Mayors Take on Cycle Challenge
For immediate release
13th November 2009
Hot on the heels of their colleagues in the Beehive, three New Zealand mayors will be participating in New Zealand’s largest one day cycling event, the Wattyl Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge on November 28, 2009.
In the first
‘Mayoral Challenge’ in the event’s 33 year history,
Mayor Rick Cooper (Taupo) will be joined by Mayor Dale
Williams (Otorohanga) and Mayor Brendan Duffy (Horowhenua
District) in the Linfox Relay which divides the 160km
circumnavigation of Lake Taupo into 40km legs. Mayor Duffy
will ride 80kms.
“I’m really looking forward to
participating in my first Cycle Challenge – it’s an
iconic event in New Zealand and I can’t believe it’s
taken me so long to become involved,” said Mayor Rick
Cooper who also participated in the Mizuno Off-Road Half
Marathon this year in Taupo.
The Mayors will be
participating in one of the most popular of the eleven
events during Cycle Challenge –they will be joined by at
least another 1000 teams of 2, 3 and 4 in the Linfox Tarmac
Relay.
The Mayor’s counterparts in Wellington will
also be participating in this year’s Cycle Challenge with
Taupo MP Louise Upston entering a relay team with three
ladies from Taupo who are also first-timers.
Fellow
National MP Hekia Parata has persuaded 3 other women, also
in their 50th year, to form a relay team and train for the
event while a team of four from the Green Party is headed by
co-leaders Metiria Turei and Russel Norman.
While the
politicians are focusing on the tarmac events, the Contact
Huka Mountain Bike Challenge has once again proved popular
with off-road riders – the 80km ride takes in some of
Taupo’s most famous mountain bike tracks including those
not normally accessible to the public.
Online entries
for close on November 21 so keen cyclists should enter
before then to avoid a late fee.
In total, there are
twelve different Challenges that form the Wattyl Lake Taupo
Cycle Challenge
* BNZ Solo - 160 km circuit of Lake
Taupo
* BNZ Tandem riders – 160km around Lake Taupo
on a tandem bike
* BNZ Solo Combo – 20km MTB
followed by circuit of Lake Taupo
* Linfox Tarmac
Relay – 4 x 40km legs, use 2, 3 or 4 riders
*
Linfox Dirt & Tarmac Relay – add a 20km MTB leg to the
start of the relay - 2, 3, 4 or 5 riders
* Enduro -
320 km twice round the lake.
* Maxi Enduro - 640 km
four circuits of the lake.
* Contact Huka Challenge-
an 80km MTB challenge
* Contact Huka XL Race – 80km
MTB race for licensed riders
* Avanti Men’s Classic
Race - 160 Km Classic Race component for elite male
riders
* WorkOut Zone Women’s Road Race – 60 km
classic race component for elite female riders.
*
Heart Children NZ Heart Ride – a 5 km ride for under
10s
ENDS