Australian Mountain Bike — December 01, 2017

Choosethe

rightteam

mate.Similar

approaches to

racing, travel

and adversity

count for more

than precisely

the same fitness

levels.

Gearforthe

climbs.There is

a lot of climbing

in this race, and

you want to be

prepared with

a suitably low

gear. Opt for a

wide gear range,

and factor in

some fatigue.

Packwell.There

is a mandatory

gear list that

you must have –

study it and take

not just what is

the lightest, but

what will serve

you the best out

on the trails.

Race,recover,

rest,repeat.

When training,

plan your daily

routine for after

each stage.Eat

well, wash,relax,

and give yourself

the chance to

make it through

another day!

Bringkitfor

everything:It’s

New Zealand.

Pack for the

heat, the cold,

the rain and

the wind - and

expect all of

those to be a

factor in any

single day.

In November they revealed exactly that. The new
shorter route covers six days and starts and
finishes in Queenstown, the adventure capital of
New Zealand’s South Island. With 120km less
racing on the cards, the Pioneer maintains the
same amount of climbing. How? More trails.

The new event format tackles a prologue at
Coronet Peak, then the first stage in Queenstown,
before a transfer to Alexandra. After one stage
there you then race point to point on stage 3 to
Bannockburn. With a full stage there for stage 4,
the final day takes riders back to Queenstown for
the finish.

Prologue: Coronet Peak

How challenging can 22km be? With 1500m of
climbing and a descent down the infamous Rude
Rock – probably very challenging. The prologue
should not only find the best riders in the race,
but also set the scene for the next five days – lots
of challenge, with plenty of excitement.

Stage One: Queenstown – Queenstown

Did you dig too deep yesterday? You’ll find out

today as the short 66km includes 2878m of

climbing. It’s not just up and down farm trails,

with plenty of Queenstown’s finest trails included.

You’ll need to stay on your game, especially with

much of the difficulty in the back half of the stage.

Stage Two: Alexandra – Alexandra

This 114km stage is punctuated by a 10km ascent

of the Dunstan Range, but that’s only part of

the 2750m of climbing. The stage finishes with

stretches of the fast Otago Central Rail Trail,

which is a gift for those who are keen to stretch

their legs.

Stage Three: Alexandra – Bannockburn

A transition stage from one race village to the

next, and with some epic trails first up through

Flat Top Hill singletrack and a new mountain

bike trail into the Roxburgh Gorge. This stage

should truly impress along its 75km, with

2600m of climbing. The final 30km will test your

mettle, with a big climb, and plenty of pinch

climbs on the long descent.

Stage Four: Bannockburn – Bannockburn

There’s no rest for the weary, and this day’s

83km climbs 3100m so it will be a true test. You

will earn classic views across New Zealand’s

South Island, and the big climb of the day is

said to be on a good surface, with a long, long

descent back to camp. Just one day to go.

Stage Five: Bannockburn – Queenstown

The final day! But don’t expect a parade to the

finish. Mt Michael stands in the way of that, and

while tackling the Kawarau Gorge, a jet boat

will be used to ferry riders across the Kawarau

River later in the stage, before a fast finish on

the Queenstown cycle trails. Keep something in

the tank for the last hour!

The race is clearly more condensed. There’s

less packing and unpacking, and you’re based

right in towns. While the 2016 and 2017 events

truly took you into the South Island wilderness,

and sometimes left you there for the camp, in

2018 you can look beyond the comfort of the

race village for your post-race recuperations.

This is great news for anyone who has partners

travelling along with the event – or if you just

want to get out of the race zone for a while.

The 2018 event looks like it’s built on the

foundations laid over the past couple of years.

The Pioneer will test you, but in 2018 the

rewards of long descents and epic singletrack

should be more generous, and once you’re

off the race course for the day, the creature

comforts should also be even better than

before. If you have a penchant for long days in

the saddle racing with a mate, then this pairs

race should be on your radar.

Entries are open – get more details at

pioneer.co.nz

EDITOR’S TIPS

Steep climbs and descents, huge

views, six days of epic riding with

your mate, and epic chill out sessions

after each stage.

25TH - 30TH

NOV 2018 430KM

&

QUEENSTOWN

DISTANCE

RACE FORMAT

START

FINISH

BEST

AIRPORT

TOTAL CLIMBING

WHAT TO EXPECT

http://www.ambmag.com.au - 39