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Jamie Nicoll reflects on his sixth, and last (as in the event is no longer happening) Trans Provence - the iconic multi-day enduro race that traverses the mountains of Southern France, before rolling into Menton and the azure blue Mediterranean.
With the biennial influx of international pros here for the EWS, the 2019 NZ Enduro was guaranteed to be a high octane affair. The weather gods did not treat the pros kindly though with heavy rain over the first two days. None of this diluted the big grins and general stoke though.
The bustling city of Aosta sits in the valley of the same name and is surrounded by monster mountains with quaint villages and farmhouses perched on their rocky slopes. Ditte and I have had a couple of previous sessions exploring the valley’s magnificent trails and so were pretty excited to return last year for an encore.
After completing the Tour Aotearoa, I then (bravely) informed work that I'd be leaving at the end of the month. I was “heading overseas" for another solo cycle tour, yet still hadn't figured out where. I had a few ideas, but committed to none. Then fate popped the Tour Divide race up on my browser. I dug deeper and tickets were soon booked to Canada. I planned riding 8 weeks south to Durango.
"Stay safe", everyone said. "Be careful". Their fear and concern were infectious, by the time we left for Colombia I had to keep myself away from the internet, stop searching for tales of mayhem and terror there. Four weeks later, this picture records the reality we encountered - welcoming, helpful with not a hint of danger.
16 year old Hawkes Bay shredder Archie Elliot and Australian videographer Dominic Hook journeyed to Nelson Lakes National Park earlier this year. They thrashed St Arnaud's newer and older trails, capturing the adrenaline and ambiance on a short video.
