Mountain Bikes to Tackle Sydney's 2001 Tatonka Urban Polaris
Great scope for a Wellington or Auckland event???!!!!!!
Following last year's successful first event, some 500 cyclists are expected to take part in the second Tatonka Urban Polaris being held around the streets, national parks and trails of Sydney on Saturday 8 December.
Teams of two riders have 8 hours to get around the event area comprising the whole of the north side of the Sydney metropolitan region. Checkpoints will again be placed in spots that variously showcase the best of Sydney, challenge the riders and puzzle them too!
Riders plan their own route to reach as many checkpoints as they can. To encourage use of bikes and public transport, riders are permitted to catch trains and ferries to help them get around the event area. The start and finish point will be announced to competitors a week before the event.
At last year's event one of the checkpoints was at Royal North Shore Hospital. More specifically it was with Sean Fitzgerald. Sean was made a quadraplegic in a mountain bike accident in the Northern Territory in June 2000. Competitors were only allowed to 'clip' that control if they donated to the RNS Spinal Unit. Sean is now out of hospital and rebuilding his life back home in Canberra.
The Tatonka Urban Polaris and other Polaris events are now seeking to raise $50000 to purchase a specially converted vehicle that will enable Sean to get out and about more often and more easily. The Tatonka Urban Polaris is sponsored by Tatonka outdoor and cycle equipment, Renegade Cycles, Ultimate Direction hydration products and UBD maps and guides. For further information visit the Polaris website on http://www.polarismtb.com.au/ and look under "Events".
This page was compiled by
Michael Wood,
and was installed on 1 Nov 01
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