DAY 1

163.5km (94.5km of 3 OPEN STAGE SECTIONS)

Starting from Peppers Clearwater in the early morning (you will need bike lights front and back) we take it easy to the first wee pit stop at Rangiora Showgrounds. After leaving the Show Grounds, you’ll be riding neutral until Ashley School.

From the School we start you off on STAGE 1, where all grades will be sent off in seperate intervals. At kilometre 27 is the first SPRINT for the Green Jersey and the finish not far from the Sprint.

AID STATION setup at Waipara Winehouse, a chance to grab your gear bag, fill up on PURE nutrition, stuff some Em’s Power Cookies in your pockets or just to catch a tea/coffee. It’s also a chance to plan for the first KOM and the SPRINT 2 point in STAGE 2 before a lunch rest in Culverden.

After lunch there’s a nice rolllng ride of 30km to the start of the first Team Time Trial (See more about that later).

The Kiwi Style Tours Dinner in Hanmer and the amazing team from Kiwi Style Tours will be here to chat about their amazing hosted Tours to all parts of the world, check out their website to choose your next cycling adventure.

We look forward to seeing you all on the startline. Train hard, bike safe till then.

Day 2

The Longest Day of the 5 Passes Tour looks the same but it is a little, well a lot, different. The first part of the course follows the familiar route through the Hope Valley (hopefully a tail wind on a fine late November morning). The first Sprint of the day is again at Engineers Camp which will sort out the sprinters in the groups for the 3rd time of the tour. From this point the make our way up Lewis Pass KOM, then on to Springs Junction where there’s the 2nd and last Sprint of the day, sponsored by Echelon Group, which is before the tearooms. (This is the finish of the stage).

After morning tea at Springs Junction and quick rest we will start in reverse order D – A and race up over Rahu Saddle  which is the 2nd and last KOM of the day before the finish line at Reefton for the usual hot lunch and the Abbott BBQ at the Reefton Race Course.

After lunch, its a neutral run to Ikamatua where your teams’ will gather for the Team Time Trial, the last Open stage of the day. The finish point is setup near the Pike River Mine Memorial, you are more than welcome to turn around after the finish to stop to pay your respects.

After a long day in the saddle there it’s a 37.5km ride to our accommodation in Greymouth.

Day 3

Day 3 will start from the Greymouth with a short ride to Stillwater, the start of Stage 7.

15km from the start at Stillwater there is a Sprint point in Aratika and another Sprint in Rotomanu. The stage finish is before the bridge on Lake Brunner Rd.

After a short rest and long Neutral to Otira, there’s the Aid Station waiting for you to top yourselves up before the Individual Time Trial up the Otira Viaduct.

The Climb is a mere 6.5km, with a average 7% and a bite of 16%. It’s a tough course for a Individual Time Trial.

The neutral & final stage for the day is a short fast downhill descent into Arthur’s Pass where lunch will be ready and waiting for you. 

DAY 4

The final day rolls out a few surprises, the rolling climbs between Arthur’s and Porters Pass which includes a sprint at Cass and KOM at Craigieburn cutting and Porters Pass.

It is neutral for the descent down Porters and into Springfield to the Yellow Shack Café for Lunch. It is out on to the Canterbury Plains once more turning off down the Old West Coast Road to Agriseeds for the start of the final leg of the tour … the Team Time Trial 21 kilometres of exhilarating effort to reach the finish line and completion of the Five Passes Tour!

Finally, celebrate at the IHF Health Club Awards Dinner at Clearwater. Please note: if you want extra seats at the awards dinner please book online as limited seats are available.

Team Time Trials

We have made some adjustments to this category for this year as we want to give this category it’s own identity and to give the TTT a chance to find the quickest team in your Grade.

There are 3 Team Time Trials during the 4 Days, Day 1 into Hanmer Springs (6.5km); Day 2 from Ikamatua (12km) and on Day 4 on the Final Stage of the Tour (26.5km).

Times for this category will be calculated from the rider who finishes in the 3rd wheel. No other stages will be used to calculate your TEAM time.