Bikes n Bangers! What's it all about?
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Banger /ˈbaŋə/ - noun, informal. a sausage. "bangers & mash' . BBQ onions, sausages in shitty white bread. Who knew the power of the sausage? Is it the smell? the warmth? Dunno, but in New Zealand a 'sausage sizzle' pulls people together. The BBQ is the 'anchor' in a gathering, it creates a purpose. Could just about be our national dish.
'Bikes n Bangers' does have a purpose. To celebrate with our locals another year of business (not a small feat for the declining number of LBS's) and more importantly to use the date as a reason to remember and raise funds for the Kelly Mcgarry Foundation. Kelly was a professional mountain biker, famous for flipping the 72 ft canyon gap at Red Bull Rampage in 2013. He was much more than that 'one feat' within the Queenstown biking community. An all round great guy never to shy away from affording time to the groms and those who looked up to him. A talented trail builder both professionally (Crankworx) and volunteering time locally to build. His tragic death in 2016 left a hole in the riding community world wide. Shortly after, the Kelly Mcgarry Foundation was created. The foundation aims to emulate that generous spirit through financial support and grants to various mountain biking projects throughout New Zealand. This wholly fits within our culture and we use the date to support the cause.
Originally back in 2015 when Bikeaholic turned 1 to celebrate we threw together a last minute event. With the help of Queenstown Bike Taxis we offered free shuttles of the epic trail 'Rude Rock' on Coronet Peak followed by BBQ and beers back at the shop. The power of social media meant such a great turnout for a last minute event. Kelly passed away that summer. The following year for Bikes n Bangers No.2 we changed it from a free celebration to a fundraiser for Kelly's cause. It was amazing to see the local community come and support in such numbers. Each year around 80 riders form 'mega trains' down Rude Rock, partying back at the shop and digging deep. Now Bikes n Bangers number 5 done, 1000's of dollars have been raised thanks to our amazing local riding community.
We look forward to the date each year. Come have a 'Banger' with us!
Bikeaholic crew would like to thank the following local organisations for their ongoing support:
Queenstown Bike Taxis | The Inside Line | Bidfoods | QMTBC
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