Course map now available!

We are getting closer to finalising the details of the course so we've provided a rough map. Obviously things may change a little as we work with the community and sort out the logistics of this technically demanding course.

And to wet your appetites a little more here's what our course designing mad genius has in mind.

Starting at the very top of the streets of Lyttelton the course quickly drops down the first section of road before a large kicker/stepdown transitions the riders off the road into the first section of 'built track'. This will be a 200m section of flow track which takes riders to the next road and the next feature. Coming off this section riders will encounter the stepdown over a driveway (and possibly a car) on the next road, before quickly dropping again off the road and into another 'built section'. This takes riders down to the next driveway and it's all roads from here. Down the driveway and onto Jacksons Road riders should encounter 2 small step-ups before the first flight of steps, then it's fast down the road to the next set of stairs before hooking a hard left (hopefully bermed) into the next driveway, through the garden, down the stairs and back onto Kebble Road. Then down the next set of stairs to take you onto Dublin St, gap down to the lower road, then back up to Winchester again (don't worry, this isn't a climb!). A wall ride then sets up for Winchester. Sprint along here, and then it's round the back of the leisure centre. There's a nice natural stepdown before entering Canterbury street. Not far to the end now. Sprint down Canterbury, and hook a hard left onto London St using the final wall ride. Carry plenty of speed onto London St for the final jump. Cross the line and grab a beer.

That should have you reaching for your mouse and clicking the entry tab, or at the very least digging out your camera and marking the 24th of March in your calendar for a day trip to Lyttelton for some excitement!

Also don't forget to check out the awesome sponsors we have on board, just hit home on your keyboard and move your eyes to the left. Behold our great patrons who will be providing awesome prizes and support for this event.

Gathering Momentum

The ball has really started rolling now with our first entrant confirmed. None other than Taranaki ripper and NZMTR regular Wyn Masters! With a top calibre rider such as Wyn on board we're looking forward to a field stacked with talent.

The course is very close to being confirmed now and will feature plenty of big jumps, gaps, kickers, maybe a berm or two, and perhaps even a container. Because nothing says earthquake recovery like a container. Below are a few little teaser photos of a few of the existing features on the Lyttelton streets that will be on the course.

And finally, for this update, we are extremely excited to have a new sponsor on board, Chill Studio. The crew at CHILL are as keen about biking as they are about skiing and snowboarding. They’ve got two spot prizes for those that rip the urban downhill course to swap their bikes for skis and shred their choice of the 11 mountains on their South Island multi-mountain pass. Check out their full range of multi-mountain passes and their latest New Zealand mountain biking guide available free at all good bike stores.

Start with a view

Narrow stairs.....

Step down or gap it?

Step up? Step down? Gap to stairs perhaps?

.... and of course more narrow stairs

Lyttelton Urban Downhill, 24 March 2012

The concept for Urban Down Hill Racing began with the Red Bull Urban Down Hill in Brazil. There are now several Urban Down Hill races in the world every year. The Red Bull Urban event has had 365,000 You Tube views to date.

The Lyttleton Urban Down Hill Event will run on Saturday March 24th, between 2-6pm on a course from Norton Close to Norwich Quay, a distance of 1.2 Km with a 160m vertical drop.
Entry to the event is limited to a maximum of 80 elite riders; the final for the event will run the top 30 riders between 5 and 6pm.

Long term vision for this event is to make it an annual celebration of community and fun. We see this event as a message to the wider public that Lyttelton, New Zealand is open for business. Part of Saturday’s activities will include two busker rings and mountain bike skills sessions for all ages from 12-3pm, located on London St.
We estimate a maximum of 800 spectators for the Saturday activities. The average age of the spectators and participants are between 10 and 50, our sponsors will enjoy coverage with Film broadcast internationally via You Tube.

We expect a very high level of media exposure in the lead up to the race. Through community newspapers, a web/blog site, signage through out Canterbury, and magazine articles in newspapers and magazines, and Facebook. On race day we an MC who will introduce all of our sponsors and asked to expose sponsors names every 30 minutes, and between riders during the final.

Race budget- This is a non profit event run by a trust and our budget will be limited for 2012. We estimate our costs for race day to climb to $8000 and for marketing approximately $3000. ie. we plan to print 500 A2 posters.

The key people involved with this event are Nick Sutcliffe - Track Design; Ted Pearce - Traffic Management Plan; Andrea Murray - Event Management; Laurence Mote - Marketing and Sponsorship; Bridget McMillan; Andrew Turner from the Lyttelton Business Board - our link to the business on London St, who stand to benefit significantly from this event.