Tour of New Zealand
Let’s ride in the name of improving cycling in New Zealand
Mark your calendars, 14-21 April 2012 the inaugural Tour of New Zealand cycle ride hits the road.
The Basics
The Tour of New Zealand is an 8-day, epic road ride taking in km after km of iconic NZ scenery, described by organisers as, “the most dramatic, accessible multi-day cycling stage race ever to hit New Zealand. It’s an 8-day amateur event designed to celebrate everything good about cycling, scenery, competition and community, played out on some of the best roads the country has to offer.”
You choose to cycle either the North or the South Island, 716 km Cape Reinga to Wellington, or 777km Bluff to Picton. On day 8, all riders converge for a final showdown round the Beehive.
The Goal – Sponsor our team, or enter your own!
You can sponsor our Team and help us to improve cycling in New Zealand.
Or enter your own team!
It’s not just about soaking up the scenery while feeling the wind in your hair…
Pedal in support of community cycling projects and smarter transport solutions
The Tour of New Zealand is open for entries now ~ when you enter online, you’ll have the chance to select the charity you’re riding for, so tick the box to ride for Hikurangi! Why? Well…
Tour organiser Peter Yarrell wanted to create an event that not only showcases New Zealand’s incredible cycle touring potential, but ALSO puts all its pedal power to good use. If you ride for Hikurangi, 100% of the money you raise will go directly back to enabling better and safer cycling in New Zealand, supporting community-led cycling projects and innovative transport solutions. Lets make New Zealand a place where cycling is fun and safe.
Team Rules
Teams must have 3 to 5 cyclists on the road at all times. You can choose whether it’s the same people for the full Tour, or a relay with different people along the way. You can change riders daily, halfway, or even swap partway through a day. The possibilities are endless – you could enter a 3, 4 or 5 person team and ride every km together, or enter a team of 15 and take it in turns.
You need not be Lance Armstrong to enter (though if he calls we’re not turning him down). The Tour can be ridden as a race, competing for the daily stage winner prizes, or you can take it on for the pure challenge of crossing the finish line, not to mention enjoying the stunning scenery New Zealand is famous for, at a pace that allows you to take it all in, enjoying some cafe’s and chatting with locals along the way, and looking pretty fit as a result!
Sign Me Up!
This is the first year of the Tour of New Zealand, which you have to admit is a little bit special. Make sure you can say, “I was there when…”
Enter ASAP at www.tourofnewzealand.co.nz. Signup now! All early entries get a bottle of wine (not guaranteed to help your training).
Entering early also gives you plenty of time to sort out your accommodation and transport – and find a good support crew driver or two (we’re sure Aunt Jane would be thrilled to hear from you!) Tour organisers can also help with transport for a fee. Let us know if you enter, or have questions, the more the merrier! We look forward to helping you out, promoting your team, and we have some savvy friends who have agreed to help answer any queries about training, nutrition and equipment. Hikurangi will be entering one team on each island so we’d love it if you rode with us!
The Nitty Gritty
Individual entry is $500. Team entry is $400 per bike on the road. E.g team of 3 equals $1200, team of 4 equals $1600, team of 8 with 4 riders on the road at any one time also equals $1600. Tight budget? Enter a bigger team and split the cost between more people! Plus, there is a special reduced entry fee of $300 per bike on the road for student teams.
See full details, including race maps, and sign up online at www.tourofnewzealand.co.nz and select Hikurangi as your preferred charity! You’ll be supporting projects that will help to spark a positive cultural shift for cycling in New Zealand.
Download the pdf of this information here.
