 Starting a mountainbike event with a helicopter ride isn’t the usual run of things - but then the Hunters Otipi Flyer is not the usual mountainbike event.
The new 80km adventure ride has been organized by locals in Opotiki for 9 December 2007. It’s being twinned with the Hunters Blue Mountain Blast on 8 December, for a full weekend of storming wheel action in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. What’s with Hunters? Both events are sponsored by Opotiki’s ‘Hunters Bar’, an ideal base for the weekend – offering accommodation meals and refreshments. The Otipi Flyer will see riders and bikes taken by helicopter over the stunning wilderness of the Raukumara Ranges, south-east of Opotiki, to the upper gorges of the Motu river. This has seriously got to be one of the most remote parts of the country. A shotgun start will kick off the ride up and down the rugged Otipi Track (check Classic New Zealand Mountainbike Rides for details of the terrain). Be prepared: it’s certainly not a mountainbike park. The organizers warn of “a heavily rutted track and serious downhills – but it’s all rideable.” The serpentine route takes you via Takaputahi River through the Toatoa valley, to the bottom of the Meremere hill. Then it’s back up Meremere hill via another route, over singletrack across pasture and into Opotiki. By which time you’ll be a tad weary. The Otipi Flyer is not billed as a race, although there’s $300 to be won for the first man and woman across the line, so the definition is perhaps a little sketchy. But the fact of the matter is that adventure riding (or racing, depending on your perspective) opportunities don’t come better. Besides which, the entry fee is a very affordable $175 – including the helicopter ride. Entries are limited however (there’s only so much a couple of choppers can do) and must close 23 November. As for the Blue Mountain Blast the previous day, that’s a race, for sure. Or maybe not, if you just want a slightly easier adventure. Like last year, there’s again a long and short course option. Clinton Avery took out the win for the long course last year - both events were won in under two hours. The start time is 1pm and you’ll be able to enter on the day. www.opotikinz.com |
