New cycling event coming

Shayne Forrest, Hobbiton Movie Set; Mayor Jim Mylchreest, Waipa District Council; Jason Macklow, Good George; Peter Botting, Three Peaks Manuka Honey; Simon Perry, RIDE Committee Chair; Amanda Till, RIDE Events Director; Nick Reddish, Cyclist and Previous NZCC Stage Winner and Andrew Kerr, Three Peaks Manuka Honey gathered last Wednesday.

The New Zealand Cycle Classic’s recently announced move to Waipa has sparked a new week-long community cycling event, with naming rights announced last Wednesday.

The Three Peaks Ride: New Zealand’s Cycling Festival will run alongside the NZ Cycle Classic from 23 January to 27 January 2019 and will provide a unique opportunity to captivate interest from across New Zealand and overseas, capturing all forms of cycling across all ages and stages.

Among the many events planned for the week is the return of a mass participation cycling event to Cambridge. The Hobbiton Gran Fondo will take place on Saturday, January 26, and will be similar in format to the popular Rev – last run in 2016. The course will pass by the world-famous Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata and will be including a number of new event features, to be revealed soon.  Entries will open at the end of July.

The afternoon of the Gran Fondo will feature the Good George Maunga Madness – a spectator event atop the spectacular Maungakawa Scenic Reserve, celebrating the epic finish of the UCI Classic Queens Stage. Details of other events will be released over the coming months.

Waipa District Council has confirmed its commitment to the event with a 3-year funding commitment of $100,000 per year. The RIDE Festival Committee has also confirmed the overall event naming rights sponsor – Three Peaks Manuka Honey, a Hamilton based premium manuka honey company.

See ridewaikato.co.nz for further details.

More Recent Sports

Lacrosse talent on display

The future of lacrosse was on display at Albert Park in Te Awamutu last weekend. Top youth talent from across the North Island was brought together by the under-15 and under-18 girls’ national championships and…

Here comes the Targa

The rally season is not over – ‘NZ’s ultimate road race’ is yet to be run. After town and country in King Country hosted rounds in the Northern Rallysprint (August 17) and the North Island…

Dads, sons and All Blacks

Two former Hautapu hookers caught up following the All Blacks game in Auckland on Saturday night. Chris Carter and David Roigard watched their sons, Leroy and Cam, represent their country at Eden Park. A year…

Getting faster for France

The velodrome hums with energy as the team preparing for the World Masters in Roubaix, France gathers for another training session. The sound of wheels on tape, click, click, mixes with the low rush of…