Race Report: Emerson's 3 Peaks Enduro - 10th Anniversary

It's easy to think enduro racing has been in our lives forever. The race format is so close to your standard weekend ride with the crew. Spinning yarns about life in the hills. Collecting those vertical meters for the sole purpose of blasting downhill with the squad. Trying to stop your friends from passing you along the way and then celebrating sketchy line choices at the bottom.

But in reality, this race format hasn't always been around. In New Zealand, the first race of this style was the 3 Peaks Enduro in Dunedin. This race. Kashi Leuchs started enduro racing here in New Zealand with an event format that was in its infancy. In attendance, there were XC bikes and lycra-clad riders. The DH crew in their body armour with big bikes between their legs. Kashi very politely let these riders shuttle the hills. It was the great mixing of disciplines. The shuttled category no longer exists but it's fair to say that the modern trail bike has grown along with the race. This was the 10th edition of the Emerson's 3 Peaks Enduro and it was set to be a pearler!

The race this year was a little different to those in the past. There are restrictions on how events need to be organised so the race had to be split into two waves of athletes, each wave containing less than 100 riders with no mixing between the waves of riders to minimise the spread of COVID amongst the community and to help protect those who are vulnerable.

Due to these restrictions, the race was held across two of Dunedin's riding venues. Saturday's racing was at Whare Flat, a pine forest that has had a boom of trail development recently which allowed 4 unraced tracks to be used. Sunday's race was 2 laps down Signal Hill in the heart of the city. Dive on in below for a photo-based race report with some video entertainment.

Day 1 - Whare Flat
Riders woke up to the dreaded pitter-patter of rain on the roof. Lucky for riders it was a light shower. The rain didn't even wet the ground or dampen the dirt under the trees. The race was set to be a pleasant one.











After five stages of racing, the day concluded with Bradley Harris and Kate Weatherly as the fastest overall riders but with some very small gaps behind them. Setting the scene for some tight times with limited chances for mistakes for Sundays stages.


Day 2 - Signal Hill
Signal Hill showed up to the final two stages of the race wearing its number ones. The trails were dry and dusty allowing riders to put in some hot times on a mixture of the finest downhill tracks. For Charlie Murray, it was a "bit of a shock to the system racing in Dunedin in the dry but it was a welcome change".












After another day of racing, those who managed to avoid punctures on the sharp rocks or slipping out on the roots were awarded quick times. There was a swap in the leaders amongst the fastest men. Charlie Murray managed to edge out Bradley Harris by 8 seconds and take the lead. Daniel Self was in 3rd.
Kate Weatherly took the top podium spot for the senior women, 8 seconds ahead of Louise Ferguson. In 3rd was George Swift.



This race has a special place in the hearts of all enduro racers in New Zealand. It was the first race of its kind in New Zealand. For Charlie Murray, "it was the event that got me into racing bikes” and for Kate Weatherly, the race was "probably one of the best race weekends I’ve had. I’ll definitely come down next year!"

So after 10 successful editions, many of which were EWS qualifier events, Kashi Leuchs has handed over the reins to me.



See you all next year!


Full results can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/3peaksenduro/photos/pcb.5051273004925195/5051271861591976

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Racing and Events Enduro Racing Race Reports