Merida Karapoti Classic
Young & Old Threaten to Upset New Zeasland’s Best
Michael Jacques / 28.02.2011
1200 riders from 12 countries line up on Saturday for the Southern Hemisphere’s longest running mountain bike race, the Merida Karapoti Classic.Established in 1986, Upper Hutt’s Merida Karapoti Classic has been the race that every mountain bikers aspires to. Taking in a rugged adventure ride around Upper Hutt’s Akatarawa Ranges, the field is limited to 1400 riders and normally sells out with several hundred people on a waiting list. But in the ongoing fallout from recent natural disasters even a mountain bike event several hundred kilometres away is affected.
“Normally Karapoti sells out and we have a waiting list,� says event organiser Michael Jacques. “But in the last week I’ve been watching earthquake coverage on the TV screen while I watched withdrawals from earthquake sufferers coming through on the computer screen!�
Entries from Christchurch were already down after the September earthquake, which was expected, but now they are really down. On top of that the event has experienced a downturn in international entrants due to the recession, and then last month the event had a run of Australian withdrawals following their mass floods.
But Jacques is quick to put the Karapoti Classic woes in perspective, saying, “There are still 1200 people turning up to ride, and some of them are still from Christchurch and Australia, so we’ll just be dipping our helmets in homage to them and having a great event.�
Attracting competitors from Australia, Canada, USA, Switzerland, Finland, England, Japan, Scotland, Singapore, Ireland, Germany and all ends of New Zealand, the Merida Karapoti Classic once again features a world-class field racing for a $30,000 prize pool. Defending champion Tim Wilding (Wgtn) will be wearing number one, but he’ll have a hard time holding onto the pole position among a field that includes several former winners and a couple of dangerous dark horses.
“If there is a favourite,� says Jacques, “it would be Tim. Last year he illustrated that when he is on song there are very few riders in New Zealand who can touch him. He just rode away and left the others to argue over the minor podium placings.�
Wilding, however, will need his best form against 2009 winner Mark Leishman (Roto) and 2008 winner Stu Houltham (Wgtn).
Houltham, who won Karapoti and the national championship in one week during 2008, was a below par ninth in last week’s national championship in Dunedin, and will be hoping to atone at Karapoti.
Mark Leishman was a close fourth at the nationals, but is renowned as being in his element over the more gruelling Karapoti course.
In Dunedin both these guys played second fiddle to rising stars Carl Jones (Whakatane) and Dirk Peters (Rotorua), with second places Peters being a late entry and co-favourite for Karapoti.
Other contenders include local Upper Hutt riders Wayne Hiscock and Gavin McCarthy, who have both been minor podium placegetters in their home town race. But all these contenders will be wary of strong challenges from a Canadian pro, a multisport world champion and a 16 year old kid who has been riding faster than the adults lately.See All Event Posts
