Bike the Bridge, formerly known as the TelstraClear Challenge, is an annual cycling event held in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
that allows entrants to cycle over the
Auckland Harbour Bridge
The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane motorway bridge over the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It joins St Marys Bay on the Auckland city side with Northcote on the North Shore side. It is part of State Highway 1 and the ...
, one of the only two times each year that cyclists are legally allowed to do so, the other event being the Auckland
Ironman 70.3 An Ironman 70.3, also known as a Half Ironman, is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race, consisting o ...
triathlon held in January. It is both a race and a leisure ride, aimed at cyclists of all skill levels.
History
The event was first run on 11 December 2011, and attracted approximately 4000 cyclists, despite the high wind that often buffets the Harbour Bridge. Auckland Mayor
Len Brown
Leonard Charles Brown (born 1 October 1956)) is a former mayor of Auckland, New Zealand, and former head of the Auckland Council. He won the 2010 Auckland mayoral election on 9 October 2010 and was sworn in as Mayor of Auckland on 1 Novembe ...
competed in the race, highlighting the need for Auckland to transition to a cycling culture.
Cycling over the Harbour Bridge (which usually does not allow pedestrians or cyclists) was proposed soon after its completion in 1959, and many riders attempted it illegally. Due to the vehicle-centric design of the bridge, that was deemed impractical until the TelstraClear Challenge was successfully pitched to the
NZ Transport Agency
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (commonly known as Waka Kotahi, and abbreviated as NZTA) is a New Zealand Crown entity tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, including the responsibility for driver and vehicle licensing, an ...
. Rider safety was achieved by a row of 160 buses supplied by
NZ Bus
NZ Bus is New Zealand's largest bus company, operating in Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington. Formerly a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group and later Infratil and Next Capital, it is now owned by Kinetic Group.
History
In October 1992 Stagecoach pu ...
which protected the riders from oncoming traffic.
Owing to a lack of sponsorship, the 2012 event, scheduled for 11 November, was cancelled.
The event returned for its second running on 10 November 2013 as "Bike the Bridge". Notable changes from the inaugural event included new courses of 104 km, 50 km and 20 km that included the bridge-crossing, a new finishing venue at North Harbour Stadium in the Auckland suburb of Albany, and a charity partnership to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis. Media coverage was limited to public announcements of the bridge closure.
Future Events
The organisers hope for it to become seen as the cycling equivalent of the
Auckland Marathon
The Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Marathon and Half Marathon is an annual running event held in Auckland, New Zealand. The event is held in October or early November of each year, which is during the spring in New Zealand. The main feature of the ...
, a running event that also goes over the Harbour Bridge.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official WebsiteInaugural day greeted by high windsLaunch of the first ever cycle event over the Auckland Harbour BridgeTV3 coverage of the inaugural event TVNZ coverage of the inaugural event
Cycling in New Zealand
Sport in Auckland
2011 establishments in New Zealand