South Canterbury Mountain Bike Club to build world-class asphalt pump track in Timaru’s Centennial Park

Members of the South Canterbury Mountain Bike Club are pumped as they begin a major fundraising campaign to build a world-class track in Timaru.

The $250,000 project for the construction of the asphalt pump track at Centennial Park was officially launched this week, after about 12 months of planning and due diligence, and would mean the club would be able to host timed races, club president Scotty Mitchell said.

“There is a lot of interest for this,’’ Mitchell said.

“We’re keen to get stuff done for kids.’’

The club’s volunteer committee has been working on designs, cost estimates and negotiated with the Timaru District Council for land, after the planned area for the park, besides the children’s track in the park, was deemed too wet.

The park will be built towards the western end of Centennial Park, with the council to take over maintenance of the facility once it is built – the same arrangement it has for the Caroline Bay Suburban Lions Bike Skills Park and CPlay.

Construction of the park would depend on funding, with the club already receiving a grant of $40,000 from Trust Aoraki.

The foundation has also come on board as the club’s fundraising partner.

It is anticipated that of the $250,000 target, $150,000 will come from major grants and internal funds, and the Mountain Bike Club has pledged $20,000 from its funds.

The other $100,000 is being sought from the community and businesses with a fundraising page set up for those who want to donate.

Mitchell said the project launched tied in nicely for the club as it was set to celebrate 40 years.

“In the next month or so we’re going to build a bike wash at the park which will be open in conjunction with the anniversary.’’

He said the club had invested a lot of time and money at Centennial Park – the last major project being the children’s track.

“We’ve spent nearly $50k down there since 2019.’’

The park has been designed by Velosolutions, a company based in Switzerland with staff in New Zealand.

The company has built more than 500 tracks in 50 countries, and Mitchell said the park would be an exciting addition to the region.

A pump track is a circuit featuring a series of carefully spaced rollers and berms. Instead of relying solely on pedalling, riders use their body movements to ‘’pump’’ these features, generating forward momentum and speed.

As the riders skills progress, they will be able to utilise the gained speed for jumps and transfers, honing their abilities in all areas of trail riding.

And it will not be just bikes on the track, with Mitchell saying it would also be attractive to scooter and skateboard enthusiasts.

“It will be a world-class built facility.’’

Foundation chief executive Richard Spackman said the project followed on from the Aoraki Foundation’s role as fundraising partner for the Suburban Lions Bike Skills Park and CPlay.

“When we ask people what they want more of in South Canterbury, one of the strongest responses we hear is a desire for more physical activities and entertainment options for our young people,’’ he said.

“This is the reason we are so keen to do our part to help these great community and volunteer-led projects succeed.”

*An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the Aoraki Foundation had given the project a $40,000 grant. It should have said Trust Aoraki.