A crispy blue sky start to the day saw smoke from braziers mingle with steam from bikers hover over Tent City. As the day warmed up, the braziers became less relevant but there was no drop in effort from those out on the circuit.
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As the tracks began to cut up, especially on the uphills, tyres lost traction, bikes collected mud and there were some greasy descents. But perhaps 2365 laps is a lot to expect of any track in the middle of winter!
Over the past few years, teams have embraced the fancy dress element of the event and, this year, costumery was an especially predominant feature. Deservedly taking out the overall prize for 'best-dressed' was Brian Grant, appropriately - as a Canadian - posing as the guitar-playing astronaut of recent fame. Brian's passage through Tent City playing 'Space Oddity' was pure gold.
Also among the prize-winners were the Honey Helmets: Deborah Morris, Zoe Morris-Trainor and Faye McKenzie - they even had a 2yr old baby bee as a mascot!
For more photos of the array of wacky outfits on display on the day, go to our facebook page and enjoy...
Those of you who know our 'Corkscrew Tree' at the top of Corkscrew will appreciate how gutted we were when Mr Screw went awol.
An appeal on facebook saw him return from his 'holiday', 'though we still await Ms Cork's return.
Meanwhile, Park fans Phil Hartwick & Tracey Harwood have scoured some drawers and found a couple of beauties to keep him company...
There are spare holes for anyone else who wants to adorn our Corkscrew Tree. We would like to see it festooned and become a great backdrop - along with the stunning views over Kaiteriteri and Tasman Bay - for your celebratory photo at achieving the top!
In other update news, we have made a great start on our singletrack, hand-build, project. This will carry on from Skullduggery with similar character. If you'd like to join in on one of our happy trail-building sessions, check out the website calendar or our facebook page.
The upgrade of Easy Rider has been temporarily suspended while we wait for things to dry out a bit. The exit down to the road has a big slip that awaits Mouse, our digger, to clear so treat the track from Swish down as closed. We're scheduled to recommence work on the cycle trail upgrade in August.
Meanwhile, don't let a little mud stop you from enjoying yourselves out on the trails - it didn't stop 547 fun-lovin' mountain bikers on Sunday!
