2012 Queenstown Bike Festival - 16" World Champs

Most competitors were thoroughly confused by the "map" of the race course for the 16" World Championships, held in the World Bar in Queenstown. This may or may not have had something to do with the amount of beer consumed pre-race ("carbo-loading" it's called apparently).

The plunder up for grabs!

Despite a map of the race course and arrows on the floor most competiors got a little lost and confused on their race run. Maybe they were dazzled by the reflections off the disco ball (I had had one beer at the end of a long day and was getting "arty" by this stage - bouncing my remote flash off the disco ball to create trippy reflections).

The competitors assess the designated race machine. Funnily enough, although the event was called "The 16" World Champs" the bike they all raced on was actually a 20" wheeled bike. Some of the competitors loved it, saying the bigger wheels carried speed better and rolled over obstacles - broken beer bottles, unwary tourists etc - better. Traditionalists referred to the larger wheel size as "wagon wheels" and claimed that they were just a fad, and besides, they weren't as strong and were less maneuverable than the smaller wheels.

I forget what this guy's name was, but he was from Placemakers (a hardware store and one of the sponsors of the slopestyle and Queenstown Bike Festival) and he was an awesome MC!

Local rider Helen "Allen" Watling shows her style at the compulsory Vodka shot stop. Many of the racers claim this was the "make or break" technical section of the course. Nor for the faint-hearted. Last year it was beer and about half-way through the race people started adding hot sauce and all sorts of random other shit to the (communal) jug of beer. It had things floating in it and tasted funny - many a stronger man than I turned pale after the beer scull that year. Ah the memories!

Local fast lad and soon-to-be Kiwi Jimmy Carling. Fast in practice but could he hold it together in his race run? Apparently not...

You'd get 2 seconds taken off your time if you could wheely from one taped mark to another on a certain part of the course. No-one pulled it off but many nearly died trying!

Local Dher and killer of bikes Dave Z gets his game face on.

The legend that is Jon Television puts his video camera down for a moment to "bring it".

And boy did he bring it - he nearly cleared the wheely bonus section in the air with half a tail-whip thrown in for good measure!

Fast Aussy Jarah held the hot seat for a while.

When Jarah had to give up the hot seat to a Kiwi there was a little friendly Kiwi-Aussie trash-talk going down.

This guy ended up winning it. A French traveler just passing through town I can't pronounce let alone spell his name... I blame the beer.

Local mad Scotsman Matt "Weirdo" Weir was looking quick but couldn't quite beat the Frenchman's time.

Queenstown Bike Festival organizer Geoff Hunt even had a go and wasn't too far off the pace!

it was crazy seeing the giant that is McGazza on such a tiny bike...

Jono Head, of Queenstown Bike Taxis used his noggin, embraced the 2 second penalty and ran the whole course. He still lost. (But he's the guy to talk to if you're coming to Queenstown and want to do some DH shuttles at Dirtpark, Zoot Track, Wynyard Terrain Park or anywhere else that's good to ride DH outside the bike park).

If you paid $2 you could have a second timed run. Mr Carling takes the opportunity.

Last year somebody put a foot-peg through the wall at this bar and we thought we'd never be allowed back. This year they sponsored the event and seemed stoked to have us - and somebody put a large and unspecified part of their body through the wall. New venue next year maybe?

I know in this shot it looks like I'm being all arty and creative but in reality I'm just trying not to get killed by drunken idiots riding kid's bikes! Geoff (the organizer) "enhanced" this section of the track by "accidentally" spraying his beer all over the wooden floor-boards.

Mr. winner Frenchy guy.

Jarah has another go

More mocking of Aussies from the Kiwi crowd (actually Queenstown's a ski resort town and bloody few Kiwis can actually afford to live here. I wonder how many real Kiwis were in the crowd?).