Mountain biking in New Zealand is expected to take a giant jump with the establishment of the Mountain Bike National Performance Hub in Rotorua.
It was announced today the inaugural training and development camp will be held on October 10 to 16 in Rotorua.
The camp will be led by head coach, Sam Thompson, who has more than10 years' experience as a mountain bike coach, including leading several prominent riders on international campaigns and managing the recent national team at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championship.
"We're stoked to be making this programme happen. We know there's a need for it because mountain biking is such a popular sport in New Zealand and there's a huge talent pool. As a result of the hub in Rotorua, we're looking forward to more promising talent taking their mountain biking further on the national and hopefully international stage," Thompson said.
The camp is open to both cross country and downhill riders. Interested riders are invited to submit an expression of interest via Cycling New Zealand's website. Following the inaugural camp, the Mountain Bike National Performance Hub will provide training for a small squad of riders who will be based full-time in Rotorua, as well as running six to eight training camps a year for wider groups of young riders.
