The 2018 Pioneer mountain bike stage race in New Zealand has been postponed in a move event organisers have described as part of a plan to put the seven-day event on the world map.
Originally scheduled to take place from February 11 to 17 next year, the Pioneer covers 545km between Christchurch and Queenstown and includes 1 500m of climbing.
Managing director for Ironman Oceania, Dave Beeche, said organisers hoped to grow the New Zealand event to the same scale as the South African Cape Epic, a recent acquisition by Wanda Sports Holdings.
“We anticipate a return in late 2018, early 2019 and have no doubt that the Pioneer will go on to become an internationally recognised event that truly puts New Zealand on the map within the mountain bike community,” he said.
Riders take on a steep climb during a previous year’s Pioneer mountain bike race. Photo: TBS Photography
Beeche went on to explain that, while the decision had not been an easy one to make, the race had been postponed due to organisers reviewing the format of the event.
“In two short years, the race has already garnered a great deal of positive global attention and, while postponing it is challenging in the short term, it will help the event for the long-term.
“We felt it necessary to take a step back to fully investigate the optimal format of the Pioneer and find a date that works best for our competitors and importantly, for the local communities that host us throughout the event.
“As Ironman reviews the direction of its global mountain bike strategy and builds a global calendar of complimentary events in stunning locations, this was the ideal time to look into these formatting improvements,” he said.
The 2018 event would have been the third edition of the race.
