Te Poaka Adaptive Downhill proved to be a massive hit with all the riders who competed, pushing themselves to their limits. To ensure a level playing field, the racing categories were split into two and three wheels, with separate male and female categories.
The two-wheeled race was a closely fought affair, with Nathan Davies emerging victorious with a time of 4:12.658. Richard Purcell and James Littlejohn claimed second and third place, respectively, with times of 4:25.859 and 4:32.394. Also competing in his first downhill event, and in his 60s, Bruce Knegt completed the course in a very respectable time of 5:19.326.
In the women's category, Kate Keegan represented Wahine Toa and crossed the finish line in 4:40.141.
The three-wheeled riders faced some challenging bermed corners that tested their skills to the limit. Chris Draffin, riding a Lasher, proved to be the fastest rider on the day, setting an impressive time of 5:44.634. Andrew Nash, riding his Motom All Terrain Vehicle, finished second with a time of 6:28.833. Unfortunately, Brendon Stratton had to retire from the race after rolling his trike during the training lap, but he still completed the lap once he was righted.
Tiffiney Perry, an accomplished road hand cyclist, was initially nervous about taking on Te Poaka aDH course. However, with each lap, she improved her speed and flow, eventually finishing her final lap with a time of 8:04.431, taking almost 20 seconds off her training lap.
Back row L to R: Kate Keegan, Richard Purcell, Bruce Knegt, James Littlejohn, Nathan Davies. Front row L to R: Chris Draffin, Tiffiney Perry, Andrew Nash
The #AdaptMTB board would like to thank all those involved in making this event the huge success it was. To Simon Alefosio-Tuck for his support and assistance to get this event off the ground, Clair Scott from Rotorua Mountain Bike Club for all her guidance, and to the club for sorting out a Peak Safety Medic to be on standby. To the great brands that donated prizes, CycleZone Rotorua, Froff, Katoa Jet, Mons Royale, Motomuck, NZO Active, POC Sports, Spoke Magazine and Tasti NZ. And of course the wonderful volunteers that gave up their time to make this event happen on the day. Event entries raised $300 which are being donated to Rotorua Trails Trust to support their ongoing work for accessible and inclusive trail design in the Whakarewarewa forest.
Te Poaka Adaptive Downhill is poised to become an annual highlight for adaptive mountain bikers and with bigger and better plans in the pipeline there are exciting times ahead! Stay tuned 📣
See a full album of photos here