Bike event cranking up

Mountain biking superstars have descended on Queenstown this week for the 10-day Queenstown Bike Festival.

Some of the world's top downhill and enduro riders will engage in the professional events such as the Downhill Dirtmasters, the Mega Avalanche and the Teva Slopestyle this week.

Top-10 downhill rider and 2011 French Cup champion Fabien Cousinie was here last year filming the bike series Chasing the Dust, which gained 70,000 web views.

He was so impressed with the tracks in Queenstown he has come back to compete.

Mr Cousinie will ride against other top riders in the Dirtmasters Downhill on Wednesday and the inaugural Mega Avalanche at the Remarkables the following Sunday.

He said there was plenty of competition in the form Christchurch's Cameron Cole and New Zealand's Sam Blekinsop, to name a couple.

''New Zealand downhill riders are really good, too.''

Aside from Queenstown's ability to attract other world riders, Mr Cousinie has been impressed with the resort's tracks after training for the past three weeks since he arrived.

''Skyline facilities are really perfect, it has everything within a close area, Seven Mile is perfect for enduro racing.''

''The area, the weather make us all stay on for longer.''

Mr Cousinie will be using this week as a training run for the year ahead as his season back home has just started.

''It is still early enough in the season to practise; that is exactly the purpose of the trip.''

Queenstown's mountain bike scene along with the 3-year-old bike festival have begun to gain traction all over the world and although the festival was still young, he thought both had a big future on the world stage.

''It's starting to get a name.''

The bike festival begins on Friday with New Zealand rider Kelly McGarry launching off at the Queenstown Bike Park.

It continues through to Sunday, April 1 with more than 25 events, ranging from recreational rides, social events and the 5-year-old Tour de Wakatipu, as well as the extreme events.

On Thursday the Dirtmasters, set to International Cycling Union (UCI) standards, will have riders contending with speed, drops, air and technical challenges.

Spectators can also get in on the action at the downtown finish line and cheering on the competitors as they drop down the Brecon St stairs.

Now accredited as a Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour Silver Event, the downtown Slopestyle event on Thursday at the Ballarat St car park has attracted the ''who's who'' of international freeriders, all primed to show off in front of a predicted 5000 spectators.

Festival organiser Geoff Hunt said the event attracted more than 3000 last year and he hoped that would build after the 2012 success.

Riders for this will include Mr McGarry, who was placed fifth at the Teva Slopestyle 2012, Canada's Sam Dueck, whose hyper extended tricks were a crowd favourite last year, and defending champion Benny Phillips, of Australia.

The festival's new event, the Mega Avalanche has also attracted international entries, including French team riders Remy Absalon and Nicolas Quere, as well as World Cup downhiller, and female Canadian national champion Casey Brown.

Based on the ''Megavalanche'' in the French Alps, the race is expected to test even the world's best downhillers as they hurtle down a course on the Remarkables mountain range.

Destination Queenstown chairman Mark Quickfall said: ''With over 5000 entrants and attendees at the 2012 festival bringing in an estimated $2 million to the local economy, the Queenstown Bike Festival has become a key autumn event on our calendar.''

The Lonely Planet New Zealand Travel Guide singles out mountain biking in Queenstown as one of its top 12 favourite recommendations.