The Coppermine Classic

This classic course completes a 40km loop of Nelson's stunning lush forests and mineral belt, including a fun and flowing descent that drops 850m. It stays on the Dun Mountain Trail all the way to Third House and on to the historic Coppermine Saddle. This course is an excellent recreational ride. It has less climbing than the Epic and does not require the same technical skills, but it's still a challenge.

In 2022 the loop will start and finish at the brand new Maitai Recreation Hub next to the Maitai Golf Course, on the banks of the Maitai River. The course will start with a wide meandering trail beside the golf course before joining onto single track in the "manukas", then start climbing up Groom Creek Road, passing the water ponds and up a short sharp climb to the Tantragee Saddle. From here the course drops down to the Dun Mountain Trail before it begins it's gradual climb up to the Coppermine Saddle. 5km of easy riding gets you to the Four Corners Junction. The Classic continues straight ahead at this point continuing along the Dun Mountain Trail to Third House, a section of 5km of gentle climbing track through stunning native bush.

A clearing in the forest canopy is the first sign you have reached the historic Third House point. From here it’s straight on to the Wells Ridge intersection and the 15km mark. At this point the Classic and Epic courses rejoin (Epic riders having been to the 780m summit of Fringed Hill and descended Black Diamond Ridge) and continue on an easy route up the Dun Mountain Trail through native beech, eventually entering the stark and epically beautiful mineral belt section. The track smooths out for a fast ride to Windy Point and past the original cromite mine shaft on the way to Coppermine Saddle, not that you will have the time to look at it. This is the halfway mark at 20km.

From here the fun really starts as it’s mostly downhill to the finish. This descent had a full remake a few years ago with some very skilled work by the teams at Bikeworks and Nelmac but is starting to return to a rougher state. Less experienced riders are encouraged to pre-ride the course to get familiar with this rocky but flowing meter wide single track section. The landscape is amazing and the scenery breathtaking. The lower section remains fast as you descend through native forest over the new bridge and out towards the Maitai Dam. If the active slip is stable for the race date then the course stays left and follows the pipeline track for several km before dropping down to the Maitai River, crossing the road, up a short pinch climb and along some fun singletrack next to another waterpipe, this time on the other side of the valley. Then, dropping back into the Maitai Valley road, before quickly crossing the Maitai River to a final long singletrack sprint next to the river to the turn off onto the final wide flat section to the recreation hub. (Note, The Maitai Valley Road is open to general traffic. Normal road rules apply).

It is expected that most riders will take between 3 to 5 hours to complete the course

 
 
 

The Coppermine Epic

The name says it all. The Epic has all the elements you could want from a New Zealand must do bike event. A massive mountain climb up to 900m, the sweetest single track through native forest with sections that will challenge all riders and stunning scenery that traverses Nelson's mineral belt. It is a 40km loop.

In 2022 the loop will start and finish at the brand new Maitai Recreation Hub next to the Maitai Golf Course, on the banks of the Maitai River. The course will start with a wide meandering trail beside the golf course before joining onto single track in the "manukas", then start climbing up Groom Creek Road, passing the water ponds and up a short sharp climb to the Tantragee Saddle. From here the course drops down to the Dun Mountain Trail before it begins it's gradual climb up to the Coppermine Saddle. 5km of easy riding gets you to the Four Corners Junction. After a hard left hand turn riders will click down to granny gear and climb all the way to the summit of Fringed Hill at 900m - a no joke all out climb that will test even the fittest riders. It's worth it though - the views are epic and there might be some mad buggers providing entertainment and a drink at the top.

From the summit the track rolls into the native bush and follows a tramping route otherwise known as Black Diamond Ridge. The challenge here is to ride as much of this undulating ridge line as possible. The first section maintains it's height before dropping sharply down over some super fun tech sections to rejoin the Dun Mountain Trail above Third House at the start of the Wells Ridge Track. This is the 15km mark.

From here riders continue on an easy route up the Dun Mountain Trail through native beech forest, eventually entering the stark and epicly beautiful mineral belt section. The track smooths out for a fast ride to Windy Point and past the original cromite mine shaft on the way to Coppermine Saddle, not that you will have the time to look at it. This is the halfway mark at 20km.

From here the fun really starts as it’s mostly down hill to the finish. This descent descent has gotten a little rougher in the last couple of years making it a challenge to ride fast. The landscape is amazing and the scenery breathtaking. The lower section remains fast as you descend over the new bridge and out to the Maitai Dam. If the active slip is stable then the course stays left and follows the new pipeline track for several km before dropping down to the Maitai River, crossing the road, up a short pinch climb and along some fun singletrack. Then, dropping back into the Maitai Valley road, before quickly crossing the Maitai River to a final long singletrack sprint next to the river to the turn off onto the final wide flat section to the recreation hub. (The Maitai Valley Road is open to general traffic. Normal road rules apply). (NOTE: for 2022 we are investigating moving the start/finish, we will update as soon as this is confirmed)

It is expected that the fastest riders will take between 2-3 hours to complete the course. All other riders can expect an event time of approx 4 to 6 hours.