What's Happening in the Regions

(Updated at 26/06/2023)

The Auckland regions offers many great options for school-age riders across all cycling disciplines. Many schools in the Auckland region run cycling programme within their schools. 

TRACK

The Auckland track cycling season begins in October and continues through the summer months. All ages and abilities are welcome.

Coaching sessions are held on Saturday mornings at the Manukau outdoor velodrome. This includes a New to Track programme to develop velodrome racing skills for riders who are new to track. To make things easy for riders that are new to track, track cycles are available to hire for the summer from the Auckland Central Cycling Club.

Racing takes place on Wednesday evenings at the Manukau velodrome. When numbers permit, an Auckland Secondary Schools team event takes place during November and December. Racing continues through February and March building to the Auckland Track Champs and National Age Group Champs.

ROAD

Auckland offers many opportunities for road cyclists to learn and develop their skills.

College Sport Auckland runs an excellent team time trial series. The series comprises 6 races over terms 2 and 3.  This series is open to riders from all Auckland secondary schools. For 2023, the series will be held on the Aka Aka – Otaua course. College Sport Auckland also put on a points race during the season. Information on both events can be found on the cycling section of the College Sport Auckland app.

The Auckland Schools Cycling club provides significant support to schools road and track cycling in the Auckland region. It assists College Sport Auckland in putting on the team time trial series and point race. It also puts on the IBuilt ASC junior tour which is part of the National Road Series.

Other racing opportunities for school age road cyclists are available through the Counties Manukau Cycling club race programme.

Don't forget about the iconic Schools Cycling Northern Tour event in September each year!

MTB / CYCLOCROSS

The Auckland Mountain Bike Club runs a very popular Auckland Schools Mountain Bike Championships. The Championships is a series of XC and XCR races at mountain bike parks in the Auckland region. Racing begins in March and is open to all year 7 to year 13 riders.

The Club also looks to provide cyclo-cross racing from time to time. For school age riders, this is family friendly, any type of bike, cyclo-cross racing.

A number of clubs in the Auckland region provide opportunities for downhill and enduro racing.  These include the Auckland Downhill Mountain Bike Club, the Pohutukawa Coast Bike Club and the Fourforty Mountain Bike Park.

CONTACTS

(Updated 26/06/2023)

CYCLOCROSS

At present the cyclocross scene for North Canterbury is hosted by Southerncross Cyclocross Club Inc. Our season information is posted on our website around April each year with our season kicking off in May.

With regards to the season format, we aim to host six club rounds between May and August. Each race day is reviewed each year, typically four races:

- MTB 3 mins, men and women categories. 

- Development/Junior 30 mins. D Grade, Years 1-8, Years 9+ (school years) by men and women.

- CX B 50 mins. Men and women

- CX A 60 mins. Men and women

Course is typically 1.3 to 2km long. Aim is to complete as many laps s possible during the race time (we display remaining laps after 2nd lap is completed). If you do less laps than the leader that's totally OK - complete as many as you can.

CX bikes only for CX races, any bike welcome in D/J and MTB only in MTB race. 

ROAD

The Canterbury Schools road season starts around June each year, with a variety of graded scratch, time trial, team time trial and hill climb time trial races offered on a Wednesday night. There is an average of 150 riders who attend each week, with riders from year 7 through to year 13. 

Riders are graded on the result of their first event, an individual Time Trial, with the knowledge of riders and results in subsequent races determining whether they progress up through the grades.

In the earlier events of the season they provide coaching for inexperienced rides and ensure they are followed by a proficient ex rider on a motor bike. These younger grades have also had adult rides on the back offering sage advice and ensuring the correct protocols of riding in a peloton are learned.

Check out this highlights video here from the Canterbury Schools TTT Champs to see what it's all about!

Don't forget about our very own South Island Roads event held every year in July!

Find out more on Facebook!

TRACK

Track run an annual development program which is always well supported. They have a number of bikes available allowing riders to "try before they buy"

MTB

(Updated 16/08/2022)

Whether on the road, track, trail, or BMX track, there are endless opportunities for schools cycling in Southland.

TRACK

The SIT Zero Fees Velodrome is one of only two indoor velodromes in New Zealand, and is an amazing facility for schools in the region to access. Cycling Southland hosts sessions from Learn to Ride for beginners aged 10 and over, through Flyers, Rockets, Supersonics, and Hypersonics to cater for all age and experience levels all the way up to riders looking to take part in national championships. The velodrome also hosts the South Island Schools Track Cycling Championships annually, which is combined with the National Schools Track Cycling Championships every second year. There are sessions for students doing cycling as part of their NCEA, as well as the opportunity for schools to books sessions for PE, with access to skilled coaches and the use of club track bikes, presenting local schools with unique opportunities in a world class venue.

ROAD

Cycling Southland presents bike skills training in local schools under the Waka Kotahi Bike Ready programme. It also organises the Top Bike competition, with school teams testing themselves across mountain biking, grass track racing, and a skills course.

Cycling Southland also hosts regular road races on a Saturday, with racing for age groups from U13 up. In addition, the Southland and Otago Schools road cycling championships takes place in Invercargill each year, with racing at the Teretonga Park Raceway.

The crown jewel for school age cyclists is the Yunca Junior Tour of Southland, a three day, six stage road race that attracts top junior cyclists from across New Zealand to the region each October, creating an excellent opportunity for local riders to test themselves against the best the country has to offer while holding a home road advantage.

MTB

The regions boasts excellent mountain bike trails in Sandy Point and Bluff, catering for various ability levels, with the Southland MTB Club organising regular racing over the weekends. The region will also host the National Schools MTB Championships in Bluff in October 2022, which will be a wonderful opportunity for our local riders, as well as showcasing the newly upgraded trails network in Bluff.

CONTACTS

(Updated 30/06/2023)

It's not an easy task running a cycling programme in the regions, but check out what happens in the Manawatu! 
 
Manawatu Road:

Manawatu schools road cycling runs races on a Sunday morning over term 2 and 3. These races are for any riders from year 7 to year 13. There are often 4 to 5 different grades which cater for all abilities. More info can be found on their Facebook page or you can contact your school.

Manawatu Track:

Bike Manawatu offers a good mix of competitive and fun racing in a social and supportive environment, catering for all ages and abilities as  their races are split into grades. The track season is run over the summer months (October to April at Johnston Park Velodrome in Feilding). For riders new to the sport, we have track bikes available to hire for the season. More information can be found on their website.

Manawatu MTB:

The Manawatu Mountain Bike Club (MMBC) is a dynamic champion champion of mountain biking in the Manawatu region. They provide a range of activities from fun events to development and support for women riders (Manawatu Dirt Divas). They construct and maintain many amazing trials in the region (including Arapuke Trails). They host a range of different events throughout the year which can be found on their website.

Whanganui Road:

Cycling Whanganui hold a Youth Road Series which runs every term. This a great series for newbies through to experienced riders to develop new skills, have fun and challenge themselves across a range of race formats. Check out the Whanganui Cycling Club website for details. Bikes and helmets are available through the club.

Whanganui Track:

The Cooks Gardens Velodrome is undergoing a surface refurbishment to be up and running for this track season. Keep an eye on the Cycling Whanganui website for upcoming skills & training sessions plus events.. Bikes and helmets are available through the club.

Whanganui Cyclocross:

Developed in 2023, Awa Cross is a joint venture of Cycling Whanganui and the Whanganui Mountain Bike Club to bring Cyclocross to Whanganui. Check out their Facebook page for upcoming events and opportunities.

Whanganui MTB:

The Whanganui MTB Club hold regular rides and events throughout the year for all ages. Check out their Facebook page for details.

Sport Whanganui also host the Whanganui Schools MTB Champs each year, usually in August. Check out their events page for details.

CONTACTS

(Updated 24/08/2022)

The Waikato region is spoilt for choice when it comes to cycling, the rolling terrain perfect for all types of cycling. You’re highly likely to come across a New Zealand team member while riding or you can always go and watch the NZ team training at the Grassroots Trust Velodrome.

Waikato Schools Cycling is growing and gaining speed after a few bumps in the road over the previous years. If your school does not offer cycling, reach out to a school that does and they will help you in the right direction.

TRACK

With the world class Grassroots Trust Velodrome in Cambridge understandably Track is a hotly contested school sport in the Waikato. The Velodrome offers a range of opportunities from beginner to expert. You can hire a bike if you don’t have one, or you can bring your own. There are numerous classes to pick from for all ages, with the session’s coached by current elite cyclists or talented track coaches.

Friday night racing is dedicated to schools cycling and racing occurs every second Friday at the Velodrome. The racing programme changes so there is always a race to suit your strengths and also challenge you. Click here for the FNR info.

Also dotted throughout the Waikato are some awesome outdoor tracks. These are a great way to learn to ride the track and you can also use these for riding road bikes and doing some riding in a safe environment.

ROAD

Road cycling in the Waikato is strong thanks to the local clubs around the region. Te Awamutu, Morrinsville and Hamilton all have regular races throughout the year for all grades. Through the Waikato we have the Te Awa River Trail which provides some awesome scenery and safe off-road riding. Waikato Schools cycling is still looking for some more opportunities to get the schools of the Waikato together for some fun competition throughout the year.

MTB

Waikato is also graced with some amazing MTB facilities, Te Miro, Pukete, Pirongia and Tokaroa to name a few. There are also a few pump tracks around the place to test your skills. There is a Junior MTB series coming up with races at Pukete on the 6^th of Nov, and Te Miro on the 13^th Nov. Tokoroa run Wednesday afternoon Junior rides during day-light savings. Click here for info. Te Miro also run Saturday morning kids rides in Term 1 and 4. Click here for the Te Miro Facebook page.

CYCLOCROSS

The home of cyclocross in the Waikato is Fog City Cyclocross – An awesome winter option, especially if you love mud! You don’t need a cross bike to participate.

CONTACTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

https://www.facebook.com/people/Waikato-Bay-of-Plenty-Cycling-Centre

https://www.facebook.com/teacycling/

https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonCityCyclingClub/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MorrinsvilleWheelers/

https://www.facebook.com/TeMiroMTBClub/

https://www.facebook.com/people/Pirongia-MTB/

https://www.facebook.com/tokoroa.mountainbike

https://www.facebook.com/hamiltonmtbclub/

https://www.facebook.com/grassrootstrustvelodrome

https://www.facebook.com/FogCityCyclocross/

https://www.te-awa.org.nz/

(Updated at 26/06/2023)

Without any of our schools actively promoting cycling as a school sport, Wellington Schools Cycling has set out to bring together schools cyclists from across the region to organise coaching, training and racing. Wellington Schools Cycling provides coaching and training opportunities primarily for road and track while racing is promoted by our local clubs across all disciplines. 

TRACK

Junior registration is on early October, with sessions running throughout term 4 and term 1 on a Tuesday and Thursday. Open to all ages and abilities, the soft grassy infield of the Hataitai velodrome provides a safe area to learn those vital skills before heading up onto the track. Our qualified coaches plan sessions to keep things fun with a variety of games through to tough motor paces work. Hire bikes are available at a very low cost, so no need to splash out on another bike. There is racing for all ages every Sunday provided by the PNP Cycling Club, with a Wellington Schools Track Champs in early February. 

ROAD

Wellington Schools Cycling are still trying to figure out how we can run Schools Events while Local Councils and Traffic Management are providing us with significant challenges. In August we hold the Gravity Grinder – a timed hill climb on the shared path of Wainuiomata Hill. Weekend bunch rides are available for our schools riders, and road bikes are available to hire. Kapiti Cycling Club runs club racing events, both a Winter Series and Summer Series with riders of all ages welcome.

MTB

PNP Mountain Bike Club run a massively popular Spring Series with racing for all age groups at various mountain bike parks in the Wellington region, with Schools points available. The Club Champs in late Summer / Autumn double up as the Wellington College Champs. Enduro riders are catered for with the Wellington Mountain Bike club running a series of events throughout the Summer.

CYCLOCROSS

Huttcross run some amazing events throughout the winter. Mighty Cross exists for Y7/8s or so but beyond that the racing is graded with all bikes welcome (except Ebikes!) apart from A grade where only CX bikes are allowed.

Here is the Wellington Schools crew at the SKODA North Island CX Champs:

WINTER SPIN CLASSES

With Schools Cycling events taking place for the most part in Winter when it is cold and dark outside, our evening spin classes provide an opportunity to keep fit while learning roller skills and heaps of useful coaching tips and advice.

THE FUTURE

We are advocating for a purpose built facility on the Kapiti Coast alongside our local clubs that will be able to cycling events along with inline skating and other human powered wheeled sports. The facility is currently undergoing a feasibility study with the local council. If it goes ahead, this will be a game changer for schools cycling in the Wellington region.

CONTACTS