Classic fun at Maungatautari

PUTTING the fun in fun ride during Sunday’s Maungatauri Classic were this group of four drag queens and an Ozzy Osbourne impersonator, from left: Charlie Pollock, Eileen Pollock, Diane Nicoll, Adele Saywell, Sylvia Forster. TC271108CT01

BY COLIN THORSEN

The Maungatautari 30km fun ride lived up to its name on Sunday attracting well over 100 riders, including ‘drag queens’ and one 77-year-old competitor.

Spokesperson for the drag queens, Eileen Pollock says the quartet, along with her husband Charlie Pollock (alias Ozzy Osmond) had a ball riding to the Best of Abba music.

‘‘We loved the film ‘The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’, so thought it would add a bit of ‘colour’ to this year’s fun ride dressing up as drag queens.’’

Hardly surprising, the ornately dressed participants finished at the tail of both the men’s and women’s fields. They are challenging other fun riders to dress up for next year’s Maungatautari.

Birthday ‘boy’ Heinz Levenberger, who turned 77 on Saturday, took out the Grey Power prize for oldest participant in the fun ride. During the 30km, the Putaruru Rotary Club member and first time Maungatautari entrant turned over 10,000 kilometres on his bike this year.