A picture perfect Mount Ruapehu provided the backdrop for New Zealand's largest cycle race.
And 10,500 riders turned out to enjoy it - from world champions to first timers.
“I turn 80 actually in March, but it's a good time to do it. First and last time I hope,” laughs first time entrant Doug Bates.
Teams and individuals took part in 11 different events, but the main race was circumnavigating the lake and peddling 160km in the process.
Top riders were expected to complete the circuit in under four hours, but many were well behind that pace.
“It’s just such a fun day with all these people out there doing the fun ride and it's just such a fun atmosphere out there,” states the Cycle Challenge winner Peter Latham.
Olympian Peter Latham won with a time of 3 hours and 43 minutes.
It was an amazing comeback from a horror run of injuries.
“I was probably unrealistic when I broke my back,” explains Latham. “I thought I could come back quicker than I did - even at the Olympics I was still struggling and it’s sort of coming up on 18 months now and I'm starting to feel better on the bike and hopefully it will continue>”
Latham collected $5000 for the win and will now head to the United States to take up a professional cycling contract.
However, he was one of the exceptions.
For a majority of the part-time cyclists and recreational riders it was just finishing the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge that was reward enough.
And they have until around 7:00pm tonight, to do just that.
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