In 2025 the courses will be modified from previous years.

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, but it's still a challenge.

In 2025 we will be announcing a modified course from previous races, stay tuned for updates. T

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 Te Ara Kopiko", passing the water ponds and up 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 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 team at Easy Trail Solutions. 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, 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