Hello Copperminers.

The short version:

We have decided to postpone the Coppermine race until
the coronavirus crises is over, we are hoping that we can aim for a
November date to run the race.

The long version:

After many discussions with volunteers, SAR, racers, sponsors and our
own team we have decided in the interests of everyone to postpone the
Coppermine race.   While we do believe that the race could be modified
to run in a format that would meet current Ministry of Health
requirements (starting in multiple smaller waves - perhaps by category,
no mass group briefing, no prize giving ceremony, etc) we believe that
those modifications would detract substantially from the spirit of the
Coppermine race (a fun celebration together of how awesome the riding
around Nelson is).   We also suspect that the Ministry of Health
requirements will be modified and made more stringent very soon, and
prefer to give everyone more notice as to the postponement.  Finally,
and very importantly, while we have not had major injuries on the
Coppermine race in the last three years, there is always a possibility
of one - especially in a race, and we believe it would be irresponsible
to risk putting more strain on the public health system at this time.

Racers who have already entered and paid will have the option of
requesting a refund (less 10% bank fees), requesting shop credit (100%),
donating their entry to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter (100%), or
transferring your entry to the postponement date. Please email us with
your decision in this regard.  It may take us a few weeks to process
these requests.

Here at Gravity Nelson we are firm believers that responsible mountain
biking (ie not pushing the limits and risking an injury) during the
coronavirus crises is a fantastic way of staying healthy and sane, check
out our blog post about this:
https://gravitynelson.co.nz/coronavirus-and-mountain-biking/

As such we are encouraging riders to join the Strava group "Coppermine
race social club" (https://www.strava.com/clubs/597751) so you can ride
"with", and "against" each other over the coming months while still
practicing "social-distancing", joining the group will enable you to
compare with other members' training, and also section times on many
different trails, not just the Coppermine loop itself.

In the spirit of the race, and the new strava group, we are suggesting people

still ride the Coppermine on the 28th of March, but in a "social-distancing" style. 

Start where you want, when you want and HAVE FUN!

We will keep you updated via the web page, newsletter, and social media
with all updates and developments as they happen.

Ride safe,

Gravity Nelson