Rotorua may lose status in series

Alison King | 30th July 2010

Rotorua is in danger of losing its mantle as the Mecca of mountainbiking claims the man who built the forest's first trails.

Mountain Bike New Zealand last week revealed which tracks would host the downhill and cross country rounds of the 2011 national series.

In 2010, Rotorua hosted one round of cross country and two of downhill racing. The 2011 events calendar sees Rotorua holding just one downhill round in an abbreviated racing calendar.

Cross country rounds will be held in Tauranga, Napier, Nelson and Christchurch with the national championships race in Dunedin.

Fredrick Christenson, who started building tracks in the Whakarewarewa Forest in 1988, says this means a new breed of mountainbikers will be lost to Rotorua as those who are at the top of their game will not be showing their talents.

"Since the early 90s, this was an event that cemented Rotorua's place with the riders, the national body and the press - both national and international," he says.

"There's no dispute that national events are important.

"Everyone knows now they're not coming to Rotorua and that's huge - 400 to 500 who don't get to play in the forest.

"Next year, will it be a case of missing out again.

"There are other towns and cities in New Zealand who won't surrender that opportunity."

Mountain Bike New Zealand decides which centres get rounds based on expressions of interest and reduced its number of cross country rounds to just four.

 Rotorua is venue to a number of other mountainbike events across the spring and summer, including the Whaka 100 and the World Singlespeed Championships in October.

But Christenson says a national competition is what brings the spotlight.

"A number of kids who came to [national series] mountainbike races 20 years ago have gone off to work in the industry globally and this was their insight.

"The next generation are going to miss out and Rotorua misses out on that opportunity."

WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ...

* Trac Talbot: "A real pity, do we need to do some groundwork to get Rotorua back in the running for the 2011/2012 series?"

* Scott Green: "It's not going to be the same this year."

* Mike Northcott: "I think I have raced a round of XC every year in Rotorua since 1997. It will be weird to miss this year."

* Mark Leishman: "As a rider I think the move to only four national series races is a good one. And as a rider I am not too worried that there is no Rotorua race. We have enough events here already."

* Jane Borren: "With arguably the best six women and men XC riders living in Rotorua (or within a whisker), of course this is a national sports organisation stuff up."