After the success of the inaugural event, the Enduro MTB National Championships have been confirmed in Nelson for 2024 and 2025, Cycling New Zealand announced today. The popular Cable Bay Enduro will again partner with Nelson Mountain Bike Club and Cycling New Zealand to stage the 2024 championships at the Cable Bay Adventure Park near Nelson, with the 2025 venue to be confirmed.
Enduro MTB is a fast-growing mountain bike discipline, and identifies most closely with the recreational mountain biker. It is like a motor rally with riders competing over a series of timed stages on a range of challenging terrain. Competitors ride from stage to stage over untimed liaisons between timed stages.
At the sharp end of the sport, the Enduro World Cup has grown significantly with modern enduro involving five or six timed stages, mostly downhill and varying in length and difficulty, with the transfer stages usually uphill.
New Zealand riders have already made their mark internationally with the likes of current national champions Rae Morrison and Charlie Murray, and Ed Masters among the world’s best. Last week Pivot Factory professional Matt Walker from Bay of Plenty won the elite men’s UCI Enduro World Cup in Italy.
Cycling New Zealand CEO Simon Peterson said the inaugural championship was extremely successful and well run, with the organisation delighted to return to Nelson for 2024 and 2025. The Nelson Mountain Bike Club are “stoked” to secure the Enduro Mountain Bike National Championships in the Nelson Tasman region for the next two years.
“The team worked hard on delivering the inaugural event in 2023, and we can only see the event going from strength to strength in 2024 and 2025,”said Jono Corfield from the Nelson Mountain Bike
Club. “The club is extremely lucky to be working alongside the Cable Bay Enduro team and Cable Bay Adventure Park for the 2024 event, on the back of a hugely successful and greatly publicised 2023 event. We would also like to say a huge thanks to MTBNZ and CNZ for their support during the process over the last 18 months.”
Cable Bay Enduro organiser Jess Harvey said: “We are over the moon for the opportunity to deliver the Enduro MTB National Championships as part of the Cable Bay Enduro in 2024, a privilege not taken lightly.
“Drawing on our experience from last time, we will raise the bar to yet anotherlevel in 2024 and are hopeful that people indulge in an extra couple of days either side of the event to sample some exceptional riding throughout the Nelson Tasman region.”
The national championship will be staged for elite and under-21 divisions for females and males which will carry full national status on to the international stage. The associated Cable Bay enduro event will again include categories for age groups from under-15 to Masters.
Full event details are available at: http://enduronationals.nz/
Details: www.cyclingnewzealand.
