Love Letter to Gorge Road
A work of art in itself, the Gorge Road Jump Park turns backdrop for Brett Rheeder, Kade Edwards and Matt Begg in this freeride edit by Clay Porter: “it’s poetry in motion.”
In 2018, Queenstown Mountain Bike Club was notified that their “Licence to Occupy” Gorge Road Jump Park was coming to an end. They were given no option to reapply, and the site was to be repurposed as a store for construction equipment.
The park is the “best, worst kept secret in Queenstown”, one of the most impressive series of jumps in the world that was sculpted over ten years and involved hundreds of volunteer hours. Led by bike park founder Nathan Greenwood, Gorge Road became the epicentre for this outraged community, and international riders who recognised the importance of the site.
Then in 2021, three years after the License to Occupy was announced, a deal was struck between local billionaire Rod Drury and Mayor Jim Boult to re-establish the lease for the Queentown Mountain Bike Club.
Clay Porter’s eight minute film is a love letter to Gorge Road, and “a thank you to the people of Queenstown, especially Queenstown Mountain Bike Club for their hospitality and to Drury and the riders and supporters worldwide who came together to ensure that the pure joy of riding Gorge Road lives on.”
