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Rotorua in winning bid for National Cycling Centre

Friday 15 April 2011, 1:55PM

By Rotorua District Council

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ROTORUA

SPARC’s High Performance Board has announced the selection of Waikato/Bay of Plenty's bid as the preferred tenderer to develop New Zealand’s National Cycling Centre of Excellence. The proposal would see the cycling centre’s mountain biking components focused in Rotorua.

Last year the Government announced plans to work with partners to develop a national cycling hub, as part of a major investment in, and re-shaping of, high performance sport.

Subsequently Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Palmerston North and Auckland were short-listed from seven regions which submitted tenders.

The Cycling Centre of Excellence will be part of a network of world-class facilities around the country and will include both an international-standard indoor velodrome and community facilities. The government is making a $7 million cornerstone investment in the project to help provide New Zealand cyclists with the best facilities to ensure future success.

Dave Donaldson, trustee for the Home of Cycling Trust and a Rotorua District councillor said it was an exciting development for the region and it had been a privilege to work alongside such a collaborative, passionate and talented bid team.

"The team has drawn much of it's energy and commitment from the great cycling culture across all codes that exists in our region, and clearly this was a key factor in the decision to locate this facility here for all New Zealanders."

SPARC Chief Executive Peter Miskimmin said the National Cycling Centre of Excellence would be a huge asset to New Zealand and was exciting for the continued development of the sport.

Miskimmin said SPARC, BikeNZ and Waikato/Bay of Plenty would now enter into negotiations on technical and commercial details such as the centre’s layout and design, and the construction and delivery timetable.