Posted: Thu 21/Jun/07 12:34pm Post subject: Whangarei Riding Scene
Ever thought "Where should i pack up the bikes and go ride". Well look no further.
The names “The Gimp”, “Resurrection” and “Tuna” are no reference to favourite pizza toppings, as every keen local mountain biker will know. They are the names of some of the trails on Mt Parihaka currently being developed by a few dedicated volunteer members of the Whangarei and Parihaka Mountain Bike Clubs.
According to the president of the Mountainbike Whangarei, Mark Wirihana, their aim is to turn Mt Parihaka into a mountain bike mecca where ultimately national events can be hosted. Over the last twelve months members from both MTB Clubs have been rebuilding trails after the harvesting of the pine forest and currently there are approximately three to five kilometers of tracks to ride, with more being built every month.
These trails and rides are targeted at getting families out to enjoy a healthy and fun activity together.Thanks to some careful planning and ongoing dealings with local council, the tracks created by club members are already proving to be very popular with mountain bike enthusiasts.
Mark says with the entire hill being regenerated in natives, it should become a major attraction and quite spectacular once the regrowth is established.
Existing tracks include several double jumps, a five-metre drop-off jump and several adrenalin-boosting cambered corners. The tracks, developed by riders for riders, are close to the city, have good elevation and enough cross-country trails to ensure at least an hour-and-a-half ride without doing any track twice.
A 4x track, which is a downhill BMX track, is also being developed for racing events in the summer. Building these tracks is hard work, but lots of fun too and anyone keen to help can contact Mark.
The Kids Mud Club is a concept which is about to become a reality. This is for riders under the age of 14 years and several activities are in the pipeline for these youngsters, including a week long summer programme. There kids will be taught all about rider safety, bike maintenance, racing, jumping and be able to participate in rides at other parks like Woodhill.
This is an excellent opportunity to encourage young riders, give them confidence and the chance to meet and ride with other youngsters of their age. A large part of riding, according to Mark, is the social contact and camaraderie that exist between riders.
The Whangarei and Parahaki Mountain Bike Clubs are looking at joining to form one club. Details should be finalised at the next annual general meeting. Both clubs work together to build and maintain the trails.
Races on the Resurrection trail will be held on 5 August and 2 September. Registration is at the gate to the forest on Abbey Caves Road. These are downhill timed races of about 2 to 2.5km. Check-in time is 9am and practice from 9am to 11.30am with the races starting at 12pm. The categories are open men’s, women’s and first timer’s class. A great event to get your first taste of mountainbiking
For information about membership, rides, races or to lend a hand with the building of tracks, contact Mark at mountainbike[at]xtra.co.nz
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