Christchurch is on the cusp of getting a $25m mountain bike park.

Billed as heaven for Lycra-clad thrill seekers, Christchurch Adventure Park means they will no longer have to shell out big bucks to go to Rotorua, or beyond, to visit their biking utopia.

But who are the Canadian developers behind this project offering a 25 per cent return to investors? Why have taxpayers kicked in $2m and counting to help them out? And why have details so far been so scant other than vague publicity blurbs?

Select Evolution is the brains trust behind the scheme and has spent more than $3 million and almost four years developing its proposal, and Fiona Sutton, the company's president, insists the firm is committed to the project.