Revolutionaries

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.

There were large doses of envy around the office when Jamie sugested Guy join him and Santa Cruz photographer Gary Perkin on a mtb roadie from Picton to Rotorua. With the NZ Enduro in Marlborough and the EWS in Rotorua two weeks later a swag of international riders were in town, including the Santa Cruz enduro team and 50to01 crew. The roadie morphed into a travelling circus with the 'talent' (Josh 'Ratboy' Bryceland and CG Cedric Gracia perhaps the most recognisable), media and even a camp chef.

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.

Ground Effect and Jamie Nicoll have been mates through the highs and lows. We ramped up our support last season as he changed focus - adventuring with his bike to exotic and remote destinations, and competing in just a handful of his favourite enduros.

What better place to explore as recovery from Euro Bike stress than Norway. Breathtaking scenery and jaw dropping single track. Check it all out here.

This man deserves a beer! Ground Effect rider Jamie Nicoll rolled off the back of the Trans Provence to win the inaugural Trans BC Enduro in Canada at the weekend.

Daily updates from Jamie Nicoll at the Trans-Provence - the original multi-day mtb stage race. Six days, 24 stages and 27,000m of blind racing.

Recently 'retired' from the Enduro World Series, his Polygon Factory Team and a life living out of a suitcase -  Jamie Nicoll has returned to his roots and house truck in Nelson.

For a small (ish) country New Zealand has had more than its fair share of battlers that have, against the odds and on limited resources, prevailed on the world stage. Jamie Nicoll joins the fray with a story that is worthy of a Danny Boyle biopic.

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.

Riding a bike off road is a challenging affair, so why do people choose to ride in costume? This quandary struck me whilst riding the Three Ring Circus event at Wingello Forest Park amidst a gaggle of clowns.