The burgeoning cyclocross interest in Marlborough is expected to boom with a double-header championship weekend next year.
Cycling New Zealand has confirmed that the Marlborough Mountain Bike Club and CX Marlborough will host the CX National Championships in Blenheim on Sunday 31 August 2025.
The race weekend will also include the South Island Secondary Schools CX Championships with the support from Cycling New Zealand Schools, to be staged on Saturday 30 August.
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Cycling New Zealand are pleased to again partner with Marlborough MTB Club who have a wide and valuable capability to run both mountain bike and cyclocross events, with cyclocross gaining significant interest in the region.
“The club members all work closely together and did a fantastic job hosting the South Island Schools CX Championships this year and the National MTB Schools Championships in 2023,” said Cycling New Zealand Events Manager, Steff Holcroft.
“We are excited to see the double-header weekend in action for the first time and hope to draw in bigger crowds in doing so. We believe it will be a popular destination for riders.”
The club is excited at the prospect of the blockbuster double-header weekend.
“We are stoked to bring world-class CX racing to Marlborough again next year,” said Marlborough Mountain Bike Club President, Fraser Brown.
“CX makes for great spectator viewing with the nature of the tracks in the region which include technical features that require riders to dismount and run over obstacles.
“It is ideally suited to our local vineyards and we know we can provide the competitors with a scenic, fun and technically challenging course. And we hope that the national champions, Craig Oliver and Josie Wilcox, will both be able to compete as they both chase a three-peat of national titles.”
Joint Event Manager, Neil Sinclair said they are hoping for bumper entries as a result of the double-header weekend and the central location.
“We enjoy an amazing relationship with the Cycling New Zealand team, having successfully hosted the South Island Schools CX Champs this year and the nationals last year.
“We are delighted to step-up to host the full national championships next year. We firmly believe for the sport to flourish, clubs need to host these big Cycling New Zealand events.
“Our members love racing on their local tracks and the club benefits greatly by taking up the challenge.”