Mountain bike race for November

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 484, 4 May 1993, Page 5

Mountain bike race for November

The Rock Hard National Downhill Mountain bike race is scheduled for Sunday 14 November, 1993. The race, starting in National Park includes the popular Tongariro Forest Crossing, known as "the best legal mountain bike race in the North Island" - according to Paul Kennett (Classic NZMTBRides). Organised by Rock Hard Mountain Bike Tours, "the race provides a good challenge on a variety of terrain" says operator Maxine Parker. She believes the

Tongariro forest track has gained a solid reputation as great mountain biking territory and she offers this ride as one of a range of guided mountain biking tours throughout the Ruapehu Region. "There have been some problems of people embarking on this trip ill-prepared and without adequate knowledge of the track," she says. "The forest is a maze of inter-connecting tracks and the trail is not obvious to follow without a knowledge of crucial turning points".

Rock Hard Mountain Bike Tours operates on a concession granted by the Department of Conservation and includes the Tongariro, Erua and Rangataua Forests. Maxine began the "Guided Mountain Biking Adventures" business in December, 1992 and runs this from her National Park Base Chalet on the Rocks. The Rock Hard National Downhill promises to be a race of endurance and is aimed at the dedicated Mountain Bike racer.