The Queenstown Trail will play its part in this year's
Queenstown Bike Festival, the headline event, the Tour de
Wakatipu, using parts of the new track.
In March, over 800 riders will take part in the off-road
race, now in its fifth year, that runs from Millbrook Resort
near Arrowtown, around Lake Hayes and across the Kawarau
River towards the finish line at Chard Farm.
Once across the river, competitors will ride along tracks
that are normally off limits to the public, making for an
interesting trek for riders.
While the course is primarily off-road, organisers advertise
the race as being accessible to most mountain bikers and
containing few technical challenges.
Riders can opt to ride in the recreational division (36km),
or those seeking a bigger challenge can enter the sport or
elite divisions, where a loop of Lake Hayes is added,
bringing the total to 45km.
Sponsor John Thompson is a keen mountain biker who has
competed in the event in all four previous years and said he
enjoyed the variety.
''What I particularly like is that the course makes use of
some of the tracks prepared by the Queenstown Trails Trust
and people will be able to experience all the good work that
has gone on over the last few years round this part of the
district.''
New this year is a run option, where competitors can run the
final 12.5km from the Kawarau bridge to Chard Farm along the
Kawarau River.
The running track will begin at the bottom of the Remarkables
and run alongside the Kawarau River, over the river terraces,
across the Rastus Burn, and then climb to the finish line at
Chard Farm.
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