New Zealand gets stage race

New Zealand will get its first fully supported, multi-stage mountain bike race with the Skins Alpine Epic on February 25-28 according to www.scoop.co.nz. Racers will compete in four days over five stages and 259km with 5,250m of climbing. The race will run in the Canterbury foothills of Mt Somers through the Southern Alps to Lake Tekapo in Mount Cook/Mackenzie country, primarily on private land.

Nick Ross, Angus Jennings, Katherine Jennings and Peter Savage are putting together the event. Ross said the idea originated when they were competing in the TransRockies in 2008.

"New Zealand has always been at the cutting edge of endurance sports events but strangely there's no stage mountain bike racing like overseas, and nothing fully supported," said Ross to The Scoop.

For more information, visit www.alpineepic.co.nz. Registration closes January 20.