Volunteers, competitors, and spectators are making a beeline for the internationally renowned Rotorua Crankworx, with this year doing better than ever, organisers say.
For the first time in the Rotorua leg's five-year history, Crankworx has sold out of all participation tickets for each challenge.
Event director Ariki Tibble said by yesterday morning, more tickets had been sold online than on the same day in previous years.
He said while it may have been because people had just bought their tickets online earlier, it was promising and this year's event was already looking like their best yet.
Ariki Tibble says this is the smoothest Crankworx has ever run. Photo / Stephen Parker
One such spectator was Rotorua mountain biker Cameron Dodd who could not be kept away despite being made to forfeit his participation after a biking injury.
Not even an injury can keep mountain biker Cameron Dodds away from Rotorua's fifth annual Crankworx. Photo / Ben Fraser
Dodd injured his shoulder a week before the event when he fell during a ride through the Redwoods Forest.
He had been to every Crankworx since the event began in Rotorua and said while he'd rather be participating than watching, he would not miss it.
From watching the other riders, the expos, the local and international riders, and the all-around "good vibes," Dodd said it was still worth going to.
The challenges he had pulled out of were the Air DH (downhill) and Rotorua Air DH which was held yesterday.
Meanwhile, volunteer numbers for Crankworx are also up, with 383 registered volunteers, 100 more than three years ago.
But that's not to say there hasn't been any bumps along the way.
Tuesday night ended in a scramble as 20 volunteers pulled out at the last minute.
Tibble said the volunteer management team sent out urgent calls that night for help and said they were "overwhelmed with offers" for volunteers.
"And they were all there at 6am," he said.
He was excited for the remainder of the event and said any hiccups would be taken in their stride.
This year, events on Monday and Tuesday off Tarawera Rd were free, events yesterday and today are free for locals with proof of residency, and events tomorrow to Sunday have a cost for all.
