Three bikepackers riding a gravel road at first light, hills behind

TRB#04 · Friday 19 February 2027 · 07:30

Ride. Push. Grovel. Grin.

An unsupported bikepacking brevet through Central Otago's high country. Start and finish at Wānaka. No entry fee, no fanfare. Just you, the route and a tracker.

Register on MAProgress See the routes
Start / finish
Wānaka Outlet07:30, no starting gun
Depart
Fri 19 Feb 2027Third Friday of February
Cutoff
7 daysTracking closes 07:30, day 7
Entry
FreeTracking fee paid to MAProgress

Choose your Reset

Two routes. Same terrain, same attitude.

Rocky double-track, gravel back roads, a hint of tarmac, a dash of single-track and some delicious hike-a-bike. The shorter route is every bit as hard, just a day or two less of it.

A rider on a tussock track below a schist tor

The Reset 550

Long Haul
550km
9,100m ascent

The big kahuna. The full route in all its glory and malice.

GPX 550
A rider descending a gravel track toward a lake

The Reset 370

Weekender
370km
5,500m ascent

The shorter helping. Condensed, not diluted. The pick if you're short on time or want a more compact adventure.

GPX 370

Bike

A mountain bike is the tool. Rigid, hardtail or XC full-suss, ideally a 29er. Fat-tyred gravel bikes have finished. They didn't enjoy it as much.

Water

Some sections are bone dry. Between Cluden Creek and St Bathans there's nothing, bar a 4 km detour to Lauder Basin hut. Stock up.

Weather

Central in February is usually hot and dry. It can also be wind, rain, hail or snow on the tops, with little shelter. Pack for all of it.

How it works

Four steps. No forms to chase.

There's no separate sign-up. Registering your tracker on MAProgress is your entry.

  1. Register on MAProgress

    Sign up for tracking at the MAProgress event page, choose your route and add an emergency contact. Pay the tracking fee there. That's your entry done.

  2. Sort a tracker

    Use your own SPOT, InReach, Zoleo, Bivy Stick, Somewear or YB, or hire a SPOT from MAProgress when you register. They post it to you.

  3. Turn up and roll out

    Be at Wānaka Outlet before 07:30 on the day, tracker on. No briefing, no bib, no starting gun. Just a quiet collective decision to go a very long way.

  4. Finish, or scratch properly

    Ride back to the Outlet inside 7 days. If you stop early, withdraw on your MAProgress tracking page or contact MAProgress so no one triggers a rescue.

The agreements

Not a race. There are still rules.

DIY

Do it all yourself, under your own power.

Self-supported

Carry all your own gear. No support from friends, no support vehicles, no meet-ups along the way. Pairs may share gear.

Ride the course

Follow 100% of it. If you leave the route, rejoin where you left it, not further along.

Track

Carry a tracker registered with MAProgress. A PLB is recommended, and you agree to cover rescue costs if you need evacuating.

Cutoff

Finish in under 7 days. No minimum time. Remember: not a race.

Don't be a dick

You know what to do.

FAQ

Read this before you ask.

Almost every question we've had in three years is answered below.

Your responsibility

By starting The Reset you accept all aspects of the challenge and sole responsibility for your own safety. The course designer accepts no responsibility for anything that happens to you on your ride.

Do your own research on the route, and plan your gear, bike and approach accordingly. No one is organising anything on your behalf.

Can I ride with a mate?

Yes. Teams are two riders maximum. You can share a tracker and gear like the tent, stove and tools, but you must ride the whole route together. You show up as one dot, so this is a safety rule as much as anything.

What gear do I need?

There's no compulsory gear list. Bike spares, clothing for the weather and food are the basics. Carry enough to keep yourself alive if things turn bad: caught out on the tops, or injured. You must carry a SPOT, InReach or other MAProgress-compatible tracker. A PLB is strongly recommended.

What if the weather is bad?

There's little or no shelter on the tops. Sometimes it's smarter to sit it out for a few hours before heading high. It's not a race, so hunkering down until it blows through is a legitimate strategy. Most severe weather here passes in 24–48 hours.

If something biblical is forecast, any detours will be posted in the Facebook riders group and the WhatsApp announcements channel, with GPX.

Fans and whānau

Make sure the folks at home understand how tracking works. Your tracker (and PLB, if you carry one) is your safety device, and the emergency contact you gave MAProgress is the go-to if something goes wrong. Nobody associated with the brevet will act on your behalf. Friends can follow along and send messages of support on the tracking page.

If you need to scratch

Withdraw on your MAProgress tracking page or contact MAProgress directly. This matters: an unexplained stopped dot can trigger a rescue.

Where's the route on the ground?

All on public land, public roads and legal access tracks through Central Otago, including the Dunstan Mountains, St Bathans and the Serpentine. Some sections cross station easements: stay on the track, leave gates as you find them and don't camp on easements.

Leave no trace

If you bivvy or wild-camp: bury your poo, carry out all rubbish, camp away from water, leave wildlife alone and take nothing but photos.

Safety on the road

Follow the NZ Road Code on public roads. Beware the sleep monster if you're going hard. Roads and sleep deprivation don't mix.

Can I ride it outside the event?

Yes. The routes are entirely on public roads, tracks and trails and can be ridden any time. The GPX files are above.

Is there a briefing, a finish party, results?

No briefing. Results live on MAProgress once everyone's home. If riders want a pre-ride beer or a finish-line catch-up, organise it in the Facebook group. That's the spirit of the thing.

Two riders stopped at a farm gate on a high-country track at dusk

The backstory

One rider's line through Central.

The Reset was created by Matt Quirk, a Lake Hāwea designer and long-time bike shop owner, who stitched Central Otago's saddles, station tracks, gold-rush roads and hike-a-bikes into one hard, beautiful loop. He scouted it, recced it, rode it, named it and drew it, then in February 2024 sent the first riders out from the Wānaka Outlet with no entry fee and no fanfare.

Three editions on, it has become one of the tougher rides on the Kiwi bikepacking calendar, with 30-plus starters a year and a small, loyal following.

"I feel more wasted than after TTW."

Matt Quirk, after finishing his own course, TRB#01

From 2027 The Reset is in the hands of a crew of Reset riders. The route, the name and the ethos stay as Matt made them: free to ride, self-supported, finish if you can.

Course & event created byMatt Quirk
Identity & designNoko Studio
Est.2024

Community

Questions go to the group.

There's no inbox for The Reset. If the FAQ doesn't cover it, ask in the riders group, where people who've ridden it can answer faster than anyone.

Ask and chat

Facebook riders group

Questions, lift shares, tracker swaps, gear chat, weather worries and post-ride stories.

Join the group

Announcements only

WhatsApp channel

A handful of posts a year: date confirmed, registration open, reroutes, and a start-day reminder. No chat.

Follow

Dot watching

Live tracking

Follow every rider in real time once the brevet starts. Results are posted there too.

Open the map
TRB#01 · 2024The Bikepacking.com recap TRB#02 · 202536 starters. Tracking and results TRB#03 · 202632 starters. Tracking and results