Harbour Ride

Harbour Ride and Long Bays Classic

80 km Road Ride

The Harbour Ride and Long Bays Classic takes riders on a challenging but achievable tour of Christchurch's iconic Port Hills and Lyttelton Harbour. Taking in Gebbies and Evans Passes, riders will climb and descend 625 vertical metres through spectacular surroundings.

Starting from McCormack's Bay Reserve in Redcliffs, the 80km journey gets underway with Christchurch city residents cheering you on your way during the first 20km through Cashmere and Halswell.

At Halswell the race joins the Old Tai Tapu Road for a scenic 17km along the base of the Port Hills to Motukarara. The 37km point, just before Motukarara, is marked on the left hand side by Bentwood Winery, which is where relay riders change over to their team mates.

At Motukarara the race turns left, and heads up Gebbies Pass Road. From the old Black Tulip Tearooms the route climbs gradually for 4km before a final 2km grunt over the top of Gebbies Pass (185m) itself. First man and woman to the top will be crowned King and Queen of the Mountain.

Take a moment to savour the views, and then buckle up for a fast and fun 3km descent into Teddington at the head of Lyttelton Harbour.

Leaving Teddington, the route takes riders on a roller coaster ride to Governors Bay and Lyttelton. Several short, sharp climbs are made easier by big-smile descents and brilliant views out onto the harbour and across the Peninsula.

The spectacular surroundings also ease the final challenge of the ride. From Lyttelton, the course climbs again for 3.5km over Evans Pass. With the road cut out of an almost sheer hillside overlooking the harbour, this final slog will leave you breathless in more ways than one.

The effort is rewarded too, for 100m after leaving one amazing view behind, you're greeted by another, this time out over Christchurch and the Pacific Ocean. You're on the way home now, starting with a scorching 3km downhill into Sumner.

When you hit Sumner's tranquil streets, the spectators will be cheering and you have only 3k to go round the base of the hills, across the causeway & hard left back into McCormack's Bay Road for a 1k sprint to the finish back at McCormack's Bay Reserve.

NB: Traffic management asks where possible entrants ride to the start line. This is due to parking restrictions. A secure marquee will be available for gear storage.

Important Race Information

Race Pack Pick-up:
10:00am - 8:00pm, Friday 4 December - Armstrong Peugeot, cnr St Asaph and Durham Streets.

Start:
Saturday 5th December: McCormacks Bay Reserve - McCormacks Bay Road, Redcliffs.

Briefing:
7:45 am:   Race Briefing for the Harbour Ride and "Long Bays Classic"

Start Time:
8:00 am:   START for Elite Men and Elite Women "Long Bays Classic"
8:10 am:   START for "Harbour Ride" (Recreational Riders)
12:00 pm:   START for "Kids Mini Bays"

Prize Giving:
1:00pm - McCormacks Bay Reserve.