Iconic Mountain Bike Race The Pioneer Set for Alps

A new mountain bike race, The Pioneer, is set to hit the rugged trails of the Southern Alps from 31 January through 6 February 2016. The race will string together established bike trails with overland rides across farms and hillsides over 576km from Christchurch to Queenstown, with tent villages set up nightly for racers.

According to the New York Times and New Zealand’s Scoop, the race is open to both elite competitors and amateurs, requiring each rider to pair up and cycle as a team of two. The Pioneer is capped at 1000 riders.

CEO of event management company Lagardere Oceania Unlimited, Dave Beeche spoke of the truly global and national appeal of a unique event in this part of the world.

“The Pioneer will become an iconic ‘brand New Zealand’ event that will feature the best of our beautiful country across a variety of amazing terrain including our stunning new bike trails, well graded tracks, single track and ‘off the beaten track’ trails through New Zealand’s back country, many that have never been ridden before,” Beeche said.

Original article by Elaine Glusac, The New York Times, July 24, 2015.

Photo by www.thepioneer.co.nz