18 June 2018
The Old Ghost Road has established itself as one of New Zealand's pre-eminent multi-day backcountry mountain bike adventures. 85km of benched singletrack, 4 purpose-built huts, ladles of history, buckets of volunteer sweat... and deep pockets with the likes of Lotto stumping up cold cash to fund the project. Ground Effect Revolutionary Jamie Nicoll was recently subpoenaed to film this TV clip promoting Lotto's support of the iconic track.
04 April 2018
Sort of like 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind', fortyish mountain bikers were drawn to Craigieburn over the Easter weekend. Jamie had organised excellent weather, communal dinner and beer on Saturday night - courtesy of Santa Cruz. Limitless singletrack and the promise of new best friends completed the package. It was a safe formula that delivered in excess. We were a diverse bunch with kids, dogs, pro and ex-pro shredders, regular dudes and dude-ettes, young and once-were-young riders.
14 March 2018
The NZ Enduro bounced back from last year’s weather bomb to deliver a cracker weekend of fast and sunny singletrack around the Marlborough Sounds. Ground Effect Revolutionaries Anja McDonald and Sam Shaw scored podiums - Anja on the top step in the Amateur Women and Sam 2nd in the Pro Men behind the legendary Jerome Clementz. And Richard Goldsbury casually picked up 4th in the Masters Men.
06 February 2018
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.
17 January 2018
Our sponsored riders and their dedicated photographers generate many stunning race-day photos each season. Too many to publish, so we’ve created a gallery to showcase the ‘best of’ 2017 images from Odin Woods, Digby Shaw, Sven Martin, Gary Perkin, Max Schumann, Jo Wynn-Williams and Dom Blissett.
29 October 2017
26 September 2017
Jamie recounts the last five months away from NZ with adventures in the Alaskan mountains, the Arctic Circle and various missions in the European Alps.
29 August 2017
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...
04 August 2017
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.
28 March 2017
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.
14 March 2017
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.
01 March 2017
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