The Relay Rally
A couple of months ago, we were having a few brew with our new Canadian friend Marcie, reminiscing about the good ol’ Mud Buster days with a mixture of fond memories of the amazing community we created, and relief that we don’t have to organise a huge event or deal with race parents any more! Marcie’s eyes lit up, she wanted to see a party in the paddock! So, we gave her the green light - go for it, as long as we don’t have to organise an enduro race!!
After a couple more beer and some ridiculous brain storming, the idea of a relay (reall, a relay?!) was born. Marcie’s experience of fun, accessible and inclusive bike races in Canada inspired the idea of an event for all levels. We wanted to keep the bits of the Mud Buster that we loved (bonfires, dress ups, camping, grass slalom, outdoor movie night, good food and laid back vibes) while cutting back on admin and race logistics. ANZAC weekend was penciled in and a plan was made!
The Relay Rally turned out to be everything we had hoped for, and more! We kicked off the weekend with a huge shuttle day followed by the Middle Hill premiere of LikeMinded, a new film by Hunter Paull and David McMillan. What a treat that was, with the movie still doing the rounds of international premieres we were so lucky to be able to show it here. The evening was topped off with a possum plucking lesson for our new French friend - welcome to NZ bro!
Race day arrived with sunshine and laughter. We loved seeing everyone get behind the concept - one of the fastest girls in the field raced in flippers and a bikini! There was a banana, some frogs, an aeroplane and even a fully grown man crashing in to the finish line on a kids bike from the dump. This is our kind of racing!
Sam from Goat Cycles pulled out the tyres for a good ol’ grass dual slalom while the BBQ’s were fired up. The addition of a pot-luck cook-off was epic and will certainly be back. How good to let the punters feed us for a change!! The spot prize table was loaded thanks to our wonderful sponsors. The coin toss winner even went home with a brand new carbon wheel set from the team at Specialized NZ! So who won the race? Who cares!!
It was so fun to get the ‘events A team’ back together and welcome campers to the fan paddock after a two year break. Who knows what the future of Middle Hill events will hold, but they’re sure to involve a bonfire, dress ups and paddock entertainment!
