The Greasy Chain Charitable Trust

We’re a group of people who enjoy all types of cycling and our aim is to help you add to your enjoyment of cycling too – be that for sport, recreation, commuting, health or even a way of helping the environment by cycling more and using the car less.

Back in 2016, local cycling enthusiasts headed by Steve Stannard, decided it would be a good idea to have an international professional cycling event in the Manawatū North Island region of New Zealand. That first event was called, the “Gravel and Tar” and quickly gained a national and international reputation for its challenging parcours amidst the breathtaking scenery of the Manawatū.

Although not unique, there are very few international road cycling events that combine smooth road surfaces with stretches of other surfaces such as gravel, or in the case of the world famous Paris-Roubaix in France, cobbles. Colloquially, the Gravel and Tar has become known as the “Paris-Roubaix of the South”.

In 2019, a race for women, “The Gravel and Tar La Femme” was introduced, which in 2020 became one of the first cycling events in the world to pay equal prize money with the men’s event.

Seeing the increasing interest in competitive cycling for amateurs, the Slicks and Stones was then introduced to feature various distances and e-bike categories to encourage more people to participate.

And in 2019, the organising committee for these two events morphed into the Greasy Chain Charitable Trust with the goal of “Encouraging all New Zealanders to become healthier through regular cycling.”