Thank you for your interest in the 2017 Kiwi Brevet/Brevette.
I hope this finds you fit and well, chomping at the bit in anticipation of the Kiwi Brevet?
Jo and I were hoping to have the course finalised, with cue sheets and .gpx files available by the end of November but with the recent earthquake in Marlborough we have had to revise this date.
Although none of the roads/trails we are proposing travelling on were directly affected by the earthquake, the additional traffic now travelling via Murcheson and Lewis Pass had given us pause.
After several iterations we now feel that we have come up with a great course for both events. We do still need to check a few bits n bobs before we can release the courses.
The full Brevet course will pass through MacDonalds Downs Station from Okuku Pass Road and MacDonalds Downs Road. This is a working station and as a requirement of allowing us to pass through, the land owners have requested that all participants (or teams riding together) carry a SPOT tracker so they can track people on their land at all times. They have also requested that nobody camp on their land, everybody must follow the prescribed route, leave all gates as found and please do not disturb stock. Please respect these few simple requests and remember that this is a working station, there are numerous hazards. You, as a participant of this event are responsible for your OWN safety.
Tracking for the 2017 Kiwi Brevet is being provided by Shane Davidson at MAProgress, a link to the tracking page will follow at a later date.
Every rider (or team) doing the Brevet MUST carry a Spot Tracker, as mentioned, this is a requirement by the land owners of MacDonalds Downs.
Spot Trackers are not required for the Brevette, but tracking is be available if you have your own Spot Tracker and Spot units are available for hire.
Priority of the allocation of Spot Trackers will go to Brevet riders, however if we have any left we will happily hire them out to Brevette riders. Please note that this will not be an issue at this stage (November 2016).
We are more than happy for "teams" to enter either the Brevet or Brevette, a team will be regarded as one "place" on the start line. Note that if a team is entering the Brevet you must have at least one Spot Tracker. At this stage we will only hire one tracker per team. You must stay within shouting distance of each other at all times throughout the event.
The rental cost for Spots is $90 for the event, this includes the Spot unit rental with a new set of Energizer Lithium batteries and tracking.
If you have your own Spot Tracker, the tracking service will cost $29 for the event.
Booking and payment for these services will be through the MAProgress website. We will provide a link at a later date.
Please note that the organisation of the Kiwi Brevet is done in our own time, we both work full-time and also like to ride our bikes occasionally, this is not a commercial venture in any way, therefore any costs need to be passed on.
We (as do the owners of MacDonalds Downs, as another requirement of passing through their land) ask that you make a minimum $50 donation per person (please note teams) to our chosen charity to be nominated at a later date.
We hope to have the course maps available within the next couple of weeks and intend to have the cues sheets and .gpx files complete before Christmas.
We will also put up some event guidelines in the next few days but remember this is a Gentleman's (or Gentlewoman's) challenge, with few rules. Please only enter the event if you are prepared to take part in the spirit of the event. This is a fully self supported event, please no organising food caches, only commercially available accommodation to be used, no visits from loved ones to give you food etc.
Cheers, Scott and Jo
