a "no-brainer" because he and Mr McNeice both loved it.
The age-group trial would also be a significant milestone in the evolution of the device because the Challenge Wānaka field would the biggest group of cyclists yet to take part in a RaceRanger trial.
"We haven’t done an age-group race before. The most we have done before was 140 cyclists at a race in Spain. They were all pros," he said.
"The big thing for us is we eventually want to get these onto 3000 bikes at one time. So this is good to understand the pressure points," he said.
Challenge Wānaka Sports Trust event director Jane Sharman said she was "incredibly excited" to host RaceRanger’s first age-group trial.
"This event has always been about more than just the race. It’s about community, innovation, and showcasing the best of our region ... We can’t wait to see how this technology transforms the way our athletes compete and connect with the sport,” she said.
The RaceRanger device will be fitted to bikes by Mr Elvery and Mr McNeice as the athletes go through the check in and racking procedure before the race.
The device uses GPS to measure the distance between cyclists, alerting them to potential breaches in drafting zones.
It also provides a wealth of data about what happened where on the course, such as crashes, overtaking, and length of time taken to overtake.
The devices turn on automatically once the cyclists get to about 15kmh, Mr Elvery said.
Eventually, the tech developers would like to get the RaceRanger down to one device. At the moment, it is in two pieces.
The RaceRanger is manufactured in Christchurch and the developers are seeking a capital raise to enable them to scale the device and take it to the next level.
Challenge Wānaka is in its 19th edition.
The race start, transition area and finish line have returned to the town centre this year, after several years operating from Glendhu Bay.
The Challenge Wānaka Half (1.9km swim, 90km cycle, 21km run) is on February 15.
Entries are still open.
More info: www.challenge-Wānaka.com for more details.
