Bluff to Host Top Schools MTB talent

For a couple of days in October, Bluff will be the centre of the mountain biking universe, at least as far as New Zealand is concerned.

The Southland Mountain Bike Club will be hosting the Skoda National School Mountain Bike Championships from 13 to 16 October, drawing the top secondary school mountain bikers from across New Zealand to the region.

With 114 schools registered for the event, it promises to bring not only an influx of riders but also a high number of supporters to the region. Racing will be taking place in age groups, from under 13 to under 20, with riders needing to be in Year 7 at least to take part.

Organising committee member Marcus Roy said it was very exciting to have secured the event for Southland.

“Being able to host a four day event of this scale in Bluff is fantastic, as it presents an opportunity to showcase Bluff and Invercargill to the rest of Aotearoa. It’ll provide a much needed boost to the local economy after a drop in tourism during the pandemic,” he said.

Competitors will have a choice of three events over the four days, with the Enduro on 13 October, the Downhill on 14 and 15 October, and the Cross Country on 16 October closing out the event.

Riders will be competing for more than just individual honours, with trophies for the top school (Year 9 to 13) and the top junior school (Year 7 to 8) being awarded based on the highest aggregate points score across all the championship events.

Hosting the event in Bluff will provide local schools with a unique opportunity to compete on familiar terrain, and without the need for extensive travel, with many junior riders having used the opportunities created by the mountain bike club’s Winter Cross Country Series to sharpen up their skills and fitness.

“There are events for all riding styles and abilities. There are a number of competitors with national titles and international experience who will need to quickly adapt to the variable terrain on offer,” said Roy.

The event will also be the competitive debut for the newly expanded trail network on Bluff Hill Motupohue. A significant amount of work has gone into the construction of the trails, creating a resource not just for visiting mountain bikers but for the Bluff community.

Roy said that hundreds of hours of work and substantial funding has been invested into the trail network to host this community event.

“The Club is excited for the future of the Bluff Hill trail network, as with the support and funding from Invercargill City Council and Tourism Infrastructure funding further redevelopment is proposed which will create environmental, social and financial opportunities for the town and wider region.”