The 24 Hour Bike Challenge, held by the Southern Dirt Bike Riders, was a huge success for the organisation as around 64 teams showed up on Friday to face a daunting task.
From 6pm on Friday, teams of 4-6 riders raced around a 2.3km track on a farm for a full day, with one bike to last the full brunt.
Conditions were initially quite good, but as the exhaustion built throughout the night, the heat followed soon thereafter with the sunshine beaming through on Saturday.
Southern Dirt Bike Riders president Dan Topp said it was hard going, but there were some excellent efforts to get through the marathon effort.
"They had to manage, prepare, make sure they were hydrated and got sleep. A lot of teams had rosters, they’d be on the road for an hour each and hop off for a rest.
"There’s a lot of self management," he said.
Riders also had to make sure their bike was kept in optimal shape to last the ride.
The winning team, Rycuzz Racing, completed 270 laps around the track but there was another winner on the day.
A donation of $18,000 was made to the Rural Support Trust, and Mr Topp said he and the club were more than happy to support it.
"The trust does a lot for farmers. The money goes to good people who give back to the community. It’s what our clubs are about," he said.
After a very successful second iteration of the event, there would definitely be a third, with the goal of bringing riders from the entire South Island to compete, Mr Topp said.
He thanked all of the sponsors, riders and supporters, and said their support was invaluable to the event’s success.
