There are two options for riders — a four or eight hour race with the ability to compete in teams or solo.
Southland MTB media liaison Ainslee Wilson said the event was a highlight for the club and its nearly 500 members.
"It’s always a really fun day with lots of people in teams competing against each other. There’s always a great rivalry among teams."
The cold and wet conditions also up the ante, she said.
"Those guys are really great and they have such grit and determination to keep biking for eight hours in a row."
Laps lasted around 25 minutes and riders would continually ride through the main race area where spectators could cheer them on she said.
They had a range of ages with the youngest being 12 years old and their master riders who are over 50 years old.
"Our masters riders are the most experienced, they’re always the hardest to beat."
Many of the club’s tracks had been out of commission since the major winds last October.
"We’ve still got probably about a third of our tracks out of action ... there’s still a large number of trees down waiting on the council to get a logging crew in there."
Despite that, there’s a lot of excitement for the upcoming event, she said.
"It’s a great opportunity for members to get out there, do what they love and have the opportunity to meet other riders."
Preparing for events, like the midwinter solstice, is a community effort too, and the club gets a "great turnout", of people who want to help.
"We have people helping out to keep the tracks up to date and clear [the way], cutting back brush and gorse."
Ms Wilson has also been running a programme called Ladies Rides.
"We’ve had kind of a core group over the last few years that’s been a bit smaller, but over the summer we’ve had a lot more ladies come along and great rider turnout."
She hoped the programme would encourage more women to get into mountainbiking.
"It’s ladies starting to build their skills riding, getting to know each other and building their confidence through camaraderie."
This year’s midwinter solstice event is on June 20, at the Sandy Point mountainbike tracks. The race headquarters is located at the old Oreti Sands golf clubrooms.
Riders can register on the Southland MTB club website.
