Jamie Nicoll: Ultimate Endurance

The first ever Enduro World Series mountain bike event was held in 2013, and New Zealand’s Jamie Nicoll was there.

Jamie is a strong competitor - in sport and in life. He’s one of New Zealand’s most successful mountain bike racers in recent years and he’s excelling in his chosen discipline of enduro. In 2010, just three years before his podium finish at the Crankworx mountain bike festival in Whistler, Canada, Jamie was stuck in a harness on the side of a ravine in remote Patagonia, trying to free himself from an unimaginable accident.

When I first heard about Jamie I wondered whether his tenacity is innate or a byproduct of the incredible circumstances he has survived. Taping this episode of First Things First showed me another side of the sporting mentality, and how being fit, fearless and determined can aid recovery from even the most trying events.

Click on the link below to hear Jamie Nicoll's story in his own words. As he puts it, 'going into a burns situation... it's like hitting up your ultimate endurance event'.

thewireless.co.nz/audio_articles/first-things-first-back-on-the-bike

My thanks to Camilla Rutherford Photography (http://camillarutherford.co.nz) for the images and Ed Zucollo for the music accompanying this story on The Wireless.