Hayden Dickason: Lake Taupo Cycling Challenge director discusses today's event

One of the largest cycling events in the country is happening this weekend in Taupo - The Lake Taupo Cycling Challenge.  

The event is already well and truly underway, with the first cyclists starting at 1.30am this morning. 

Hayden Dickason is the director of the event, joining D'Arcy to discuss. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Wildgrave from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
The madness continues in New Zealand sport from the God's
Own Adventure race to our cycle race around a lake,
not as any lake. It is Lake top Or, one
of the biggest cycling events in the country, the Cycle Challenge.
The event is already started, started early in the morning,
one thirty this morning for the double lappers. Hayden Dickerson

(00:33):
is the director of the event. He joins us now
to talk us through it as the madness continues. Good morning, Hayden.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Good eight Darcy, how are you think a little while
since we last spoke.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Probably a couple of years, big old day for yourself
being the event director the Lake Topor Cycle Challenge. First
and foremost, what actually is this and how big is this?

Speaker 4 (00:55):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (00:56):
So thanks Darcy for the opportunity to chat and so
Lake Tampa Cycle Challenge is one of the largest events
cycling events here in New Zealand. So we started, we
started back in seven, would you believe? So go that's
a little while back. Twenty six local riders decided to
ride around the lake one sixty ks to raise funds

(01:17):
for charity and now it's turned into, you know, as
I say, one of the largest cycling events in the country.
So we're enjoying today through over three thousand riders are
out there and about four and a half thousand supporters
on top of that, so about nearly pretty much around
eight thousand people have descended descended into our region for

(01:38):
just an awesome day of cycling and celebrating cycling in
all its forms.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
The local businesses must love you, Hayden.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
Oh well, look, you know, events, events are really really
strong here in taupeau A. You know, like I think
events and tourism would be a very different looking town
if we didn't have them.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Plainly, it has expanded exponentially in the time it's been going.
So where do we sit right now as far as
divisions and races and the amount of people that can
be involved in what style they bike in. I mean,
it's got much bigger, hasn't it.

Speaker 4 (02:12):
It has?

Speaker 3 (02:13):
It has looked so back in seventy seven it was
literally just the one lap around the lake, the one
sixty k and that's still our most popular category, over
half of our riders riding that today. But we've introduced
other categories and other distances, et cetera over time, so
now we have we have four different road of NK categories.
So we've got the two lap in duo which started

(02:34):
at one thirty this morning, so that's those keen riders
that want to do two laps at the lake. We
obviously are well underway now with all our round the
Lake riders. That's the one lap. We introduced a brand
new category this year which is going really really well.
That's the Great Lake one hundred so that's a one
hundred k road right and we've got the fifty five
k length of the Lake as well, which starts in

(02:54):
Turning and then rides through to Tapo.

Speaker 4 (02:56):
So that's our road categories.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
But then we've also got three mountain bike categories as well,
so we've got a thirty is sixty and a one
hundred k mountain bike option. And a couple of years
ago Darcy we introduced gravel as well, so we've.

Speaker 4 (03:10):
Got a gravel Grind event which is just over.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
Eighty k and gravel, as you probably know, like that's
a really increasing and popularity in cycling worldwide.

Speaker 4 (03:18):
Yeah, so there really is something going on for everyone today.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
I've never ridden around Tope or plainly, but I've driven
around a number of times from a logistics point of view.
Dealing with the safety, dealing with the support, and dealing
with the fans, the family and the like that I'd
suggest would be your prime focus over the day very much.

Speaker 4 (03:40):
So, you know, so we put a lot of planning
into the event.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
Because you're right, you know, we've got one hundred and
sixty k's of road. They are open roads, So we
put a lot of time and effort into all of
our health and safety plans, all of our various compliances.

Speaker 4 (03:55):
We have great.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
Relationships and close relationships with local government, with counsel, with
our road agencies, the likes of MZTA, etc.

Speaker 4 (04:04):
All the various agency are involved, and.

Speaker 3 (04:07):
We put a lot of time and effort into that
because number one, safety is priority for us, you know,
so we want people to be as safe as they
possibly can and they're out there when they're out there
doing their rides, and yet like it's a huge it's
a huge, huge effort.

Speaker 4 (04:24):
And look, you know, without blowing our trumpets and that
sort of thing.

Speaker 3 (04:26):
We get regular feedback that, you know, our health and
safety systems and processes right up there, you know, and
the way that we look after our works and our staff.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
You know, who's the quickest? How fast do these guys
and girls go? Is there are a record around the lake?
Just the one lap or the two laps?

Speaker 3 (04:45):
It's been a while, you know, since the record has
been broken, to be honest, but that was back in
the days where we had the likes of Patty Bevan
and that sort of thing writing and the records sitting.

Speaker 4 (04:56):
At about three hours forty.

Speaker 3 (04:57):
So you know, divide one hundred and sixty k's by
three hours forty. You know, that's averaging over forty k
an hour on two wheels on a bike.

Speaker 4 (05:05):
So it's not going.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
It's enormously quick. Something I'm not going to climb into. Hey,
public services, is there anything that people are around the
Topal region need to watch out for if they're not
only watching, but if they're just traveling through.

Speaker 4 (05:18):
Oh, look very much so. And look, thanks thanks for
asking Darcy.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
Look, if you can just be patient, there are thousands
of cyclists out on the road today, So if people
are traveling through or using some of the highways, you know,
just be patient, you know, and and just you know,
co respect for the co respect for road users, you know,
and that's both for cyclists and for motorists. You know,
just respect each other out there and if you are
passing through, you know, we've got a it's a real

(05:43):
buzz here, So call in, come.

Speaker 4 (05:45):
Down to the event village.

Speaker 3 (05:46):
If you're not riding, you know, come and come on
in and look at the event village we've got we've
got some music going on, we've got food and beverage,
we've got a kid's fund zone. There's all sorts of
things happening. Come along and chair chair those people that
are out riding today, you know, and be part of
the celebration.

Speaker 1 (06:01):
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