King Country Classic Mountain Bike Race Header graphic showing riders on the course.
Header Graphic saying "Welcome to ..."

. . . the CycleTime King Country Challenge

Held 17th March, 2012 - The Heartland Mountain Bike Event at Piopio

If you thought the good qualities of the old rural New Zealand lifestyle had gone forever, this event may change your mind. All the ingredients are there - a rural community pulling together and co-operating to achieve a common goal, glorious outdoor fun and physical challenge in an idyllic setting, families everywhere enjoying themselves, windswept hills, leafy forests, cool rushing rivers, a laid-back cruisy atmosphere, plenty of active fun for the kids, and perhaps most important of all - plenty of good home-cooked satisfying food at the end of the day .

  • There are 3 courses - 50km, 37km, and 20km as well as 2 children's courses - 10km and 13km.
  • The start time will be 9.30 am, which eliminates some of the heat-of-day temperatures we could strike.

Free Camping for Friday and Saturday Nights.
On site in the beautiful grounds of Piopio School for the nights before and after the race. No need for a long drive before racing. This allows you much better pre-race preparation and post race recovery. At one stage we told you that camping was only allowed on the Friday night this year, but this has changed and you are now welcome to camp both nights as on previous years.

T shirts
These can be purchased during online registration .We will have a limited number available on the day and orders can also be taken on the day. The 2012 T-shirt image will be displayed here when it becomes available.

Massage available on the day!
 Erin Barclay from Big Sky Physiotherapy & Acupuncture will be happy to provide this.

Some feedback from previous years:

  • "Challenging course, pretty ride along the river, lots of friendly people."
  • "Friendly atmosphere, great venue, loved the swimming pool and steak sandwiches at the end!"
  • "Loved the swing bridge, the river run and the great views from the top!"
  • "Great organisation and friendly people"
  • "Fantastic scenery."
  • "A challenging ride through otherwise unseeable country, good atmosphere between riders on the track, caters for all levels, good local support, good spot prizes."

Logo of the King Country Challenge Mountain Bike Race

While Training for the "Battle" of the KCC Event Remember . . . .
"The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle."

Further information/entry forms also available from Cheryl Richardson
Phone 07 8786640 or email