With a $50,000 prize pool on offer, the inaugural 160km Country Road Manawatu Cycle Classic on April 16 is a great new edition to the NZ race calendar.
Whether you are an elite rider or recreational rider, this new event has a prize on offer for you.
Elites will battle for the $3,000 winner’s prize as well as the $1,000 King of the Mountain prize money, but in this race, recreational riders do not miss out.
Event organiser Selwyn Brown has come up with a new way of rewarding recreational riders, the Recreational Age Based Handicap Challenge, where the winner will be decided by a formula applied to all solo riders’ finish time.
“The prize pool and giveaways will be sensational, with an expected $50,000 worth of spot prizes and giveaways,” Mr Brown said. “There are two great Fijian trips on offer courtesy of Harvey World Travel, three road bikes and a stack of high end electronic prizes on offer at prize giving.”
Brown, who for many years has been the Race Director for the successful Yarrows Taranaki Cycle Challenge, was invited by Destination Manawatu to set up and manage this new Manawatu based cycling event.
After initial discussions late last year, and seeing the desire and enthusiasm of the local community to have a big new cycle event based in Palmerston North, Brown says it was not hard to say yes.
“The people in the Manawatu have been fantastic to work with and it’s been a great new experience,” he added.
The April 16th event starts and finishes in Palmerston North, but it is not a flat course.
“A perception in many people’s mind is that Palmerston North is flat and the cycling there could be boring.” Not so said Brown who added, “This new course which is set in magnificent Manawatu countryside has some challenging climbs that will test most.”
The event also features the usual 2, 3, 4, person relay for those not wanting to do the solo section.
Are you up for a new challenge?
This article courtesy of RoadCycling.co.nz