First 2 day race for the 2026 season

The first two-day race of the 2026 season! I'm still not sure whether I prefer this format or not. The idea of racing one day and then knowing exactly what you have to do the next day to keep your position is a little nerve-racking, but it's something I'm learning.

This round I took advantage of the New Zealand Federation camping spot. We've had one at most rounds, although sometimes camping isn't allowed. It's a free spot for us to use, and this time we had a massive area. Myself and fellow Kiwi enduro racer Marcus parked our vans there, plugged into power, and we were set up for the week.

Next to us were my Swiss friends, opposite were the Aussie boys, then the UK lads beside them, and down the row were the South Africans and Elad from Israel. Pretty much everyone was there, which made for an awesome atmosphere. We all helped each other out over the weekend with bike prep, GoPro video reviews, and plenty more. We were camped right beside the river too, which was absolutely freezing but incredibly refreshing in the 30-degree heat.

I spent the start of the week giving lots of haircuts, doing some track walks, and getting a little bit of riding in.

Thursday was the first practice day. With the two-day race format, we had two days of practice followed by two days of racing. The Open categories were also racing, so although we had four days on the bike, it felt more like four half days as practice didn't start until around midday both days.

Practice Day 1

The first day involved the most pedalling, starting with a two-hour liaison up a busy mountain road. It's a famous route for people with fancy sports cars, so there was plenty of traffic. The final part of the climb was a brutal hike-a-bike up a ski piste that definitely got the legs burning.

At the top was Stage 1, which was the same trail as last year but started slightly lower because of storm damage on the ridge. Since I knew the trail well, it was a good confidence booster.

After that it was a short pedal back up the road to Stage 2, called 9.90. It was hectic right from the start, with roots and rocks everywhere before dropping into some damp grassy off-camber corners. It definitely kept you on your toes.

Back in town I skipped the van and grabbed some lunch before tackling the 45-minute climb to Stage 3, which also shared the same start as Stage 7. Again, I was familiar with most of it from last year, with only the lower section being different, so it was a nice way to finish the first practice day.

Practice Day 2

Day two involved a lot less pedalling thanks to some gondola access.

First up was Titans, probably one of the most iconic enduro trails here. It started slightly lower than usual because of construction work at the top station. Straight off the fire road you dropped onto North Shore wooden features before crossing the ski piste into roots, rocks, steep chutes and finally a savage rock garden. It was one of the longer stages, which suits me much better, so I found my lines quickly and was feeling confident.

Next was another gondola from town followed by a short pedal to Stage 5. It was a brand new track for this year but essentially a 4 km flow trail with corner after corner all the way to the bottom. There wasn't much to learn, so I knew it would simply come down to fitness and carrying speed.

Then it was another gondola ride back to the top of the pass for Stage 6 - Infinity into Animal House. There's a good reason it's called Animal House. Right in the middle of the stage is an absolutely savage climb, around one minute and 45 seconds of pure torture. I gave it a proper effort in practice and by the bottom I was probably one of the few people actually looking forward to racing it. It definitely played to my strengths.

After a big transfer back down the valley came the final climb to Stage 7. This trail was identical to last year's finish, so I knew it well. The only tricky part was the rock garden at the bottom, where getting the line right meant you didn't have to push back up or get stuck behind traffic. Thankfully I nailed it.

Practice done!

Race Day 1

Saturday arrived with blue skies, hot weather and plenty of excitement. We had a late start, which meant there was time to prep bikes in the morning. Luckily, while checking everything over before applying my frame and wheel stickers, I noticed the rear wheel spokes were loose.

*2 hour pedal up the road called for the sunnies*

At exactly the right moment, Copper—one of the Aussie downhill riders who was sidelined through injury—wandered over, spotted the problem and asked if I wanted a hand. "Yes please!" Within minutes he had it sorted.

I rolled out just after 11:30 am and started the two-hour liaison to Stage 1. I'd zip-tied a bag of lollies to my handlebars, making it easy to snack on the climb.

Stage 1 was short but physical, and I finished 7th.

Onto Stage 2, where I felt like I was riding well until I nearly had a massive crash halfway down. It shook me up a bit and disrupted my flow, leaving me 8th on the stage.

Stage 3 was the shortest of the day and not really my strength, but I put together a smooth run and finished 9th, which meant I was still sitting 7th overall after the opening day.

Back at the van I washed the bike, got a chicken curry cooking, and sorted a few jobs before calling it a night.

Race Day 2

I woke up, checked the forecast and knew the rain was due around midday—almost exactly when I was due to start racing.

I packed everything for wet conditions: spare gloves, spare lenses, tissues... the works.

Just after 12 pm I rolled out towards the gondola for Titans. Halfway up the lift the sky turned black, thunder and lightning rolled in, and when we reached the top we noticed the gondola had stopped. Most of the Elite men hadn't made it up yet.

A message came through our WhatsApp group saying the gondola had been suspended because of the electrical storm. The rain started falling, but because all of the Elite women were already at the top they decided we could still race Stage 4.

After a short delay we got underway. I was having a really strong run and had started catching the rider in front when I got distracted following her lines, made a simple mistake and tucked the front wheel. I was straight back up and finished the stage in 7th, holding onto 7th overall.

At the bottom nobody knew what was happening next. Were we heading to Stage 5? Another message came through telling everyone to return safely to the event village and await further instructions.

Because the Open categories had started earlier, many of them had already completed most of the course. Eventually the organisers cancelled Stages 5 and 6 for everyone, as well as Stage 4 for the Elite men because the top 30 riders never got the chance to race it.

That left us with a two-to-three-hour wait before heading out for the final stage.

I was pretty gutted because Stages 5 and 6 really suited me with all the pedalling involved, but you can't control the weather.

When we finally raced Stage 7, the rain had turned the bottom section into an absolute skating rink. Friends watching trackside reckoned around 80% of riders were crashing there, so I knew I had to stay patient.

I almost made it through clean before a root grabbed my front wheel. I had a small washout, jumped back up, and ended up running across the roots because I'd lost all my momentum.

I finished the stage in 9th, securing 7th overall for the weekend.

I was happy with the result, although it would have been interesting to see what might have happened if Stages 5 and 6 had been raced.

Celebrations

At the finish we all received a goodie bag full of local produce along with an alcohol-free beer.

That beer didn't stay sealed for long.

One of our mates was on the verge of his first World Cup podium, so a bunch of the boys were standing ready with the bottles. If he crossed the line in the green, he'd be guaranteed at least third.

He crossed the line... green.

The boys erupted, spraying beer everywhere. Then the second-last rider finished—in the red. Finally the last rider came through... also in the red.

That meant our mate had just won his first ever World Cup, along with his first podium.

It was a pretty special moment to witness.