Scenic Saturday cycling

The Fun Ride Out kicks off this Saturday, with four cycling trails showcasing some of the best scenery Rangitikei has to offer.

Cyclists are asked to meet in Utiku at 9.30am with a start time of 10am.

Cyclists will be tackling the Omatane trail which will take them along Gorge Rd crossing the Rangitikei River to Omatane South Rd, then to Potaka Rd across the Kawhatau River and onto the Kawhatau Valley Rd.

The tour, hosted by Bike Rangitikei and Rangitikei Tourism ends at the Mangaweka Domain with a barbecue.

Marton lawyer David Woodbridge is one of the cyclists who helped create the four trails called Gorges to Sea, also known as Gorgeous to See.

Mr Woodbridge said Bike Rangitikei, a loosely formed group of avid cyclists, have tested the rides of which the Omatane trail is the first to be marked and officially opened.

Green and white coloured disks as trail indicators are set to go up before this weekend's event.

Mr Woodbridge said the other three cycle trails are Pemberton, which goes from Mangaweka to Vinegar Hill, Mount Curl from Hunterville to Marton via Mount Curl and The River from Marton to Himatangi.

He said while the rides feature Rangitikei River they do not necessarily all go through Rangitikei District and they do not use the state highways system for the most part.

On Saturday's ride, for safety sake, there will be support vehicles attending or what he called "sag wagons."

Mr Woodbridge said Rangitikei District is waiting to be discovered.

"Rangitikei Tourism hopes the trails will be a draw card for a greater increase of tourist numbers."

He said since Prime Minister John Key had given the idea of a national cycle trail a nudge it is now being talked about by many people.

Rangitikei did not receive Central Government funding announced earlier this year.

However, Rangitikei Tourism was motivated to get started and quickly developed their own trails with funding from RDC for signage and brochures.