Although this might seem a touch zealous,
we saw firsthand how quickly the weather
can change in New Zealand’s Southern
Alps, and the organisers only have the
riders’ safety at heart with this ruling.
In true NZ style, our comprehensive pre-
race briefing concluded with a traditional
Maori Haka welcome. We sort of joked
about having witnessed the Haka before,
but seeing the passion and intensity
encapsulated in this ancient war cry was
very inspirational and set the tone for the
week. Along with the Spot/Insect Science
duo of Alan Gordon and Tim Hammond,
another SA team at the event, we felt like
the Springboks facing up to an All Black
challenge. Let the games begin!
stage 1
Queenstown to Queenstown
(78km, 2 000m ascent)
With everybody starting together and no
set hierarchy yet, Stage 1 started full blast
down the Queenstown Bike Trails. Blitzing
through the Shotover Conservancy and
Arthur’s Point, we got spat out on the
Moonlight Track. This trail starts gently
enough but it steadily morphs into a goat
track with quite a few hike-a-bike sections,
especially after the rain and snow.
prologue
The 20km prologue was at Coronet Peak
ski resort, which towers above Queenstown
and offers stunning vistas in almost every
direction. Ironically, we could see none
of them at the start of our six-day journey
because the mountain was engulfed in
thick mist and fine rain. The previous week’s
snow and rain had made for muddy and
slippery trails, resulting in a few last minute
course changes, which the Pioneer crew
handled with aplomb.
90 | MTB | bucket list busting
Pre-riding parts of the course helped
us somewhat, but eventually the “Track,
Sack and Pack” trail became a mud slide as
ever more competitors and run-off water
flooded the lower sections. Coming from
dry South Africa this was not our forte,
but hell bent on enjoying the experience,
we laughed it off and pretended to be kids
playing in mud as we made our way down
the trail. Other parts of the course handled
the rain better and we focused on those,
making our way safely around the course
well in touch with the leaders.