Feature: Shredding Queenstown
It would always astound me how, on any given day in summer, you could be standing in that hour- long lift line in the shadow of Skyline, watching an almost one-to-one ratio of international riders and pros alongside locals. People would flock from all corners of the globe to ride in Queenstown, and many would call it home for those key months as they trained for the coming season.
The world’s fastest weren’t the only ones preferring to use Queenstown as their base of operation though. Over the last few years, as the mountain bike media landscape has changed, so too has the way projects have been shot, with a major emphasis on the location. If you were to look at any random selection of film or photo projects, not just with Kiwi athletes, I guarantee the Queenstown Lakes region would feature.
Given the depth of talent residing in the south, it’s always baffled me as to why there hadn’t been a world- class event hosted on the slopes above the Wakatipu Basin. That’s not to say the likes of Mcgazzafest, or any one of the locally organised races aren’t world- class nor lack the talent pool, but rather an event recognised in all four corners of the globe.
When it was announced that Crankworx would be taking the show on the road in the form of a multi-stop summer series road trip, speculation began as to what the locations would be, and for what disciplines. It was of both little surprise and great excitement when it was finally announced that the downhill event would be held in Queenstown. It was the logical location for such an iconic event, and the rightful home in the minds of many. The biggest surprise was the addition of a pump track event held alongside, on what we’d later come to find was a brand-new course built to launch with the race.
The benefit of an event like the summer series coming to town, is that the circus brings with it some of the world’s best athletes, transplants them into a tight-knit community and creates the opportunity for local pros, riders on the fringe, and aspiring next-generation rippers to rub shoulders with some of the world’s best. Add to that a purpose-built course that’s then handed back to the community for all to use, in a town where that was the last thing remaining to complete the trifecta, and you’ve got everything anyone would need to progress and grow.
We couldn’t not attend the inaugural Queenstown CWX Downhill, with the stage set for it to be great. It wasn’t just the athletes; we were curious to see how it would compare to the Rotorua-based main event.
With our Covid restrictions changing shape, and easing somewhat, right on the eve of practice, I don’t think anyone quite knew what to expect. It wasn’t until race day when the storm rolled in that the true colours began to show. Overnight, between practice and race day, the heavens opened, soaking the steep and rather fresh course. What greeted us all in the morning was a mud bath, a complete slip and slide, and the makings of a mud race for the ages.
The orange-light open-season meant spectators were once again allowed trackside, and whilst Crankworx didn’t actively promote spectatorship, they came marching two-by-two, armed with refreshments to see them through the day. I don’t think anyone could have planned a wilder restart and race if they’d tried. The potent mix of a proper mud race and the event we’d all been waiting for combined with an easing of Covid restrictions and enthusiastic humans who’d been locked down for the end of winter, resulted in a heckle-fest even Crankworx staff were comparing to the heckler’s rock of old. Safe to say, it definitely made for some of the most colourful scenes I’ve ever witnessed at a race.
New Zealand featured heavily on the leader board, with Kiwis taking out the top five placings in the men’s division and Sam Blenkinsop nailing the top spot. Over in the women’s division, Jenna Hastings took out a solid 4th place, whilst fellow Kiwis, Melissa Newell and Kelsey Timpany, came in 8th and 11th respectively.
I don’t think anyone could have planned a wilder restart and race if they’d tried. The potent mix of a proper mud race, the event we’d all been waiting for, an easing of restrictions, Crate Day, excessive drinking and loose-moralled humans resulted in a heckle-fest even Crankworx staff were comparing to the heckler’s rock of old, and made for some of the most colourful scenes I’ve ever witnessed at a race. In other words: nothing short of complete mayhem. Off the back of the festivities and continuing the theme of ‘new and improved’, it was only fitting to hang around a couple of days, revisit some old faves, and go exploring to see what was new in the trail department.
GORGE ROAD
The benefits of mixing pros and locals has been prevalent for some time but, more recently, it’s been on full display throughout the Gorge Road Jump Park saga. After several stays of execution, and despite the best efforts of the Gorge Road riding community, it seemed that arguably the most iconic community jump spot in the world, would meet its end this year. However, with considerable effort from Gorge Road locals, including mainstays Nathan Greenwood and Remy Morton, Queenstown-based entrepreneur, Rod Drury, and legions of domestic and international riders, the future of Gorge Road has been secured for the long term.
To find out a bit more about what had been going on since the trails were saved, we headed down to Gorge Road to find out about the plans for the future. When we arrived, it was clear that a fair amount of work was underway in several sections of the park. Speaking with Remy Morton and Nathan Greenwood, finally having some long-term security over the future of the trails has meant that a commitment can be made to some key infrastructure work for the jumps. Both Remy and Nathan explained that a major focus for the rebuild that’s currently underway, is to improve the durability of the trails.
These durability upgrades include some extensive drainage work, along with re-grading the slope the trails sit on, and lowering the height of the sections between jumps. The plan is to have water drain away from the jumps more easily following wet periods, hopefully reducing damage to the trails after heavy rain.
Elsewhere in the park, Remy’s fellow Flux Trail crew members, Dave McMillan and Matt Begg, were busy stacking and slapping on one of Gorge Road’s many sculpted landings. The beefed-up landings are another one of the big durability upgrades that it’s hoped will accomplish the ultimate goal of having the jumps open to more people, more of the time. In doing so it will also help to ensure the high aesthetic standard of the jumps that Nathan and others have worked so hard to achieve, is carried on as a key feature of the trails.
As well as the infrastructure upgrades, the smaller lines in the park are receiving a major overhaul, while the old wall ride has been removed with a new extension underway to push the trails further down the site. Speaking with Nathan, he pointed out that these improvements and upgrades are one stage of building out his ultimate vision for the trails, that they’ll continue to work towards in the years ahead. A big part of that vision is having a place where young riders can come and progress themselves, not only as dirt jumpers, but as all-round riders.
The Gorge Road upgrades are just one of many trail upgrades and developments that are either underway, or have been completed, in Queenstown in the past few months. Later that afternoon, we found ourselves on the Skyline Gondola sampling some of Ben Lomond Trails refreshed trails. On the topic of refreshment, we stopped by local haunt, Searchlight Brewing, on our way back down Gorge Road, to sample some of their current offerings.
SEARCHLIGHT
In a town that’s pretty synonymous with hospitality, Searchlight doesn’t fit the standard mould of posting up on the lakefront and watching the sunset. Tucked away in Industrial Place, just up the road from the iconic Gorge Road trails, Searchlight takes a bit more local knowledge to find. With its inviting beer garden and tap-room, along with the brewery itself on full display behind the bar, it’s the kind of place you and your mates head to for a genuine experience. Speaking with Clayton, who’s recently taken over the brewery with his partner Sharon, from founder Lewis, his enthusiasm and passion for Searchlight is infectious. From comedy nights to live music and quiz nights, Clayton tells us that Searchlight wants to give the community a heap of different options to come down, hang out and enjoy some great beer.
Aside from acting as a hub for people to meet up and hang out, Clayton also wants to use the brewery to support different local scenes. A great example of this was Searchlight’s recent award-winning ‘can art’ on one of their newest Hazy Pale Ales, Ladies of Dog Town. Rather than going down the illustration style route, Searchlight collaborated with local photographer Melissa Clark and local female skaters to feature a photo of them skating down Coronet Peak’s access road. Word on the street is that another collaboration, paying homage to the Gorge Road trails, may be on the cards so look out for that at some point in the future.
SKYLINE
After some refreshments at Searchlight (but not too much) we headed over to Skyline for an afternoon rip with Queenstown shred lord, Reece Potter. Continuing the refreshment theme, Ben Lomond Trails trails received a massive and much needed refresh prior to opening for the season. First on the list for us was the rebuilt Vertigo, littered with pull-over gap options, shark fins and deep turns. One thing I always find with Queenstown trails, especially the jump trails, is how they always seem to have the perfect shape to them. This makes them a lot more predictable and fun to hit for the first time, as you can be pretty certain about how the bike’s going to behave as you go off the lip.
After dragging ourselves away from Vertigo’s endless supply of fun shapes, we had a brief interlude down the more natural GSD. In contrast to the open, fast and flowy Vertigo, GSD offers the perfect look into the darker, rocky, rooty side of the Ben Lomond Trails. Coming from a place like Christchurch, where the trails largely turn into an ice rink after some rain, I was a bit more apprehensive about the level of grip on offer down a damp GSD, especially on a blind run. As it turned out, there was a good amount of grip on offer, and we were able to make the most of GSD’s rock laden features. Near the end of the trail, things took a bit of a turn as Cam’s camera pack took him for a lengthy roll through the last set of said rock features.
After a mandatory roll through Thunder Goat’s scenic right hander, and a quick clean-up for Cam at the top of the gondola, we made our way down to the refreshed Original trail. In the past, this trail has always been a fun but fast run down the lower part of the hill. The refreshed version feels like it takes the shapes of Vertigo, merges them with a bit of Huck Yeah and brings them into the lower part of the hill. Flowy and fun are probably the best ways to describe the new Original, and the fact Reece and I were voluntarily pushing back up for another run through the features tells you pretty much all you need to know.
After a few runs through the epic series of new turns near the bottom of KY, and the final features down Original, it was time to cruise out to Arrowtown for a post-ride beer and dinner at the Fork and Tap.
FORK AND TAP
Our original plan had been to head to the Fork and Tap via the Slip Saddle and Bush Creek tracks that end up right at Arrowtown. A wet afternoon the day before saw Skyline open at midday and this, coupled with some big jobs lined up the following day, saw us taking the scenic drive out there instead. Ideally, you’d have a run right from the top of nearby Coronet Peak all the way down to the Fork and Tap at the bottom on a warm summer evening.
Housed in one of Arrowtown’s many historic buildings, the Fork and Tap offers a great post-ride atmosphere, inside and out. After being greeted by the friendly staff, we opted for a table inside and took our picks from the great selection of beers and food as the day wound down.
CORONET, HELI-BIKING AND FERNHILL
After easing into things the day before – in part thanks to the slightly wet start – we awoke to a sunny day and knew we were on for one. We headed out to Arrowtown to meet up with Reece before piling in the car and boosting up to one of New Zealand’s most scenic carparks, at Coronet Peak. Following through with yesterday’s original plan, we headed up to the top on the lift and made our way down the Coronet XC trail to Slip Saddle.
Slip Saddle always offers a challenging ride down and, with a little bit of moisture from the previous days’ rain, this time was no exception. After sliding our way down Slip Saddle’s steeps and gullies, we found ourselves at the top of the recently refreshed Bush Creek trail. While always offering a cruisy warm down after a Slip Saddle run, wet feet were usually a guaranteed outcome after Bush Creek. The recent work by locally based Elevate Trail Building, has added bridges, culverts or rerouting at all former crossing points, and made for a much dryer run.
After trying out some over-under lines on a new mega- turn lower down on the trail, we cruised down the denser lower section and out to Arrowtown. The much-needed lunch spot of choice was the Arrowtown Bakery where we got into the selection of pies, ‘footballs’ and cakes on offer. Then it was back into Reece’s van and up the Coronet Road once again to get the afternoon underway.
Originally, we’d planned on riding another one of Queenstown’s newest great trails in the form of ‘Upper Rude Rock’. Wet conditions once again messed with our plans, leaving the trail too soft to open, meaning we headed straight to the existing classic, ‘Lower Rude Rock’ instead. Scenic turns, scenic straights and high speeds are all par for the course down Rude Rock, on the way down to ‘Pack, Track and Sack’. A few fun fadeaways and turns later we found ourselves in Skippers, waiting for the heli.
This was a pretty big highlight of the trip – especially as it was the first proper heli-biking trip for Reece and I, and involved an epic flight up out of Skippers to nearby Bowen Peak. Even if you’ve been in one before, the excitement of a helicopter flight never really goes away, especially in an area that scenically stunning. Run by Helibike NZ, the ride had us dropped off at the top of Bowen Peak before descending on some fresh track to Ben Lomond saddle, Missing Link and Beeched As.
Feeling the pedal around the rest of Beeched As, after being out for quite a few hours by that point, we were hanging for the final descent back to town. Fortunately, we were treated to some epic late afternoon light out on the open part of the Fernhill descent, before plunging into the darkness of the trees. Near the bottom, we got to sample an unplanned freshening of lower Salmon Run, courtesy of heavy rain over the last two days. Although it’s something you usually wouldn’t want to happen, much of the lowest section now runs down the creek bed. This offers a few different line options and plenty of cool rock features to enjoy.
Finishing off the run with recent addition, McNearly Gnarly, and a Queenstown classic in Wynyard DH, we headed down to Atlas to cap off an epic day.
ATLAS
Finishing off a long day of riding down by the lake, with some good food, good people and one of the many great beers on offer at Atlas, is pretty hard to beat. Atlas has long been a big supporter of mountain biking and the mountain bike scene in Queenstown, through a whole raft of activities ranging from sponsorship and donations to the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club (QMTBC); sponsoring or hosting local riding events, like Season of Shred; to hosting end of season parties. A great example of this is the raising of more than $16,000 for the mountain bike club during the 2020 Season of Shred fundraiser.
Good relationships with local businesses like Atlas, and the support that they bring, has always struck me as something that QMTBC does really well. This kind of relationship and support really helps to strengthen that sense of community and the role that riding plays in it. Not to mention the activities, including trail development, that the club is able to undertake because of this support that helps to keep the scene progressing.
After going from hungry to full in a short space of time, we attempted to ride back up to the hotel to drop off the bikes before taking a sunset cruise back up to Coronet Peak to pick up the cars. There are definitely worse places to find yourself at 9:45 on a warm summer evening than up at Coronet Peak watching the basin glow in the fading light.
7 MILE
After the sizeable outing the previous day we were feeling pretty spent, so a cruise around at 7 Mile to check out some of the new trails was the perfect choice. Despite having been around for a while, 7 Mile hasn’t missed out on its share of the recent trail developments around Queenstown. The new Buck Land trail is the most recent addition and features a huge amount of impressive wooden features, as well as some nice natural chutes. The trail is another great example of the riding community, with support from local businesses like Altitude Brewing, getting together to build something new and different for the benefit of the local riding scene.
Once we’d checked out the range of features on offer on the new Buck Land trail, we headed down through the flowing jumps of Kachoong and Jack B Nimble. Both trails received a refresh in 2020 and offer a miniaturized bike park style alternative to a lot of 7 Mile’s more natural singletrack options. Dropping down Satan’s Corridor found us back at the lake front and ready to head back to town.
ALTITUDE, CANYON AND WRAP-UP
Our final afternoon saw us finish off the trip by checking out a few more Queenstown breweries. The first stop was at Altitude Brewing, another big supporter of the QMTBC and the mountain biking community. Having already been fans of Altitude’s beers before this trip, we were keen to visit the tap room and see what beers they had on offer.
After choosing from the varied options on the beer list, we had a chat with Altitude General Manager, Peter, who filled us in on the brewery’s identity and their community initiatives. Like Atlas, Altitude has been a big long-term supporter of the QMTBC via sponsorship and donations and even had a couple of QMTBC contribution awards on display in the tap room. Peter also explained to us that since its inception, Altitude has committed to donating a share of beer sales to a range of community organisations and groups, such as the Kea Conservancy Trust and QMTBC.
In a similar sense to Searchlight, Altitude prides itself on being a great community meeting place where people can come down and hang out in a relaxed atmosphere. With the brewery being visible from the tap room, and old kegs used for seating, there’s a nice sense of getting the product straight from the source. Peter told us that this down to earth community atmosphere, coupled with great beer, are core values for Altitude and something they always strive towards.
To finish things off, we cruised out to Arthur’s Point based Canyon brewing, sitting right next to the Shotover Jet. Relaxing in the sun in Canyon’s beer garden, with pizzas and a pint, was a nice way to finish off the trip. With so much great riding, backed up by a strong riding community and supportive local businesses, it’s easy to see why so many people are drawn to Queenstown as a riding destination. At the end of each trip, you always leave knowing that the next time you visit there’ll probably be another epic trail to ride or fun jumps to hit. It’s that kind of progression and development that keeps you coming back for more. •
• Thanks to: Destination Queenstown, Holiday Inn Express and partners.
Words: Nathan Petrie
Photography: Cameron Mackenzie
Story: Bosch's 'e' Evolution
Bosch’s ‘e’ Evolution
The visionary Robert Bosch always appreciated the advantages of the bicycle. From 1890 onwards, the Bosch company founder visited his customers in Stuttgart on a modern “low bicycle”, which was still little-known in Germany - penny-farthings were fashionable in continental Europe at the time. Robert Bosch relied on technology that he considered to be future-proof and forward-looking. In 1923, Bosch introduced to the market a dynamo light for bicycles - it comprised a generator and a headlamp, with over 20 million units produced into the 1960s.
Fast forward to 2009, the bicycle once again became a focus for the Bosch Group, this time in electrified form. In the last few years we’ve played, reviewed and ridden more and more Bosch powered eMTBs. We thought it was about time we reflected on their history as we mark our historic 100th issue. A few weeks back I caught up with Dave Howard, Head of eBike APAC at Bosch, based in Taiwan. We’ve met in person before, but this time it was across digital means for obvious reasons. In fact, he was based in China but recently Bosch have moved offices to Taiwan to get closer to the brands and the assemblers.
Dave explained; “Back in 2009, it was just a handful of guys. First it was a hybrid with Mercedes Benz - it was a bit of a Frankenstein.” Bosch was, and has always been, around service first - following in the footsteps of their automotive division. “We never thought eBikes would have this much success.” In 2011/12, serious production began around the commuter space but Bosch had nothing in mind about eMTB. It strangely enough came from Taiwan, some of the cycle industry wanted to adapt it into MTB. As the industry always wants to push forward, a prototype concept was brought about. The tinkering began and the adaption of electric to MTB’s was made. However, it was still a prototype and a long way off from being available on the market.”
A few years later, in 2014, the Bosch bicycle team was around 150 people. The business expanded for the global market. Bosch has staunch stance on supporting growth of OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufacturer) especially in North America. Of course the rest of the world matters, but North America is strategically important moving forward. At that time there was only handful of brands in the eMTB game.
Dave says; “IBD’s (Independent Bicycle Dealers) are the gatekeeper to the market and some of the IBDs sold throttle-based bikes without service. At that time there was push back from IMBA. Talk was about how these bikes would destroy our sales with ‘normal’ bikes. So, we needed to develop a strategy around this. It was a challenging time, there was a real stigma around it being lazy.”
When asked about our market, Dave says: “NZ was a surprise for Bosch as they were fast adopters, actually the market demanded Bosch came into the market sooner rather than later.” Bosch had to make moves quickly to keep up with the demand. “[A speed of] 32km per hour was a key thing and the importers asked Bosch to come into market. In NZ there were no barriers except getting product into the market.” I ask whether it will slow down? “Growth projection for NZ is starting to slow a little, however they predict around 13% growth over the coming years.”
Over the years, Bosch has seen their eBike consumers change. The average user when they first launched was the Baby Boomer but, in more recent years, they’ve seen the age group drop down to the mid-thirties. It seems the trend is catching on. This is helped by their expanding portfolio of brands, rather than just being niche. Consumer perceptions are key and driven with top-end brands entering the category. In recent years, the smaller boutique/niche brands have adopted it, so in essence this makes it a more acceptable part of the mountain biking culture. Dave says, “it’s gone from niche to mainstream. There’s now an overpopulation of the category with a huge demand. It (eMTB growth) is supported by not only Bosch, but other brands that are driving the scene.”
Moving to the current decade, the eBike division at Bosch has expanded to around 500 people, and Bosch has around 70 brands using their product. Dave explains, “the aim is to have a team that’s small and agile.” Well, with a year most won’t forget, the adaptability of any business will be the key to future prosperity. I ask about what the future holds for eBikes? “Light eMTB will be the key; high-end bikes will remain but there’s a key to getting more people on bikes and involved with the sport. Design integration of battery and drive unit together. This is why we built a purpose-built drive unit so it could be a proper feel. There’ll be more innovating and refinements.” However, I want to know if they can extend the range of the batteries, as this catch up was just after our Old Ghost Road escapade (story in this issue), where we ran out of range. “There are limitations with batteries, if you increase the range then you need a bigger size and it’s a challenge with frame designs. If you want more range, then you need more space.” Back to the topic of the future. “Pre COVID 19 it (the future) was bright, and post it’s blinding, but we will need to step forward with caution. eMTB’s will continue grow, especially as the brands we all know and love have more offerings within the category. We aspire to have a more natural feel and for the bike not to feel like a powered bike. The future is a super clean handlebar set up. We will continue to promote trail building and development.”
Words: Liam Friary
Images: Cameron Mackenzie
Story: Behind the Brand with James From earSHOTS
earSHOTS allow riders and runners to take their love of sound to extreme places. These unique headphones stay secure no matter what the environment demands – from back flips at the park to the steepest descent on the trail. Made for adventure and exploring, these headphones are the ultimate accessory for those who want less distraction whilst listening to music or podcasts while they do what they love. We wanted to find out more about the story behind the brand, so we fired off some questions to earSHOTS founder, James Bell-Booth, to get the inside scoop.
NZM: Hey James, can you tell us what your original inspiration was, for earSHOTS?
James: I was training for an adventure race called the T42, in New Zealand’s beautiful Tongariro National Park. While training, I got fed up with my earphones: they fell off, got dislodged, and constantly needed re-adjusting. This resulted in frustration and distraction. After trying every earphone on the market at the time, and not finding anything that could stay in and feel comfortable while still sounding good, I came up with the idea of a new earphone design that would use magnets to attach to the ears. A design that you would fix to your ear – and forget. That was seven years ago…
NZM: How long did you take to come up with the idea, design it and get it to market?
James: It wasn’t overnight, that's for sure! There’s been home re-mortgages, many late nights teaching myself how to hand-mould magnets, thousands of hours on the trails testing all aspects of earSHOTS – and that’s all before we went on the market in April 2020.
NZM: Who are earSHOTS designed for?
James: First and foremost, they’re for riders and runners who love music, but hate being distracted and annoyed by earphones falling out or requiring constant adjustment.
NZM: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
James: Just focus on putting one foot in front of the other – the results will look after themselves.
NZM: How long have you been riding and what sort of riding do you enjoy most?
James: I have been riding since I was about 16, with varying levels of intensity. I used to live at the foot of the Kahuterawa Valley. When Arapuke bike park wasn’t even a thing, we would ride up the road to the trails in the pine forest. On the way back down the valley we would stop at the swimming hole – the Bull Hole they called it – and cool off. It was epic. Unfortunately, they subdivided the land and now you can’t swim there. Classic bloody property-obsessed people ruining the old school Kiwi experience!
NZM: What’s the craziest or most backcountry place you’ve taken your earSHOTS to?
James: Where I have been is nothing on where I am seeing our customers take earSHOTS – including over the Southern Alps and even down to Antarctica.
NZM: Best playlist/podcast for listening to through your earSHOTS?
James: I love all types of stuff, depending what mood I am in. Our earSHOTS ‘blood, sweat & sound’ playlist on Spotify is definitely a go-to. Then for podcasts, I listen to everything from current affairs stuff, personal growth stuff and even a bit of philosophy. On my library right now you will find Downtime, the Mountain Bike Podcast, BBC - The Documentary, and the Robcast, which is a philosophy type vibe.
NZM: Finish this sentence: As soon as I’m out of lockdown, I’m going to…..
James: ....the beach. I find the ocean super therapeutic.
NZM: What’s next for the earSHOTS brand?
James: See my answer to question four! Touch wood, we have some really big hopes and dreams for earSHOTS. The big focus is making earSHOTS the best sound experience for riding and running in the world. We have been working on a few things and will look to share those with our community of customers and partners pretty soon.
NZM: Outside of running a successful company, and mountain biking, what can we find you doing most weekends?
James: It’s pretty hectic, I am not good at sitting still.... I take the kids riding; I recently purchased the ‘Kids Ride Shotgun’ seat for my three year old son, Ben, which he is stoked about. I try and get out for a surf as often as possible, which involves a two hour+ drive to anywhere decent. Then outside of that, chilling out with mates and family.... I have three kids, so they are always wanting to do something which keeps life pretty full on. I wouldn’t have it any other way, though.
Story: A Nelson Underdog
Wairoa Gorge is, to many people, some of the best riding in New Zealand – perhaps even the world! And it has a story to match; one that has been told again and again, without growing old. One story that is yet to be told, however, is that of Nelson’s newest trail network out at Cable Bay Adventure Park.
The story, as well as the park itself, is a work in progress as the park has not yet officially opened (update as of time of publishing: Cable Bay is open for mountain biking!) as a mountain bike destination. It does see well over 150 daily visitors throughout the peak season though, who go quad biking up the many forestry roads, horse-trekking through the native bush, challenge themselves on an archery dragon hunt, shoot across the valley high above the canopy on the SkyWire, and enjoy the mouth-watering delights of the Base Café. Basically, it’s a pretty busy place.
As you’d expect, this hasn’t stopped the MTB community whatsoever.
It all began with Richard and Elina Ussher, a well-known adventure-racing couple - the epitome of fitness and adventure teamed up with fantastic personalities. A strong indication of evolution having peaked, as they also happen to be ridiculously good looking. Having travelled the world in pursuit of challenging adventure, Elina and Richard were both well accustomed to risk and dealing with uncertainty, yet their biggest adventure to date was to happen much closer to home when they took over Happy Valley Adventures and turned it into Cable Bay Adventure Park in December 2017.
It wasn’t long before Richard, staying true to his adventure-racing background, had run up, down and across the 500 hectare property enough times to have a pretty good idea of where he wanted tracks built. After joining a couple of the local Super D races in Nelson, organised by Loui Harvey, Richard was keen to show Loui around. Now, for you guys who know the two of them, you can only imagine the sparks that flew that evening in the forest when Mr Enthusiastic met his equal in Mr Grand Plans. For you guys who don’t know them, imagine Chip and Dale - on steroids - if the two chipmunks were of completely different builds and backgrounds.
Trail building took off properly in October 2018, once Loui returned from a six-month overseas trip, racing the EWS. After a month of weekly night-digs, there was a group of 10 or so members who were to make up the core group of the operation. These guys didn’t only show up during the lovely summer nights with never-ending light, but also throughout the dark, wet and cold winter months, to get the job done.
Richard describes the decision to buy the park as a “calculated gamble”, so the first ever single trail out at the park was named, and is now affectionately known as ‘The Gamble’. The team, despite their occasionally unfavourable working conditions, seem to all keep turning up – being generously fed and hydrated post-digging has certainly contributed to this kind of commitment and vibe; a vibe worth returning for. I’ve been there; I’ve heard them all tell the stories about the size of the rock they moved off the track - much like a great fishing story, the hands get further and further apart with each rendition. Eventually, winter turns into spring and then summer, one track turns into two and then five.
Fast forward to summer 2020 and, after a life-changing ride in the Polaris uphill and an eventful skidfest following Sven Martin, Sweden-based kiwi Steve (@stevesmurfy) Murphy claimed that The Gamble had landed in his top five tracks ever ridden. You guys who know Steve are probably aware he is easily excited when it comes to riding bikes down a hill, but you’ll also know he has ridden his bike on a lot of trails around the world so I will claim it for the purpose of this article. The face of Loui, who has managed the trail building efforts and, along with Richard, has marked out where most of the trails will go, lit up upon hearing this and replied: “You just wait ‘til you ride Jurassic!”
Climb aboard the Polaris to smoothly Segway up the steep, baby-head-littered forestry road to the same starting point as The Gamble, enjoy a second go at the log drop and the rocky chute - but for goodness sake do not pedal that short climb again! Instead hang left into a different world. It’s here you might find that, unless The Gamble converted you already, you become slightly religious…. OK, at the very least you’ll find it pretty cool. But, don’t go ahead and peak prematurely; I haven’t even started talking about the trail itself yet. The aptly named Jurassic is carved out amongst giant pungas, mighty natives, dramatic shapes and a multitude of dark green shades that will have you imagining that you’re riding alongside a shrieking T-rex with abnormally short arms. This could just be Loui, but you won’t know as you’ll be too busy managing your trail-froth. After negotiating unexpectedly well-built corners, rowdy rock turns, Chiliean anti-grip like dust, into off-camber anaconda roots for 600 metres of vertical descent, you won’t mind that gentle pedal out along the creek to get all your ducks back in a row.
Next up, the Cable Bay DH track. Starting with a no-fuss firebreak, straight-line into the pines before you hit the road gap that drops you into one of the few sections of natives, after which you’re on your own in the open with nowhere to hide. By getting increasingly steep, the trail will ensure you stay on your game. A 10 minute, on-demand shuttle will have you back at the top so you can do it all again.
If, however, these grade 4-5 trails do not appeal to you in any way, you might be more interested in the fact that the shortest pedal takes you to Formula 1; a wide, flowy, digger-built grade 3 that lends itself nicely to smashing out a few laps. Whilst talking about laps – one of the many grand plans for Cable Bay, is a trail following the perimeter of the park creating a nice, long (not to mention, scenic) loop to ensure there is something for everyone.
Having been created by – and for – the community, Cable Bay Adventure Park has already landed firmly in the hearts of locals and, through its easy access, is now gaining traction both nationally and internationally. What can I say? Everyone loves an underdog!
Words: Jess Enlund
Images: Sven Martin & Henry Jaine
Story: Life according to Justin Leov
Life happens at a million miles an hour for Justin Leov. In that respect, not a lot has changed since his days racing the World Cup downhill circuit. The day we meet, he bowls up to the airport pickup zone, chucks the window down, then leans out and asks if I’m Liam. I reply, ‘yep’, so he leaps out and gives me a stern handshake - you get a lot of these in the south. Justin hails from Blenheim, which is at the top of the South Island, New Zealand. We throw my bags in the back of his pickup and head to his digs.
During this short ride, we cover most riding topics - and give the president of the local mountain bike club a call. I get the gist that Justin is always ‘on’ – his hustle is relentless. Our chat is mostly about bikes – and rightly so, as he’s made a bloody decent career out of racing them. But, more on that shortly. Justin’s stories, and his ability to relay them like they happened yesterday, is incredible. I scramble to take notes or record some of what he is saying, as we leap from topic to topic. Being in his company, you get a real sense of Justin’s energy and enthusiasm for the sport, and immediately I can see why he’s done so well.
After traversing some dry and dusty gravel roads, we pull into Justin’s property, Jentree. There’s a country-style house, a barn, a river, and a steep hill that sits behind the house. We jump out of the pickup in front of the barn, which is littered with property maintenance gear, bike paraphernalia and the old-school Land Cruiser he uses for shuttles up his hill. The race plates from his racing days are scattered all around and there’s even a wall dedicated to them. From Downhill, EWS and Crankworx, there’s either a race plate, medal, trophy or cheque (you know, those large, novelty ones). It’s evident Justin has excelled in his chosen sport, and I’m blown away by how much mountain biking history is encased within his barn.
Justin is pro eMTB, and rides a Specialized Levo SL. Yes, he does have a pedal bike too, a Specialized Enduro, but these days most of his time is spent on the Levo SL. Justin reckons eMTBs have definitely established a place in the market. His Jentree property is straight up, so the Levo SL makes the climbs more fun and, when Justin gets home from his job as a builder, he can cut laps without anyone else having to shuttle him. What’s more, he can ride the descents swiftly, too. Of course, knowing a thing or two about racing downhill bikes helps, along with knowing trails on his property, but Justin explains that the Levo is much more planted on the trail, due to it being a little heavier. Put simply, it gets your centre of gravity a little lower.
“For me, the Levo SL is nearly the perfect bike,” Justin elaborates. “Being time limited with work, kids and trail maintenance, it simply means that when I can get out, I get twice as many laps in on the trails than when I’m on my regular bike. Being a lot lighter than the regular Levo, I find the dynamics while riding the Sl to be very similar to a regular bike (more playful and easier to manoeuvre). This, I believe, suits the rider who likes more technical trails and wants to ride with a feeling closer to their regular bike, yet also wants to get a whole heap more riding in for their time. I’d also like to add that my riding intensity doesn’t change, I still go flat out on the climbs like I have always done, it’s just that now I get there quicker.”
Justin spins some great yarns, but the conversation never wanders too far from his racing days. Of course, this is what I’m here to cover, but I could definitely spend more time just hanging out with him. He’s a top bloke who is also very humble, especially when you consider that his past is more decorated than most.
Let’s kick things off at the beginning, when he was first getting into riding, as a youngster. Mountain biking wasn’t on his radar initially; he was into motocross, but after some pretty heavy injuries, he moved away from it. It was at high school, Marlborough Boys College, where Justin was encouraged to give mountain biking a go. The youngsters would head out each Wednesday and explore the region’s trails and, on a few occasions, they headed to Jentree. There were a few groms who were keen riders, and they pushed each other – together, they headed off to races and events and started kicking ass.
Justin kept up the training and would ride from his place, across to Jentree (where he now lives), and cut laps until the evening light ran out. This was his daily routine: just getting his skills up and riding as much as he could. At 14, he entered his first Nationals on the West Coast. The hard, gnarly and technical track didn’t put him off and, after this race, he was hooked. As he started to race more, his skills improved and he took his first Junior National title at Jentree in the coming years. Oceania Champs followed, and soon Justin had hustled some businesses around Blenheim to support a trip to Europe: the good folk of the region backed him, and off he went. The plan was to hit the ground running with the World Champs and World Cup finals. Long travel and hectic schedules didn’t distract Justin at the World Champs in Kaprun, Austria, where he was 10th overall (racing as a junior) in his qualifying run, with a stacked field, and 20th in his race run. A week later, he was racing in Les Gets, France in the Open Men’s field (back then there wasn’t a junior class) throwing solid runs and placing well in the qualifier to eventually end up 40th in his race run. Justin returned home, but was yearning to head back again. The very next year, he did just that.
The plan was super loose, but Justin was determined to make it. Alpe d’Huez stands out for him that season, not only because he wore a skinsuit and placed 9th overall, but because he met Jason Marsh, a Kiwi living in Morzine who was hunting for different ways to do things (he would go on to work as Greg Minnaar’s mechanic and create MarshGuard fenders). At 17, Justin was still trying to work out what made him tick. Building anger before races was discovered by Marshy (Jason Marsh): he started annoying Justin before his run, and it worked. Being pissed off and getting aggressive before races made Justin ride harder. Justin recalls a time later on in his career, when he asked SRAM for a new derailleur and they wouldn’t help out. This fuelled his anger and was part of his process. “Everyone has their things, but learning this helped me early on. Also, work rate means a lot and you’ve got to have the want and desire. You’ve got to have the mongrel. Sometimes natural talent will be taken away by hard work,” Justin explains.
From showering in a bike wash, to sleeping in vans and doing just about whatever it took to get from race to race in Europe, built Justin’s character for the years to come. By 2005, he was riding for a small Swiss team, called the Suspension Centre Team, owned by Gery Peyer. It wasn’t a salaried position, but Gery gave Justin a place to stay as well as transport and a Turner to race on. This was the year Justin made himself known on the world stage, placing on the podium in USA and rounding out the year in 15th overall. After this, he started getting noticed, and signed with Martin Whiteley as a manager. Martin helped land a deal with Yeti for Justin’s 2006 season. The enthusiasm and stoke of making it was there but, unfortunately, it was short lived, with an injured shoulder during a 4X gate start in Spain, where he didn’t understand what the medical staff were saying. He punched on for the rest of the season before eventually getting surgery when he returned back home. The following seasons were much better and Justin snagged 10th overall finish in 2008. Martin then asked Justin to join a few team; Trek World Racing, with the likes of Tracy Moseley and Aaron Gwin. This was a well-oiled and organised programme. “You need to figure out what you need to do win – a lot of kiwis did well at home, but struggled with the stress abroad.”
After a few years riding at the highest level in downhill, Justin’s enthusiasm for it dwindled. The demands were high from constant training, intense races (with no room for error), hectic travel schedules and the stress of it all. He felt burnt out, threw in the towel and retired in 2012. Finished with racing, Justin returned home to start a building apprenticeship.
But, as it so often does, racing bikes soon lured him back in.
There was a new discipline on the scene: enduro. Justin was happy at home; he was completing his building apprenticeship and had been off the bike for a while, when Martin called and (eventually) convinced Justin to give this enduro racing a go. Relenting, Justin flew back abroad and, sure enough, finished 4th in his first race: that was enough to hook him. Shortly after that, Trek Factory Racing offered him a deal where he could race enduro and help out trackside with downhill rounds. It meant he’d be up at 5am training for himself, then helping out on the downhill racers, followed by a gym session in the evening. It’s not hard to imagine how this got a little too busy after a while, and Justin felt he couldn’t give it his all, so the following season he scaled back and focused solely on racing.
Justin says these were some of the best years of his racing career, on reflection. He had a great relationship racing with Tracy Moseley and there was great support with the team. The Trek engineers were also so invested in developing the best product for racing; they would use rider feedback as much as possible, and Justin and Tracy were behind the 29er movement before it was widely popular. They helped develop the Remedy 29er and the Slash 29er. And his racing? It was going really well, especially aboard the Remedy 29er - he took third overall in the 2014 EWS. That same year, Tracey won it. The next year, Justin’s focus was on taking the win. He won his first EWS round in Scotland and held the lead with the series but, luck wasn’t on his side when he crashed in Whistler, dislocating his shoulder.
There’s no doubt Trek were a massive part of Justin’s career, and it was hard for him to move away from the team. However, when you’re a sponsored athlete, the window of being able to earn highly is only open a short time. After some serious consideration, Justin signed with Canyon in 2016. Trek had the opportunity to match what Canyon offered, but couldn’t, and told Justin it was too good to turn down. He still had the mongrel and fight but, on the first Canyon training camp, he caught glandular fever. In order to fully recover he needed to return home and be off the bike - for at least six weeks. The first few weeks, Justin could barely make it off the couch, a concept which was not only hard physically, but mentally too. The next few years didn’t go his way, due to health reasons and Canyon not moving with the times in regards to having a 29er race bike option. The time came to retire, again, and head home to complete the building apprenticeship - Justin was fed up with the bike. “Reflecting on my career, everyone is driven differently. For me, I was focused on racing and missed most of the social occasions. You have to give it 100%. Find where you are – you can try and change yourself to fit a model, but you’ve got to see what’s best for you.”
Justin was back on the tools, building and living in Blenheim, when he caught wind that the Jentree property was for sale. This was enough to ignite his passion for riding bikes again. Justin, his wife Victoria and their two kids, Annabella and Luca, moved in.
“Jentree got its name from the previous owners, John and Jenny Meek. John was referred to as ‘Track Man John’, and was the creator of the cross country course. When Victoria and I bought it off them, we decided to keep the name as a tribute to John and Jenny’s hard work. The original cross country was, at the time, more technical than most other courses, so it developed that reputation. My first ever mountain bike race was an XC here, and it had a climb so steep you had to shoulder your bike and climb up it by foot. It was so cool to see something like that in a course, you don’t really see that often anymore. John loved naming sections and locations; the DH was called The Mangler, true to its name it also delivered. Digger-built trail didn’t really exist at this time, so the closest we had was my dad pushing a few cuts in the hill with a bulldozer. These would be named “Leov Lane”, and the pond at the top of the hill was also built by my old man and named Gladys’ Pond - after John’s mother. There were definitely a few degrees of connection to this property for me, and being able to purchase it from John and Jenny really brought it back full circle.”
The place needed a bit of work, and the trails had been left for years, but Justin just chipped away on things at a slower pace. Justin takes pride in the property, and the Jentree trails are unique. It’s clear to see that there’s plenty on for Justin these days, but he gives me ample amounts of his time. Heck, we even stop at one point when we’re shuttling the trails so he can offer me some skills coaching. Yep, he coaches mountain bike skills too – well, there’s not much he doesn’t do! The tips he gave me have made my riding a whole lot better, and I’ll be giving him a call again for sure.
Justin’s wife, Victoria, welcomes me into their family home and I quickly learn that she’s his most dedicated supporter and has been by his side throughout his whole career. It’s clear to see that Justin’s performance at the highest level has been backed by Victoria holding things down on the home front and, importantly, keeping things balanced. Of course, there’s been some rocky moments, but Justin says they’ve learnt over the years: it’s not easy when you’re pro, often miles from home, focusing on riding bikes - sometimes there’s not much room for anything else. For Justin and Victoria, years of phone calls progressed to Skype calls and seeing how best to work a long distance relationship.
It takes one hell of a driven person to pursue a sports career at the highest level and, without doubt, Justin is one of them. But, his humbleness remains, even after being one of our most decorated mountain bike riders. It’s clear to see the lessons learnt from racing abroad are applied to many aspects of his current life. His support network is solid and his passion for the sport, and giving back to the next generation, is what stands out.
Words: Liam Friary
Images: Henry Jaine
Story: A Decade Dedicated to Women
Even the strongest native New Zealand tree needs a supportive environment to flourish at the start, and many burgeoning women mountain bikers are no different. Creating this type of environment was the incentive behind Revolve, a “down to earth” women’s cycling club that caters to women of all skill levels, who want to ride a bike!
Founded in 2009, Revolve was the brainchild of two local bike enthusiasts – Ash Peters and Marjolein (MJ) Cook – who found there was a severe lack of women riding the trails and racing in local events. With a little prompting from supportive local bike shop owner Nigel Welch, they decided to do something about it. “What started as a casual weekly ride quickly grew and, as more and more ladies started to turn up, we thought… maybe we’re onto something,” says Ash.
With the simple mission to get more women on bikes – be it mountain or road – Revolve’s popularity grew quickly and captured the hearts of many – both guys and girls. By 2012, over 1000 people had signed up for the ‘Weekly Revolver’ e-newsletters to stay in the loop with the weekly rides, events, and skills and maintenance clinics.
“Given the response and commitment we received fairly quickly, it was hard to believe there wasn’t a club before,” says Ash. “They say ‘build it and they will come’ and, with Revolve’s inception, I’ve had countless women reiterate this saying – whether they were too nervous, unacquainted with the trails or not keen to ride with their partners, these women were looking for an outlet and, through Revolve, found a club to call their own.”
Fast forward ten years and Revolve is much more than a two-woman band – the committee of nine, headed by co-presidents Meagan Robertson and Abbie Bull, continues to be the driving force behind a club that remains committed to empowering the women of Wellington, and ideally beyond, through their love of cycling.
Keeping the wheels turning
Over the years, Revolve has provided its members with a wide variety of activities and benefits; bike maintenance classes, women-only events, trips away, subsidised skills courses, quiz nights, shuttle days, and more. While the options vary and evolve from year to year and committee to committee, one core offering has remained constant since Revolve’s inception in 2009: its guided weekly road and mountain bike rides.
“No matter what else is going on, be it event preparation, first aid course organisation or injured Ride Guides, Revolve Ride Guides always pull together to ensure consistency through its ride schedule,” says Dee Skilton, who has been on the committee as a Ride Guide coordinator and Trails Liaison for the past four years.
With road rides every Saturday morning, and mountain bikes rides every Thursday evening (every second week in winter), Revolve members always have something to look forward to. Ride Guides also organise additional rides beyond the weekly offering, such as the Weekend Excursions led by Ride Guide Nicole Hoy and the Wainui Weekend Rides led by Dee, which draw good crowds and have become much-anticipated calendar staples.
“If our rides are our constant, it’s drawn from the strength of our Ride Guides, and a key part of Revolve is ensuring we have enough Ride Guides who are trained and passionate about our mission. They are the face of Revolve, and the ones who influence whether those who turn up for rides end up coming back – it’s a big responsibility!”
To ensure the Ride Guides feel confident and are well prepared to lead rides, Revolve organises and funds Ride Guide training, first aid training and skills courses, as well as bi-annual get togethers and an appropriate thank you at the AGM.
For many of the Ride Guides, like Weekend Excursion extraordinaire Nicole Hoy, it’s a way to give back to a club they feel passionately about. “Nine years ago I found Revolve. I loved riding a bicycle and wanted to become a more confident mountain biker. Ashley and MJ were amazingly patient with riders like myself, and their love of mountain biking was infectious. My confidence grew, as did my list of bike riding women friends. I've met some of my dearest friends through Revolve and am eternally thankful for that. It’s a big part of why I continue to Ride Guide – I want to support this unique and welcoming community of riders.”
More than just riding
While Revolve’s initial goal was to get women on bikes, the lack of women riding was particularly obvious at the start line of an event, so building women’s confidence in attending events became another club aim early on.
Women of Dirt was the club’s first event and has arguably become its most notorious. Designed as an inclusive and fun six-hour relay – complete with baking and best dressed prizes – the aim is to encourage women to try their hand at racing in a comfortable atmosphere. “It reiterates our mission, which is to build confidence in women of all abilities and skill levels through their enjoyment of riding,” says co-president Abbie. “Women of Dirt is unique in that it encompasses an awesome blend of fun and competition. With girls aged seven through to women in their late fifties – some that have ridden a handful of times and others that ride several times per week – it proves an opportunity to get together, ride bikes and meet like-minded people.”
With the ninth Women of Dirt event plan underway, co-president Meagan – who took part for the first time in 2011 – says it’s been incredible to see the event grow over the past eight years. “On my first-ever Revolve ride, myself and another newbie – now one of my closest friends – were talked into putting together a team for Women of Dirt. It was such an amazing way to find out what Revolve was all about – the people were friendly, the biking was fun and the atmosphere was almost electric.
“For the next few years, I rode and helped organise with more new friends, and since taking on the president role four years ago, I’ve been mostly organising – but always taking time for a lap or two!”
The event, which took place at Makara Peak for the first five years, became so popular that the committee decided to move it around to help give women exposure to trails further afield – in 2017, it was held at Wainui Trail Park and last year at Belmont Regional Park.
Meagan says the decision hasn’t come without its own challenges. “It’s already challenging to convince women to take part in an event at all, even when it’s on home turf, which is Makara for a lot of people. Convincing them to give new trails a go takes a lot of encouragement, and a lot of pre-rides.” Looking to cater for a wider variety of riding abilities, and expose women to a different racing format, the Super V was born in 2012. Held at Polhill Reserve, the pedally downhill race gives women a chance to get shuttled to the top of stunning singletrack that can rarely be ridden at speed due to its dual-use status and popularity.
“It’s similar to Women of Dirt in that the environment is incredibly supportive and friendly, plus you get time to chat to the other women on the way up in the shuttle. It feels a bit more like a race though because you start one by one, and you don’t want to let people pass you,” says Tina Frew, who was convinced to join in after only a few weeks in Wellington, and has participated every year since.
Both events are organised wholly by the committee, who continue to refine the processes around them.
“Where we see areas for possible improvement, we make a change,” says Meagan. “Over the past four years, our focus has been on ensuring volunteers feel valued, sponsors feel appreciated and the atmosphere at the race is welcoming and fun. It’s a massive job organising these events, and we’re lucky to have such an incredible committee, and race day volunteers, making it happen.”
Friends of Revolve
In addition to its two staple events, the Revolve committee also organises a Christmas party, an AGM and an AGM Shuttle Day for Ride Guides; members and volunteers, and Friends of Revolve are welcome at all three events.
“While Revolve is all about empowering women, it wouldn’t be as successful as it has been without support from those outside the club, who we call Friends of Revolve,” says Abbie, whose membership research led the club to introduce an actual Friends of Revolve membership earlier this year.
“Every committee member and Ride Guide has people in their life who supports their volunteering, and many of our event volunteers are men who support Revolve’s mission. It’s so close to our hearts that we acknowledge a Man Friend of the Year at every Christmas party.”
Why women only?
Much like the hashtag #ifyoucanseeityoucanbeit, Revolve caters for all women, particularly those who are nervous about “not being good enough”. In any given week, Revolve receives a handful of emails from women wondering if they are “good enough” to join a ride and, nine times out of ten, said women are more than capable of joining the ride they’re enquiring about.
Committee member Sarah Murray, who has now been the Roadie Ride Co-coordinator for the past three years, admits Revolve’s ‘no one left behind’ policy was a major drawcard for her. Two Coast to Coasts, an Ironman and few half Ironmans later, she recalls her nervousness vividly.
“I joined Revolve to learn how to ride a road bike and meet some new people. I looked around at quite a few riding groups but was pretty intimidated by the sound of most of them, while Revolve seemed so welcoming and forgiving of out-of-their depth rookies like me. My first ride was led by Leonie and despite the fact we had to stop half way up the hill to pump up my tyres (I didn't know you needed more than 40psi in them....) she was so friendly and encouraging - after that I was hooked!”
Words: Meagan Robertson
Images: Dan Sharpe
Story: E-Zing Back Into it Pt. 2
Yeah, yeah - I've been going on about how bloody brilliant e-mtbs are for a few issues now. I even evangelized before actually buying one; extolling their virtues as the saviour––or perhaps even death––of mountain biking as we've come to know it. In the ensuing months, riding almost exclusively off-road with added electric assistance, I can now tell you I was wrong. So wrong. You definitely shouldn't buy an e-mtb.
For a start, good luck even finding one to purchase. The worldwide shortage of eMTBs (due to the death of Sean Connery - which we covered in the last issue) is the result of every person over 60, on the planet, recklessly flaunting their Boomer wealth and privilege to shut out anyone else who might not be old and rich. I know this to be true, because I'm constantly told that eMTBs are only to be ridden when one becomes that magical age called “old”, which is approximately 10 to 20 years older than the vintage of the complainant. Even guys who are further advanced in years than my already post-middle-age tell me they're too young, which leads me to believe the optimal time to buy an eMTB is somewhere north of 80. I'm much too young, in that case, and obviously too stupid to realise the error of my ways.
eMTBs are cheating. Not like jamming a vial of EPO into your arm or shuttling, no, these are much worse. You don't get any form of physical workout - in fact you don't have to do anything at all, just sit there and let the bike do the rest! I know this to be true because I'm constantly told by these gurus of fitness that they want a physical challenge, and that can only be attained by pedalling squares at walking pace up a 2km climb for half an hour or more. If, after a climb, your lungs aren't about to jump out of your ribcage and you're not in peril of a stroke, then you're obviously a “pussy” and have no right to call yourself a mountain biker. No, I don't care if the eMTB gets you three ascents to one and adds speed and handling challenges to the climb, if you're not starting the descent with shot legs and barely enough strength to keep the bike upright and at speed, you're basically Lance Armstrong with knee pads.
OK, so perhaps you've cheated your way up the climb with no effort at all, passing real riders and rightly earning their contempt, and now you're at the start of what can only be defined as the real reason to ride mountain bikes: the descent. There's no way you're going to enjoy this on an eMTB. I know this to be true because I'm constantly told that real bikes are lighter and also something called 'flickable', therefore they are much faster when pointed downhill. If there are real riders waiting to descend the same trail, let them go ahead, because there's no chance you will catch them with all that extra weight, low centre of gravity and bursts of power out of corners and over rises holding you back. I'm sure the electrics interfere with GPS signals too, as my Strava consistently and falsely claims that I'm faster on every descent on the eMTB, which I know to be a falsehood because real riders who only ride 'flickables' tell me so. And I'd trust them over digital data tracking any day.
I guess one of the most important and sobering things riding an eMTB has taught me, is that I don't actually like mountain biking. I know this to be true because if I did, I wouldn't be riding off-road most days of the week; I wouldn't be doing more distance per hour of riding; and I certainly wouldn't be climbing more metres per ride. And, some of the trails I ride now (which I haven't for years) well, no real rider would go near them either…. Because, there's no shuttles to get them back to the top, so obviously that track sucks. Scrambling up goat tracks, riding over rocky outcrops, picking a point on a steep hill where there is no hand-built trail and seeing if you can even get halfway up it – this isn’t real mountain biking because there's no way you can do this on a *real* mountain bike. Sheesh, when will you get it?
Maybe, just maybe, there will be a real eMTB for real riders one day because, right now, the technology is prehistoric and used by Neanderthals. I know this to be true because I'm constantly told by real riders that they are waiting for the tech to advance and bikes to become the size of an iPhone64 before they make any decision that could hinder their real rider status. Bosch and Shimano, etc have no clue and aren't making any advances in motor or battery tech at all, and the bikes don't ride - or even look! - like mountain bikes (despite looking exactly like mountain bikes). Yes, they do ride differently to real bikes - if you call faster, more stable and more fun different rather than better.
If you're still confused about whether to get an eMTB or not, I suggest talking to those who know best on the subject: someone who's never ridden one. They know what's up, and should be listened to. Personally, I wouldn’t do it. I don't want to see packs of fit, happy riders getting in multiple runs of their favourite trails, or heading into hills they've never been into before - and I certainly don't want to see newcomers being drawn into the sport we love and guard so rabidly from outsiders (like roadies). In fact, I'm calling for a stop to all eMTB access on anything other than fire-roads; a minimum purchasing age of 70 for new bike sales; and no new bikes to be released until technology comes up with a way for the bikes to be activated by pedalling, as I'm told that currently it's not actually required on these abominations. And, won't someone think of the shuttle companies?! I never thought I'd see the day when mountain bikers would get to the top of the hill with motorised assistance, or indeed pedalling - and you should not contribute to the inevitable rapid downfall of the sport! I'll be getting rid of mine pronto, buying a diesel Hilux and a 20kg DH bike and saying “e-bikes suck” at every opportunity. That's real.
Words: Brett Kennedy
Images: Cameron Mackenzie
Story: E-Zing Back Into it Pt. 1
You don't need me to tell you that 2020 has been a shit year. Most say it's “strange” - but that's an understatement, and a deflection of the way the world has changed. Few realise the true impact that this significant event will have on all our lives in the future, and that they too will be directly affected by this sudden, unexpected development.
Yes, E-bikes have gone mainstream.
If you'd told me at midnight on December 31st 2019 that I'd be evangelising pedal-assistance for mountain biking, I'd have rightly claimed you were drunk and somehow dizzied by the euphoria and expectations of a bright new year. Well, that all got turned on its head around the middle of the year, when everyone cottoned on that riding bikes was a good way to pass the time. Suddenly, we had a lot more of it on our hands due to the other big event of the year: the death of Sean Connery. The weeks of stay-at-home mourning for the great actor and inspiration to bald men worldwide, opened up a chance to look deeper into our souls and ask: “do I want to ride more?” The collective answer was a resounding ‘yes’.
Apart from Bond dying and electrification of the world in full swing, ‘20 was shit because I spent most of the early part of the year with only nine functioning fingers - one too few for any kind of off-road bicycle action, which had caused the injury in the first place. Forbidden under the Connery lockdown anyway, it wasn't too much of a problem and the now-compulsory, solitary confinement Zwift seminars became a tolerated form of simulated exercise - without all the distractions of 'fun' and 'fresh air' and unneeded peripherals like 'dirt', 'rocks' and 'trees'.
Eventually, we were released back into the wild, Bond was burnt to a crisp and we all got on with our lives, albeit now always carrying that dreaded number with us everywhere: 007. Everyone was thinking the same thing; “gotta get an e-bike”. But, as with all great crises, supply was outstripped by demand and the masses started to gather in larger groups at the local dispensaries, fighting over any remaining stock and trying to get as high up on the lists for the new drug as soon as it was released. The people needed E and, like street junkies, they were prepared to do anything for a fix. I had to use my insider trading knowledge to get ahead of the pack and secure my own hit first, even if there was unsurety as to whether I actually needed it or how it would be of any benefit to my life. Fuck it - what harm can throwing oneself into the deep end of a black, deep, murky pool while hooked up to mains power actually do? The results would be shocking, but not totally unexpected.
“E-bikes are for the lazy!” … “They'll make you fat and unfit!” … “It's cheating!” … These were all warnings that were heeded then dismissed like a true junkie. “This smack has battery acid in it? Meh, can only give it more kick, right?” These doomsayers were no doubt uninformed, biased and had no actual experience in the real world. I'd dabbled in small doses, and have never been afraid to get in at the pointy end when others would take a wait and see approach, looking for safety in numbers and a degree of 'everyone else is doing it now, so I will too' safety-net thinking. I was ready for the backlash and public shaming, but it never really amounted to any level that would cause banishment from society. Maybe I was onto something?
When a commodity is in high demand and short supply, the truly addicted will do whatever it takes to acquire it at any cost. I was prepared to pay more than I ever had for my addiction, and even look beyond my regular dealers. After a lean year when other substances from the same cycling family took over, I wondered if this was really still a habit I wanted to feed. I'd grown tired and bored of the slog uphill for a run back down, and even that aspect didn't deliver the same euphoria as it once did. I was fat, lazy and drunk - the perfect criteria for buying an e-bike, surely. It was time to reopen the gateway that mountain biking offered so long ago, and let in a new beast altogether.
For a so-called drug of choice, the options were more than a little limited with the uptake of new users. My research led me to a list of requirements that were met by the Scott Genius E-Ride. I'd ridden a mate's bike and wanted the Bosch motor and bigger 625wh battery. I couldn't get the first hit quick enough but, like an overeager kid in a candy store, I managed to put myself out of action for another week while heaving the beast into a work stand. Remember kids, some drugs are heavier than others so proceed with caution. Finally, garnished to my liking, we hit the trails.
Spoiler alert: I enjoyed it. I really liked it. I fucking loved it. Being fat, lazy and drunk doesn’t help - but it also wasn't a hindrance either. I finished that ride spent, if not more than I would've been on an old-fashioned bike. I'd ridden further, faster, and had a hell of a good time. Sorry. Sure, I couldn't walk comfortably the next day, but I couldn't wait to do it again. As with any drug, the long-term effects are the most important, but for now the short-term ones are hitting the spot. Whether the good times endure, or there's a massive comedown, will surely be determined in the honeymoon period between now and the next issue.
Words: Brett Kennedy
Images: Fin Lloyd
Story: Young Ones - Cam Beck
There must be downsides to life in a provincial town. Views of countryside and forests in all directions are all very well, but some of the opportunities available to big city kids are simply not there for their country cousins.
That cuts both ways, though, especially if the forest you can see at the edge of town is full of trails. Having a huge and growing trail network on your doorstep goes a long way towards making up for any lack of big-city amenities if your life goal is to be a great mountain biker.
Maybe your life goal gets that way because the trails are there? That’s a chicken and egg kind of discussion which really can’t be solved, but the procession of talented mountain bikers hailing from small town New Zealand is seemingly endless.
Cam Beck took his first ride in the Whakarewarewa Forest when he was eight years old, and he was hooked right then and there. Tagging along with his parents, he quickly caught the bug to test himself in events. Entering cross-country races from the age of ten didn’t result in instant success, but it didn’t put him off racing, either - it just set the hook a little deeper.
For the next few years, he honed his skills, and by his early teens he was well up in the field at any race he signed up for. As enduro events gained momentum, he gradually moved over to the gravity side of life. Each event was a learning opportunity, and small successes led to bigger ones. With every passing season, Cam became more determined to give the sport a real go.
Getting tight with a local bike shop is a key factor for anybody intent on competition. In terms of equipment, bike racing must be among the most complicated athletic endeavours there are - especially at the pointy end of mountain bike racing. So many elements need to be working at their best - besides the obvious one, which is the person on top of the machine. A relationship with a shop that has your back takes a while to establish, but once made it is a symbiotic thing of beauty. The shop gets a customer who will keep coming back, and the rider gets a team behind him to make sure everything runs sweet on race day. Nzo / Ride Central is a locally owned independent store with a comfy lounge-room aesthetic that Cam has called home base since he got started.
Cam’s home is a quarter of an hour southwest of Rotorua, in the heart of an area offering some of the best road riding anywhere, deep in the Waikite Valley. If the forest wasn’t so well-endowed with trails, Rotorua would attract people to ride the roads out there. Plenty of locals do just that; quiet tar seal leads riders through farmland and patches of forest - Cam makes use of the valley roads on a weekly basis. Gym work three days a week, and at least five rides in the forest, rounds out the workload under the watchful eye of coach Mark “Cabin” Leishman.
Mike and Sandra at Hyperformance Hardware gave him good deals on the bikes he rides; an Ibis Ripmo for enduro, and a Santa Cruz V10 for downhill races.
Cam has been able to get some great results under his belt, the best being a win in the Under 17 category of the 2020 edition of the Giant TOA Enduro at Crankworx Rotorua. That result would have put him second in the U21 bracket. He scored a second place in the Downhill in his age group at the same event, with a time that would have put him 13th overall.
Consistently finishing in the top three or four in National level races is a great start, but if you want to find out how good you are at any type of bike racing, you have to go overseas. That is as true for mountain biking as it is for any other facet of the sport.
Dozens of young New Zealanders have cut their teeth at the local, had some success at the races, and followed through with a go at a racing career by taking the trip to Europe. Most of them have what looks like a pretty good time, some of them stick at it for quite a few seasons, and a select half dozen or so “make it”.
This year, Cam had locked in the programme for his first foray offshore.
He is way ahead on his schoolwork, and the outline for this year was to take some time out to travel to Taiwan and Australia. An Asia-Pacific EWS round in Taiwan and an EWS qualifier at Falls Creek in the Victorian Alps would have been a great experience and hopefully provided handy points for future race entries. Some EWS rounds and a downhill World Cup round were the target in 2021, but things did not go to plan.
This year has not turned out like any of us expected it to, and Cam is no exception. The Coronavirus pandemic has made an international race programme difficult, if not impossible. Events have been canned, the risk of travel is much higher than usual and leaving New Zealand for a short racing trip to several countries is out of the question.
For Cam and other young kiwis on the brink of a serious go at a bike racing career, or the people already in the ranks of the professionals, it is a real challenge and a situation with many more unknowns than usual.
Planning a campaign is never easy. The broad outline for Cam still includes a red hot go at international racing after high school is behind him. Results will help him decide whether to put racing on the back burner until after uni or push further study back in favour of more racing.
Whatever the global situation dishes up, we are sure Cam Beck has a bright future in bike racing, when the time is right.
Words: Gary Sullivan
Images: Cameron Mackenzie
Story: Cut From a Different Cloth - Louis Hamilton
How about this for the start of a profile….
When Louis Hamilton was 11 years old, he rode sweeper at the ‘06 World Downhill Championships.
Did that get your attention?
The event was in his hometown of Rotorua and his father, Dave, had raced the course the year before, at the Oceania Championships. Dave Hamilton has been at the centre of most things downhill in Rotorua since the beginning of the century, and racing or organising events and courses have occupied many weekends for the Hamilton household over the last two decades. When Dave lined up at those Oceanias, Louis had watched from a vantage point up in the infamous ‘larches’, a particularly nasty part of the course, and the hook was set deep.
A year on, he owned a second-hand Specialised DH bike, and was already able to get down the course - so he got to be the sweep. A baptism of fire, for sure, but after making as many runs as he could over the week of racing, he ended up getting down the track only a minute slower than Sam Hill, who was World Champion that year.
It was only natural that Louis would take racing seriously after being immersed in an event like that.
Competition became his passion for the next decade; battling it out for the summer in New Zealand, and like so many of his colleagues, taking the trip to Europe and North America during our winter.
Racing the World Cup circuit for five years is a huge undertaking. Louis and his brother Connor visited many places they would never have gone to if not for bike racing. And testing yourself year in and year out, against the best in the world, is an opportunity few people get, and an education that escapes most.
Getting started so early had a nice by-product: when the time came to cut back on the racing life a little, Louis was still a young man and, while he cut his teeth in the construction arena, he started building the life he has now.
During a racing season a few years back, the Rotorua downhill organisation Descend Rotorua decided to run a coaching clinic for young riders. Louis and Connor put their hands up to lead it.
On the day, up in front of a group of hopefuls, they realised that while they both knew how to do the things they needed to be fast down a hill, they didn’t have the skills required to translate that knowledge for somebody else to grasp and execute.
That was a challenge for Louis, and he spent the best part of the next six months diligently analysing his methods - figuring out what he was doing so he could impart that knowledge to another rider. The methods he used to do that are proprietary information, and are to remain undisclosed, but be sure they were thorough and accurate.
Some of the things Louis discovered during this period of self-examination surprised him. They did address the challenges he faced back in that spur-of-the-moment clinic. He now knew what he was doing in a far more precise way.
And, he could break it down and deliver it to others.
By that time, he was ready to quit the day-job and launch his own business: Tuned.
In its second year, Tuned will take riders at any level and take them up a notch - or more.
Louis reports that his customers come from all points on the spectrum - complete beginners who want to get started correctly, old hands who have been doing it wrong for years, and pinners that need that extra one percent to elevate their performances.
All of them can benefit from a professional coach who is still able to mix it with the best in a race situation and has put in the study of his own methods to find out exactly what works.
At the same time as he has been developing his business, Louis has been building a family with his partner. Ashley Bond is a great rider, a handy person to have beside you in a business situation and has her finger on the pulse due to her involvement in another bike based operation. Together, they are kept busy with two-year-old Jayla, their daughter.
Recently, I was headed back to the car park at the end of an after-work pedal. I dropped into a clearing and found myself in the middle of a gang of very young riders, gathered around their mentors. Louis and his off-sider on this occasion, Cam Beck, were leading a Rotorua MTB Club youth coaching session.
Ten or so kids were obviously having a really great time, and enthusiastically following their coach’s instructions.
That Louis (and Cam for that matter) would devote an evening to help youngsters improve is clearly admirable but, in Louis’ case, it would have come after a day doing much the same for other customers. Yet, there he was, still out there, and looking to me as if he was really enjoying himself.
It crossed my mind then, that his charges were about the same age as he was when he rode that sweeper lap - a nice way to tie the whole thing into a neat circle.
Words: Gary Sullivan
Images: Cameron Mackenzie