Race Report: Stage 4

Over 185km and nearly 5,000m of climbing over five days, 350 riders from 11 countries have tested their skills and endurance at the Shimano Volcanic Epic, presented by Tineli. After the final day out on Rotorua’s world-famous singletrack, New Zealand’s premier mountain bike stage race champions were crowned. 

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Steam rose from the geothermal startline Te Puia, with the start horn sending riders off past the largest geyser in the Southern Hemisphere, before entering the Whakarewarewa forest for the final day of racing. A gut busting climb, peaking at 20% gradient to the top of Morangi’s 730m was the major challenge of today’s Stage, presented by That’s It. The descent of Split Endz turned from relief to pure grit, trying to maintain speed while the legs scream to sit down. The end was in sight at the summit of Katore, with fast lines down Tītokorangi. The rowdier Old Exit provided a final challenge, before the final pedal to the metal section through Sulphur Flats and into Rotorua’s city centre finish. Emotions were high at the finish line, with excitement, joy and relief the legs could now finally rest.

“Very enjoyable, but tough. The weather is nice and the tracks are very good” said Lai Han Dennex who had come from Hong Kong to compete in the Volcanic Epic and NZ Orienteering Championships. 

“It’s been terrific,” said Jason Johnson from Melbourne. “My wife and and I came over to ride some awesome trails in the Epic. A fantastic five days. We love Rotorua, we came here about eight years ago, and really loved it so it's such a pleasure to come back. It’s been a great trip. 

“We’re travelling for the entire month the whole of New Zealand, my girlfriend and I. She did the two days Epic, it’s her first ever race.” said Benno Heussi from Switzerland. A tearful reunion with his girlfriend as she crossed the finish line as the scale of her achievement set in. Heussi continued “For me I’ve done many races, Swiss Epic, TransAlps, but this race is spectacular.” He added “I loved it, and now I’,m happy I can take a beer, enjoy and relax”.

“It was extraordinary.” said Guillaume Dréau “We are a group of 37 people who have travelled from Nouméa in New Caledonia to here - so we’re very motivated for this race! Some ten of us were here last year, and were so excited that we decided to all come to the race this year. It was beautiful, each stage was different, but in my opinion the best stage was the last one. We’ll be back.”

It’s hard to top, the event is absolutely world-class.” said Hawkes Bay’ James Pretty  “Second time doing the Epic. Better than last year, and I loved last year. This is one of the best places in the world to race mountain bikes. The trails put in the course this year were world-class. If you’re thinking about entering this race, all I can say is get your entry in early, bring your friends and get your crew together.”

The warm weather came out for prizegiving Government Gardens, where the winners of today's Stage 4, and the overall winners of the entire event, were crowned. 

Overall General Classification (GC) winners, which are those with the lowest cumulative time across prologue and stages were a mix of New Zealand and Australians this year. 

Pairs Open Mens, Bay of Plenty’s Solis Shaw won with 8:32:42hrs, with Australia’s COMMTEL - ARA just 1:17mins behind over 185km. In the Pairs Open Women, Lee B & GB won with 10:54:53hrs with a solid lead of just over 56mins from Green Monkey. Aussie Mixed Pair Cycle Co-op Shimano took gold with 10:01:44hrs, and a 10min lead from Taupō’s young gun sibling team Nah We Never Argue.

For 4 Stage Solo GCs, Auckland’s Matthew Wilson took gold with 7:58:32hrs with Palmerston North’s Caleb Botcher 9mins behind. For the women, Hannah Miller 11:27:23hrs, with New Caledonia’s Estelle Tailleur second at 11:45:39hrs. Find all category results here.

The Shimano Volcanic Epic has been a massive achievement for all riders, having completed days in Rotorua, Taupo and Tokoroa. A curated tour of world-class trails, it’s also been a chance to showcase the geothermal plateau’s incredible sights and culture to an international audience.

The Shimano Volcanic Epic will return for 2025.