Race Report: Days 1 & 2 at the NZ MTB Rally
120 Riders from around the world convened at Nelson, New Zealand this weekend, for the inaugural NZ MTB Rally.
Excitement was high, with a promising weather forecast and a bucket list itinerary lined up for this week-long Enduro. For the majority of racers, this would be their first visit to the Nelson region. Whilst Nelson's reputation for long, raw, natural tracks is legendary with NZ racing circles, compared to the likes of Queenstown and Rotorua; Nelson has remained very much under the radar to international audiences. The NZ MTB Rally promises to change that with a week-long, ultra-intense, best-of-the-best itinerary in a circular itinerary around the top of NZ's South Island.
The organisers trailAddiction (Trans-Savoie, Enduro2) were eager that riders got off to a good start, so participants enjoyed an extra day at base camp 1 for R&R and to get over any jetlag. For some riders....this meant taking full advantage of our well-stocked chilly-bins to get straight to work on their first hangover.
WITH SO MUCH GREAT RIDING ON OFFER across the Top- of-the-South Island in NZ, there was no time to ease them in gently, so first up was a 30-minute shuttle from camp down a narrow gravel track deep into The Wairoa Gorge. This deep, rugged valley purchased back in the 90’s by a secretive billionaire, in order to create his own rider’s Disneyland for his exclusive, private, personal use. It was hand-built over several years by a trail crew picked-out from amongst world’s best.
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Destiny would have it that the entire site was recently gifted to NZ’s Department of Conservation, who in turn handed it over to Nelson MTB Club for operational management. (Sweet as, billionaire bro!) This is no fairy-tale, just 72 km of exquisitely crafted beech-forested goodness, accessed all day long by a fleet of 4x4 shuttles. And privatised for Day one of the NZ MTB Rally. Game on! 8 Stages of beech-forest goodness were on the menu, split over 3 long uplifts up the park’s steep central shuttle road.
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Anyone here thinking 2800m of descent in a day is no big deal, would best be advised to reserve comment until the end of the day. These are 100% hand built tracks and while they are amazingly flowy and rewarding if you work hard, they will physically punish you if you don’t. Either way, don’t expect more than the briefest of moments of off-the brakes cruising, at any point whilst on stage today!
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Matthew Fairbrother, a now famous 19 years old kiwi rider is taking the challenge to complete the whole week of racing entirely unsupported. This means not only no shuttles and no Heli-drops, but also no accommodation, no catering, and above all no boat crossing either!
Well, not only he made it through the day, but he also won the race for this first day, with a total time of 50:46 of racing (8 stages). He had no time to wait to hear his results, as he had to hit the road for an extra 80km, to buy his own food and still make it 'in time' to the top of ~1000m Takaka Hill and to establish is base camp bivvy next to Day 2's starting location.
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NEXT UP….After a night in lodgings at the beach, racers can look forward to an 80-minute sunrise boat cruise across to Cable Bay. Here, the action continues with a big day of shuttling at Cable Bay Adventure Park (home to The NZ Enduro Champs last weekend, and winner of Trailforks Trail of the Week, last week). As if that’s not enough to peak the adrenaline levels, Days 4 and 5 see rider’s Heli-dropped deep in to Nelson’s backcountry.
Tune in to @nzmtbrally for regular updates and find all the results here
![photo]()
Excitement was high, with a promising weather forecast and a bucket list itinerary lined up for this week-long Enduro. For the majority of racers, this would be their first visit to the Nelson region. Whilst Nelson's reputation for long, raw, natural tracks is legendary with NZ racing circles, compared to the likes of Queenstown and Rotorua; Nelson has remained very much under the radar to international audiences. The NZ MTB Rally promises to change that with a week-long, ultra-intense, best-of-the-best itinerary in a circular itinerary around the top of NZ's South Island.
The organisers trailAddiction (Trans-Savoie, Enduro2) were eager that riders got off to a good start, so participants enjoyed an extra day at base camp 1 for R&R and to get over any jetlag. For some riders....this meant taking full advantage of our well-stocked chilly-bins to get straight to work on their first hangover.
WITH SO MUCH GREAT RIDING ON OFFER across the Top- of-the-South Island in NZ, there was no time to ease them in gently, so first up was a 30-minute shuttle from camp down a narrow gravel track deep into The Wairoa Gorge. This deep, rugged valley purchased back in the 90’s by a secretive billionaire, in order to create his own rider’s Disneyland for his exclusive, private, personal use. It was hand-built over several years by a trail crew picked-out from amongst world’s best.
Destiny would have it that the entire site was recently gifted to NZ’s Department of Conservation, who in turn handed it over to Nelson MTB Club for operational management. (Sweet as, billionaire bro!) This is no fairy-tale, just 72 km of exquisitely crafted beech-forested goodness, accessed all day long by a fleet of 4x4 shuttles. And privatised for Day one of the NZ MTB Rally. Game on! 8 Stages of beech-forest goodness were on the menu, split over 3 long uplifts up the park’s steep central shuttle road.
Shuttling here is not an easy task, but The Rally’s crew came well prepared with a 4x4 fleet of various shapes and sizes, including Mitsubishi Tritons, a fleet of Troop-Carriers, and specially adapted, jacked-up 4x4 ski-field busses
First riders were on course a little after 09:00 and were coming out at the finish from 15:00, having covered 2800m of descent in exchange for 800m of climbing.
Race Director and experienced MTB Guide Ali Jamieson had a word of caution in the race breifing about those stats
Anyone here thinking 2800m of descent in a day is no big deal, would best be advised to reserve comment until the end of the day. These are 100% hand built tracks and while they are amazingly flowy and rewarding if you work hard, they will physically punish you if you don’t. Either way, don’t expect more than the briefest of moments of off-the brakes cruising, at any point whilst on stage today!
The final stage of the day is an exposed ribbon of trail winding its way through multiple switchbacks to the river at the bottom of The Gorge.
An impressive suspension bridge spanned the clear waters of the river, bringing racers directly out to the finish paddock area.
Those already finished their day were more than happy to line up at the finish, and watch the spectacle of their competitors tackling this trail, descending from on high across the valley. The subsequent heckling was inevitable...and encouraged by the organisers who even provided vuvuzelas and air-horns to anyone that wanted to get rowdy about it.
Those already finished their day were more than happy to line up at the finish, and watch the spectacle of their competitors tackling this trail, descending from on high across the valley. The subsequent heckling was inevitable...and encouraged by the organisers who even provided vuvuzelas and air-horns to anyone that wanted to get rowdy about it.
A traditional Kiwi sausage sizzle at the finish line was the reward for racers, with beers and ciders one ice from local award-winning brewer, McCashins
Matthew Fairbrother, a now famous 19 years old kiwi rider is taking the challenge to complete the whole week of racing entirely unsupported. This means not only no shuttles and no Heli-drops, but also no accommodation, no catering, and above all no boat crossing either!
Well, not only he made it through the day, but he also won the race for this first day, with a total time of 50:46 of racing (8 stages). He had no time to wait to hear his results, as he had to hit the road for an extra 80km, to buy his own food and still make it 'in time' to the top of ~1000m Takaka Hill and to establish is base camp bivvy next to Day 2's starting location.
Matt Beer (Pinkbike's Technical Editor) finished 3rd on this first day, despite a flat tire in the last stage
After the shuttle-biased intensity of Day 1, riders were happy enough to start the day with an 60-minute coach transfer out towards Golden Bay and the Abel Tasman National Park.
Unloading at the top of the near -1000m hill and looking out to sea over the National Park; riders were treated to a wake-up coffee at The Woolshed Cafe (yes - its a cafe and yes, its also an active wool farm. This is New Zealand, after all).
Today's warm up transition was 10km of historic single-track in ancient forest through the national park; one of an only few spots in NZ where riding is permitted inside these protected areas. Huge, majestic old trees, giant ferns, and native bird song treated the rider's senses.
In contrast to the steeper tech of Day 1, today's first three stages were off the brakes, warp speed, grin-inducing affairs. The forest of todays stages is an part of an ecological project to restore and retain NZ’s native bush. NZ MTB Rally is net-zero carbon certified through carbon credits, themselves sourced from this very forest.
A long shuttle after stage 3 returned riders back up to ~1000m above sea level and from here, it was pretty much downhill all the way to the beach. Riders enjoyed a 90 minute picturesque transition through private farmland, to arrive at the start gate for stage 4, the last of the day, in Kaiteriteri nature reserve. This hand-built trail on a sandstone surface, has a mix of armoured rock slabs and rooty shoots. What looked like occasional patches of snow on the trail, is in fact natural quartz rock in the bedrock. But there was no time to stop and investigate, on this occasion!
Just as riders were enjoying what felt like a hard-earned, well-deserved beer at the beach, Matt Fairbrother rolled in to much applause and certainly a hero’s welcome. The enormity of his feat was now starting to hit home. After 2 days of racing, Matt had already clocked up an additional several thousands of meters of climbing and over 200km further in distance, compared to everyone else in the race. Yet more remarkable? After Day 2, and with fatigue starting to play a bigger role, with 26:03 over the 4 stages, Matt finished in 2nd place and only 8 seconds behind the lead. He left soon after it with his Kayak, heading to the next race destination : Cable Bay (7 ours of padelling)
Overall, after his blistering performance on Day 1, Fairbrother is still the fastest rider on-course with a total time of 1:16:49 after 2 days of racing, giving him a 24s margin over 2nd place (Allman) and 2 1/2 minutes ahead of 3rd place, Pinkbike’s Matt Beer - proving to everyone paying attention that he can walk the walk, as well as talk the technical talk. Not that we ever doubted it!
In the female category, Nelson's homegrown shredder Rae Morrison extended her lead over 2nd place Morgan Jonnier from France to just under 3 minutes - the pair now a full 15 minutes ahead of 3rd female, Germany's Cindy HOFFMAN.
NEXT UP….After a night in lodgings at the beach, racers can look forward to an 80-minute sunrise boat cruise across to Cable Bay. Here, the action continues with a big day of shuttling at Cable Bay Adventure Park (home to The NZ Enduro Champs last weekend, and winner of Trailforks Trail of the Week, last week). As if that’s not enough to peak the adrenaline levels, Days 4 and 5 see rider’s Heli-dropped deep in to Nelson’s backcountry.
Tune in to @nzmtbrally for regular updates and find all the results here
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Me: Matthew, we are headed out, you coming.
Matthew: would love to, but I have to go do interval training.
Me: oh.