Mountain biking: Two national titles up for grabs at Whaka 100

The Whaka 100 returns in October. Photo / Supplied

Riders will be able to compete for two different national titles at this year's Whaka 100, with an exciting inner-city race added to the Rotorua event.

Cycling New Zealand confirmed the Whaka 100 Eliminator had been given Cross Country Eliminator (XCE) National Championship status.

The Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships are already staged as part of the Whaka 100, which returns to Rotorua between October 21 to 23.

The Whaka 100 Eliminator will be raced in the heart of the city on a course adjacent to Eat Streat on the Friday night and will see four riders at a time racing shoulder-to-shoulder around a tight and twisting 500m course featuring man-made bumps, berms and rollers.

At the end of each heat two of the four riders will be eliminated until there are only four riders left to contest the final, with the winner taking the title and the coveted National Champion jersey.

Qualification starts at 6.15pm and racing will start at 7pm on October 21.

Like the Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships, the XCE will be a fully sanctioned event with a national jersey up for grabs.

"Mountain biking is on a real roll at the moment, and with a number of riders showing great form internationally we're excited to see another event with National Championship status added to the race calendar," Cycling New Zealand events manager Charlotte Pearson said.

"We hope our top riders will take the chance to try and grab multiple national titles so that they can proudly display the silver fern when they are competing in both XCE and Marathon events."

Whaka 100 race director Tim Farmer was excited to bring another event back to life as part of the Whaka 100 weekend.

"It's been an amazing few weeks in the office at Nduro Events as the Whaka 100 just keeps getting better and bigger.

"Our partnership with Cycling New Zealand means we now have an unprecedented dual National Championship weekend with the XCE sitting alongside the Marathon title.

"Inspiring riders and building paths for athletes to reach international heights is what it's all about for us so we can't wait to put on a great race. It is going to be one epic weekend in Rotorua. If you love mountain biking, this is the place to be," Farmer said.

More info at whaka100.co.nz