Record numbers of cyclists hit the road for the ninth Karioi Classic

Record numbers donned their lycra and hit the road for the Karioi Classic, with close to 400 cyclists pedalling the mountain in the popular winter cycling event.

For the youngest rider 10-year-old Raglan Area School student Jack Meek, the seed for entering the event was planted by his father Phillip – a veteran of three rides. Taking Wednesdays off school to train was also an incentive and he was hoping the training would pay off with a good finish time.

“I hope to do it in three-hours,” he said.
Getting ready to tackle the 43km ride with dad, and mum Emily as support crew, Jack was looking forward to the finish line but says his biggest challenge will be the hills.

*The Meeks from left, Emily, Jack and Phillip Meek.*

“We are here to support Jack and for us it’s not about winning but giving it a go,” Phillip said.
Emily has also ridden the classic a few years back and hoped working out at Raglan Ragbo spin classes would help her in the ride.

Event co-organiser Lisa Thomson says entrants come back year-after-year and many appreciate the sense of community and whanaungatanga at the event.

“Our timekeeper, Richard from MyTime, has been coming here for nine years and he says this is a highlight event for him and they do many significant events.”

Despite the spot of rain and hail, Lisa says all but five riders completed the ride.

“Dirk and I made the call to pull any slow riders out. Once people are tired they make really bad decisions. We have really good mechanisms in place for safety and our ambulance crew were ready to move to wherever we needed them to be.”

The three different distance events – The Classic 43km, The Classic XL 57k, The Enduro 85km – offered riding options for cyclists of all ages and fitness levels.
Karioi Classic results – for more full results visit results.racetiming.co.nz/competitions/1625