Tristan Rawlence

The Dodzy Memorial Enduro is an annual pilgrimage for many of NZ's top gravity riders. The 2018 edition was preceded by 'ex-tropical cyclone' Fehi smashing the Nelson coast. Saturday's practise was warm and the tracks dry(ish). Overnight rain made race-day a slippery affair.

What comes to mind when I say 'ankle deep mud' and 'sprigged shoes'? A Saturday morning at the local rugby club? Not quite.

What about 'Flurbereinigung' or 'Gout de Terroir'? Something French or perhaps a place of historic significance in Belgium? Well, that's possibly closer...

A serendipitous chain of events a weekend past meant I had the great fortune to ride my bike in a place I’ve never been before. The seed of the ride was planted on the previous weekend’s jaunt on Nelson’s classic Coppermine Loop. When Tristan, Anja and I looked across to the Mt Richmond Forest Park from Windy Point, and wondered what exquisite trail lay on unseen faces. And so the idea of a Dun Saddle - Rocks Hut - Browning Hut - Hackett loop was born.

The NZ Enduro serves up three days of gilt edged Marlborough singletrack around the top of New Zealand’s South Island. With the EWS hitting Rotorua in a fortnight’s time, there was plenty of international star power (and their media entourages) in attendance this year - including our own Jamie Nicoll, and eventual winners Damien Oton and Ines Thoma.

The Dodzy Memorial Enduro (DME) over Waitangi Weekend is a must-do institution on the kiwi mountain bike calendar. The Wairoa Gorge terrain is steep and spectacular. The trails extensive and eye-wateringly good fun. Each shuttle run serves up a massive 800m vertical of snaking descent. The park is privately owned and developed. Up until recently it has only possible to ride Wairoa during the DME. But late last year the Nelson Mountain Bike Club negotiated access. Discover all you need to know on the Nelson Club website.

When searching for a holiday destination, the constraints were tough but few. It needed to be warm to offset the cold winter we’d been suffering, cheap to fly to, and we wanted quiet roads and friendly people. We ended up landing in France’s Pacific territory of New Caledonia.