REGISTRATION

Fly In to Nelson (NSN) Airport.  We’ll arrange several airport transfers leaving between (approx) 14h00 and 16h00. The absolute latest arrival time to Nelson Airport is 16:45.

We recommend you arrive on Friday 8th March if you are flying (see ‘Air Travel With Bikes’, below).

If you are arriving by car, please arrive to basecamp between 14:30 and 17:30 on Saturday 9th March.

Basecamp 1 is at 28 Moore Road, Wakefield 7095

No-one wants to fly to an event, only to arrive at your destination to realise that your bike missed the connection.  Unfortunately, it’s always a risk, especially if you travel internationally with short or complicated connections. Flying into Nelson Airport is no different and since the planes that fly in here are small, the luggage capacity is limited.

We’ve consulted with AirNZ and the Airport Staff here and we are a little concerned that if 100 or so riders all fly into Nelson Airport on Saturday lunchtime on the 9th March 2024 – some bikes risk getting left behind at the Auckland or Christchurch transfer and sent onwards to Nelson later.  (FYI this is not about baggage delays or mix-ups, it’s about the total hold capacity on each individual plane).

This can become a big problem, considering that we move camps regularly.  If you are really unlucky, your bike will be chasing you around the region all week and you will only finally catch up with it again as you return to the airport to fly home.

Aside from the above risk, there’s also jetlag to consider for anyone coming from further away than Eastern Australia.  We’re not pulling any punches for a big day on Day 1 of racing, so you’ll need to be feeling fresh from the get-go.  An extra day to chill out at camp 1, build your bike, and meet your fellow racers, is gonna be a real bonus and likely will set you up for the whole week.

In summary, we recommend that you arrive in Nelson on Friday 8th March 2024, especially if you are flying via Auckland.  We’ve got your accommodation covered, and will pick you up from the Airport too. (Latest pickup is 4pm, on both Friday and Saturday)

However better still, we’d strongly recommended arriving via Christchurch if you can, because this allows us to implement a backup plan just in case your bike doesn’t make the connection.  We will arrange for a van to be at Christchurch Airport on Saturday 9th March to collect any bikes that did not make the connection to Nelson.  We’ll then drive these recovered bikes directly back to Nelson (Camp 1) on Saturday evening to make sure that you’ll have your bike with you by (very) late on Saturday.  (It’s about a 5 hour drive).

Note that this ‘backup’ shuttle from Christchurch is for  ‘delayed’ bikes only and not for passengers.  You’ll need to book flights all the way to Nelson.

Alternatively, you could always just risk it and fly in via Auckland, on Saturday 9th March. You might not have any problems at all.  It’s mostly about how many of you decide to play it safe (if you all decide to risk it, its almost certainly going to be a sh*t show!)

The Race finishes in Nelson City on Friday 15th March 2024 at approximately 16h00.

We’ve got an afterparty and prizegivine ceremony planned with music and food, at a Nelson City central venue.  Friends and supporting partners are welcome to join us, as are self-supported riders of course!

Your accommodation on Friday night is included in your registration (all-inclusive) will be spread over 2 or 3 city centre venues within 10 minutes ride of each other.

We’ll make a drop off to Nelson Airport at 10:30 on Saturday 16th March.  

If you need to make your own arrangements for an earlier flight, its only 15-20 minutes by airport taxi and it won’t be a problem to arrange whatever you need.  Better still, stay on longer and enjoy the area for another week or so, since we’re only scratching the surface in the time we have at NZ MTB Rally.

Regular old Kiwi cow’s milk is way better than The Udders.  You’ll be Sweet As.  

Alternatively,  it’ll be dry cereal and black coffee for you in the mornings.

You’re asking the wrong questions, dude. She’ll be ‘reet.

This genuinely is THE most frequently asked question of all time…so here’s the truth of it (ignore this…if you want to have a miserable week)

• Bike – We generally prefer bikes that have around 5-7″ (140– 180mm) of front and rear travel, although some of our hardier (younger!) crew prefer to use solidly-build hard-tails. It’s really a matter of personal preference.  Strength over lightness and a relaxed (slack head-angle) is ideal. 
• Tyres – Listen very carefully. Are you paying attention?  At least 2.3″ DUAL-PLY / DH / DOUBLE-DOWN / ENDURO+ reinforced sidewalls & casing are absolutely essential otherwise we guarantee you will be fixing flats every run.  Tubeless with some kind of rim-protection-insert is ideal, certainly for the rear wheel and especially if you are a heavier rider.   (But this is no substitute for a heavier, stronger tyre).  If you are really tight on airline weight limits, you could fly in ‘nude’ and order a pair from a local Nelson Store such as Gravity Nelson, for delivery to Day 1 base camp – see our Sportity App for address details).  They’ll be pretty much done by the end of the week, so you can ditch them again before you fly home.
• Brakes – 3000m+ descent a day is hard on the brakes!  No brake is “too much”, and your screaming forearms will thank you for a decent investment in your braking setup.  Most importantly, make sure your brakes are freshly-bled with new fluid, and new pads, before your trip. Large brake rotors are a superb upgrade (min 200mm front and rear for the average weight adult male rider, 220mm  if you are a larger build).
• Spare Brake Pads – At least 1 complete (front and rear) set, but be safe and bring two complete sets if you can.   Go for sintered pads since they handle the heat of long descents so much better.
• Spare Tube, Plugs, & Mini-Pump or Air Canisters
• Spare Mech Hanger – if it breaks during your trip, your bike will be effectively useless without a replacement.
• CamelBak / BackPack with usual riding spares (pump, multitool etc), large enough to carry a light jacket, snacks & min 1 litre of water.
• Packable Waterproof jacket.
• Usual summer riding clothes and shoes (i.e. shorts, short or mid-sleeved jersey).
• Extra base layers for cold days
• Relaxed / comfy clothes for the evening
• Earplugs – essential for room shares, if you are a light sleeper
• Riding Shoes – Roadie-style lightweight clip-in shoes are not ideal for this terrain.  You’ll manage, but you’d be better off with some all-mountain style shoes, something with a decent sole and tread. (Flats or Clips are equally good, whatever your preference).   There may be short sections where you need to push the bike to get to the trail head and this is where you’ll be glad of a comfier shoe.   While you’re on the subject, if you ride XC-style clip-in pedals, ditch them for an all-mountain or DH style set, with a platform/cage.

Our Minimum Mandatory requirements are:

• Half-Lid approved cycle helmet
• Knee Pads
• Backpack, hip-sack or large water bottle(s) to carry min 600ml

Our recommendations are:

• Helmet – We’d STRONGLY recommend upgrading to an enduro-style  removeable-chin-bar model if you don’t have one already. Of course a DH /Full-face helmet is also welcomed, but be aware that you’ll need to wear this on the climbs, too.
• Gloves and any desired body armour – personally, we would not consider to ride these trails at any kind of pace without a spine protector and elbow pads, but if you are here mostly for the scenery then I guess that’s your call/risk.  However modern lightweight enduro-specific body armour is so comfortable that there’s little excuse not to really.  You are almost guaranteed to hit the ground hard at least once during the week. Just saying.
• Riding sunglasses or Goggles for protection against both the sun and foreign objects – note that much of the riding is in deep native bush so it can get pretty dark in there, even if its sunny.
• Some kind of splash-guard or front mud-guard is very useful if you want to keep mud and water out of your face and eyes.