I know I’m late to the party, with 40,000 rides having occurred on the Lake Dunstan Trail since it opened in May, but I have just managed to pedal myself from Clyde to the Hugo Bridge and back again, and words almost escape me.

You know how often in life you have huge expectations that just aren’t met by something? Well, not this time for me. Riding that half of the Trail was as much of, if not more of a mind-blowing experience than I thought it would be. 

The scenery, the sense of peace, the history, the incredible engineering, the exercise, the occasional shot of adrenaline; this thing has it all, and it’s right on our doorstep. How lucky are we!?! 

And that this gem of infrastructure is just one part of what will become the largest off-road bike trail network in the Southern Hemisphere which has Central Otago right in the middle of it makes me wonder where the benefits for the local community, both in recreation opportunities and in employment, will end.

And speaking of bikes, the much more adrenaline-pumping world of Crankworx hits Alexandra this weekend. Do not underestimate the importance of this event on-going to our local economy. 

Crankworx has been bringing the world’s best downhill riders to Rotorua for a number of years and the Mayor of that District, Stevie Chadwick, rarely misses a chance to tell me about how good it is. And now it is here with us.

Huge credit must go to the people who have made this happen. The Sanders family from Matangi Station, Phil Oliver and the local mountain bike club and Antz Longman and the council tourism team and a host of others have all done great things making this happen. 

Truly, bikes of one form or another are the true next goldrush of Central Otago.