The Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge is New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

's largest mass participation cycling event. First held in 1977, it circumnavigates Lake Taupo

Lake Taupo

Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....

, a volcanic crater lake in the centre of the North Island. The ride starts and finishes in Taupo

Taupo

Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....

 with one full circuit being approximately 160 km. Over 11,000 riders take part each year. It is the first event in Oceania

Oceania

Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...

 to be included in the International Cycling Union's Golden Bike Series

UCI Golden Bike

The UCI Golden Bike is a series of Cyclosportive cycling races. At present it consists of 7 events in 7 countries – 5 in Europe, 1 in Africa and 1 in Oceania – all selected by the International Cycling Union as being the best cycling for all events in the world.The UCI Golden Bike series was...

.

Categories

The event aims to cater for all riders, from the elite racers to those just wishing to make it around. This is reflected in the range of finishing times - from 4 to 10 hours. Riders are asked to nominate finishing times and staggered starts are used to group riders by ability.

Subcategories of the event are (2007 data):

• Avanti Classic: An official BikeNZ sanctioned race, sponsored by Avanti Bikes. Participants set off before the rest of the riders, competing in a full-on race, with a current racing license required, and entry limited to 100 riders. Riders must have a previous best time in the main event of under 4:15 for men or 4:45 for women. In 2007 the Classic category was men only.

• Women's Hotdog: A women's only challenge introduced in 2007. This is a criterium style race which takes place on a 1.3 km circuit around Taupo's main centre. The duration is 30 minutes plus 3 laps.
• Solo: A one lap circuit of Lake Taupo for individual riders. Approximately 160 km.
• Tarmac Relay: For teams of two, three or four riders, where individuals ride 40 km sections of the 160 km main course.
• Dirt and Tarmac Relay: For teams of three, four or five riders including one mountain biker, who rides the first leg, that being a 24 km route of some of Taupo's MTB trails.
• Enduro: An option for individuals who ride multiple laps of the lake circuit (normally either two or three, with the three-lap option occasionally replaced by a four-lap 640 km option - this is certified as a qualifying brevet for Paris–Brest–Paris).
• Heart Riders: An option for children under 10, a 5 km distance into Taupo, organised by the Heart Children charity foundation.

External links

• Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge (official event website)