Editorial: Cycle rival a worry

If you snooze, you lose - and I'd hate to see that happen to Rotorua.

Tourist town rival Queenstown has announced it is opening a new mountain bike facility featuring 30km of new trails called the Rabbit Ridge Bike Resort.

It will cater for thrill seekers as well as beginner and intermediate-level riders.

It will link the bike resort to the Gibbston Valley Winery and those behind the development have been granted consent to build a resort which will include accommodation, a commercial hub and various recreational facilities such as a golf course and walking tracks.

The hotel part of the development is set to begin in 2014.

When I heard about this development, I was immediately worried.

You could call the tourism management crowd in Queenstown thieves, but they know a good thing when they see it.

Rotorua's popularity has skyrocketed since we started seriously promoting ourselves as a mountain biking destination - so much so, we are no longer just seen as the place to go to get a hangi and concert and a squiz at some cool bubbling mud.

Rotorua's mountain biking community isn't too worried about Queenstown breathing down our necks, but I wouldn't be too casual about it.

Cycling's popularity is increasing all the time. Queenstown's international airport is better than ours (flying to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne) and Rotorua can't afford to let any potential visitors choose them over us.