Among them the defending champions hoping to repeat, a family of cycling fanatics paying attribute to recently deceased friend and an Olympic champion catching up with his second love.
While the world thinks of K2 as the world's toughest mountain, in New Zealand cycling circles "K2" is renowned as our toughest road race. A gruelling 200km lap of the mountainous Coromandel Peninsula that combines superb surroundings and a festival-style atmosphere to produce a European-style cycling challenge that is a favourite amongst elite and recreational riders alike.
That's certainly the case for eight hardy souls. Rob McLeod (Orewa), John Cottingham (Morrinsville), Darren Donnelly (Thames), Dennis Magness (Milford), Alastair Borwick (Akld), Crunchie Donaldson (Taupo), John Badger and David Blanchett (Ham) have all finished every K2 since it was founded and are back again for this year's 13th event.
Another K2 repeat offender is Olympic gold medal rower, Mahe Drysdale. The London Olympic gold medallist and five time world champion uses road cycling as part of his fitness training and is a regular participant in cycling events, including K2.
A big part of the K2 attraction is an ever-changing challenge that sees the event based from a different Coromandel Peninsula town every year.
This year racing gets underway in Coromandel Town itself. The course opens with two short, sharp climbs before a sedate 40k along the Pohutukawa Coast to Thames where everyone takes stock for K2's signature hill climb, the 14k long, 425m high Kopu-Hikuai Hill. The reward is stunning views and 40k of downhill and flat to Tairua and Whitianga for a tough finale over Pumpkin Hill, Kuaotunu and Whangaparoa to finish back in Coromandel Township.
Past winners have included Kiwi internationals Glenn Mitchell, Fraser McMaster and Jeremy Yates, who holds the current course record of 5hrs 02min 34secs set in 2008.
Yates won K2 a record five times, including 2010, the last time the race was based in Coromandel Town. But this year sees a rematch between Auckland's Nick Lovegrove and Tauranga's Dan Molyneux, who staged K2's closest ever finish last year when Lovegrove outsprinted Molyneux in the final few hundred metres. But they'll need to watch for a handful of national-class riders such as Aucklanders Josh Aldridge, Brad Tilby and Logan Griffin, and Christchurch's Anthony Chapman.
Indeed, despite the rematch between Lovegrove and Molyneux the 25 year old Aldridge is probably the form favourite after a winter racing on the highly competitive Australia circuit for Team Subaru Albion where he finished the winter series ranked 13th.
Among women, Hastings Hannah van Kampen will also be looking to repeat in the elite women's race, which is raced over 100k in the associated Halycon K1.
As well as the feature Cranleigh K2, the Halycon K1, the Focus K150 and Nicholas Browne 50k offer options for all age and ability. The K1 runs from Tairua to Coromandel, the K150 from Thames to Coromandel and the Nicholas Browne Challenge from Whitianga to Coromandel.
For the extreme endurance junky, however, 2014 sees the return of the Coromandel K4. Like the Olympic Games, every four years a two-lap, 400k option provides New Zealand cycling's ultimate challenge. This year almost 40 riders have put their hand up for the 400k, including a family of cycling enthusiasts riding as a tribute to a friend who recently died with cancer.
Until a few days ago Cambridge's cycling-mad Gascoigne family were taking on K4 as a fundraiser for Hamilton cancer patient, Angela Sunkel, a family friend who was hoping to travel to the USA for stem cell transplant treatment. But Mrs Sunkel passed away earlier this week. However, with her funeral on Friday "Team Gascoigne Racing", which consists of the five Gascoigne brothers, their father Greg, one of his Grandson's, Angela's father and a host of friends, are still lining up for the 400k race on Saturday as a tribute to their friend, whose husband Raymond will also be there in support.
Entries for all events are still open. Organised by Adventure Racing Coromandel, the Cranleigh K2 is an event with something for everyone. Their other events include The Great Kauri Run (Nov 22), and the ARC Adventure Race (March 14-15). Their events benefit the Spirit of Coromandel Trust, which provides opportunities for young people to experience the outdoors.
