Christian Davey and Lachie Ross: a local guide to life on two wheels

Lachie Ross is a World Cup Enduro Mountain Bike Racer who has represented New Zealand. He’s also a coach and a content creator born and bred right here in Wellington. When he’s not travelling the world racing, he’s home, ripping up Wellington trails. 

After signing a deal with New Zealand bike manufacturer Zerode Bikes, the team told Lachie to focus on the most important part of riding. “They just want me to have fun,” he said. “When I started riding, I’d spend the whole day riding with my friends at Mount Victoria. That’s probably what made me fall in love with mountain biking at the start.” 

Once he started training seriously, Lachie switched to Mākara Peak Mountain Bike Park in Karori. “It’s world-class trails. That’s what I love about riding in Wellington. There’s so much variety: Mākara is rocky and slippery. Waimapihi is flowy, and there are jumps. Miramar is fast with soft dirt.” 

Set over 250 hectares of regenerating native bush, Mākara offers a wide variety of trails for riders of all levels. “Yeah, Gnar is the hardest track in Wellington,” reckons Lachie. Mākara is also home to his most feared high climb. “The T4 track by the water tower. I think I’ve done it like 70 times in my life.”

When it comes to refuelling, Lachie reckons you can’t go wrong with a stop at your local dairy. For a sit-down spot, a favourite of Mount Victoria riders is Tomboy on Marjoribanks Street. For those hitting the Miramar trails, Shelly Bay Bakery is not to be missed. And Māraka Peak riders have to check out Penny’s for a Reuben sandwich.   

For Lachie, riding in Wellington is special for one particular reason. “The community, I can go ride at Mt Vic, and I’ll see twenty people who I know or even twenty people who I don’t know, who I can talk to.”  

Christian Davey is a professional triathlete who represents New Zealand in the sprint and Olympic distances. An ambassador for iRIDE and Specialised, he regularly clocks 300km a week. Christian knows the Wellington roads like the wrap of his handlebar tape. 

Road cycling in Wellington means four seasons in a day, a headwind, a tailwind, city streets and country roads. It’s diverse, challenging, and exciting. “Cyclists always know what the wind is doing,” said Christian. “We know where the rain is going to be, so we try to plan around it.” 

Cyclists typically work one long ride a week into their training schedule. “The real classic for me is around the bays: Oriental Bay, Scorching Bay, Lyall Bay, Red Rocks, and then up Happy Valley, into Karori and over to Mākara. It’s about 80km and a good amount of elevation.” 

“A lot of groups will head out on the motorway to Whitemen’s Valley or Blue Mountains. Another option is out towards Eastbourne or over the hill and out to the Wainuiomata Coast.” 

Riding in a peloton makes the sport more social and lets you cover more ground. Several groups meet regularly around Wellington. Wednesday Worlds is perhaps the most infamous. “I don’t know how long it’s been running for, but every Wednesday, no matter the weather, people head out to ride... You have to be a fairly high-level cyclist to get around the route and understand bunch dynamics. It’s about an hour, and it’s full gas.” 

“iRIDE does a group ride on a Saturday morning, and different cycling shops have different shop rides.”

Like their Italian forefathers, stopping at a café during a ride is part and parcel for many Wellington cyclists. “iRIDE have a nice café in-house, so we’ll stop there.” Also on his list is Bread and Butter in Khandallah village and the Aro Street strip.   

If it’s later in the day and you’re after something heavier, “A lot of us go to Southern Cross. It’s big, and it’s central. Lyall Bay has some good spots too.” Parrotdog is a favourite brewery set back from the water. If you’re after views, Maranui Café is right on the beach.   

For Christian, a big part of cycling is getting away from it all. “I go around Mākara a lot because it’s just you and farmland, and then out to the coast where you’ve got water all around you. I love it.”