Cycling: Riders rise to annual challenge

There were only 26 riders at the start line of the 1977 Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge. This year, about 7000 people have entered the event being held tomorrow. Photo Mead Norton

There were only 26 riders on the start line when Taupo's Bruce Jaine took part in the inaugural Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge in 1977.

This year, about 7000 people have entered the event being held tomorrow.

Jaine said he could not remember too much from the first race around Lake Taupo, 38 years ago, but certainly did not imagine the event would grow so big.

He said he entered that first event after making a spur of the moment decision and it was rather casual.

"I think I had one too many beers one night and said I'd do it.

"The only training I'd done was riding my bike to rugby training. "I remember I had an old 10-speed and had to change the gears using a screwdriver."

He said the first event was staged to help raise funds for IHC .

He said it was quite casual with one guy even riding an old grocery bike around the lake.

"Now it has obviously become the biggest cycling event in the country by far."

Jaine is still involved in the event and helps run the mountain bike events, as the course director.

The feature mountain bike event is 85km and takes roughly as long to complete as the riders tackling the 160km road cycle event. About 700 people are entered in the mountain bike events this weekend. Jaine is a life member of the Taupo Mountain Bike Club and said he much preferred mountain biking over road cycling.