NZ MTB Rally

05/01/24 • 91 min

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Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

After dipping my toes into MTB Enduro on the pod a few weeks back, in this episode of Life in the Peloton I dive right in, at one of the best Enduro events in the world, the NZ MTB Rally.

The NZ MTB Rally is a six-day Enduro event that takes place around Nelson on the South Island of New Zealand. Nelson is the place to head to for a lot of the Kiwi Enduro riders, and each day promised some absolutely incredible trails, as well as amazing scenery (even if I didn’t have much time for that).

As much as the NZ MTB Rally is a race - the overall feel was that the organisers had gone out of their way to fit as much of the best stuff they could into every day, so every competitor would get the most out of their experience.

As is the format of Enduro racing each day was broken down into four to seven timed downhill stages, and the nights were a chance to kick back and catch up with everyone over a few beers.

For someone who was very new to the sport it really was a challenge to take part in an event like this. There is nothing quite like waking up and seeing you’ve yet another double black ++ trail ahead of you... but I really wanted to discover what it was about this intimidating area of the sport that makes it so addictive to the people who take part in it.

While I was there, I spoke to a huge cast of riders and racers from all over the world, as well as many of the locals who know and love these trails, in order to get the best possible idea of what it was all about.

After my lessons from Paul Van Der Ploeg back in Australia, and thanks again to some help on the road from Matt Fairbrother, I was able to not only enjoy the riding but also to become part of the community that makes the sport what it is.

It is one thing to learn to ride some DH but to actually be a part of the event, taking the helicopter rides up the mountain, committing to dropping in (and trying to work out why downhill mountain bikers wear their helmets at dinner) was really a fantastic experience.

If you’re curious about what these events are all about, or even if you just fancy following along on my journey way out of my element, then give this a listen. It opened my eyes and I hope that it’ll do the same for you - and maybe make sliding off the side of a mountain something you give a go for yourself!

Cheers!

Mitch

This episode is supported by our friends at HVNM. Visit hvmn.com/LIFEINTHEPELOTON for 30% off your first subscription order (discount automatically applied at checkout).

Where do you sit in the PELO? Come and join the life in the peloton membership in Echelon or back in Doom line.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

After dipping my toes into MTB Enduro on the pod a few weeks back, in this episode of Life in the Peloton I dive right in, at one of the best Enduro events in the world, the NZ MTB Rally.

As is the format of Enduro racing each day was broken down into four to seven timed downhill stages, and the nights were a chance to kick back and catch up with everyone over a few beers.

Cheers!

Mitch

This episode is supported by our friends at HVNM. Visit hvmn.com/LIFEINTHEPELOTON for 30% off your first subscription order (discount automatically applied at checkout).

Where do you sit in the PELO? Come and join the life in the peloton membership in Echelon or back in Doom line.

Previous Episode

The Race Communiqué - Episode 4

Well, we are coming towards the end of an absolutely action-packed month of pro racing, which can mean only one thing; it’s time for another Race Communiqué!

As you all know by now, this is my chance to dive back into the pro peloton with current Jayco-Alula rider, and former teammate, Luke Durbridge and my former DS (and even teammate - way, way back in the day!) EF Education - Easypost D.S. Tom Southam.

Both Tom and Luke have just arrived back from the Ardennes where they each had their own take to share about their experiences there. Luke can tell us what is like to race one of the most epic Flèche Walloons in recent history in freezing snow and ice, and Tom can tell us all about his struggles to get the heating just right while he was sat back in the comfort of the team car! In all seriousness, it was a crazy week of racing to wrap up the Classics and we had a great chat about the experiences at the Ardennes whilst wrapping up what we saw earlier in the month at the Cobbled Classics.

As well as the racing chat we have our usual segments, with Luke putting his theory on the table that the days of the old-school feed zones are over for good, and Tom gives us a rare glimpse at one of the most important parts of some real race communiques: UCI fines, who is getting what and why - you may be surprised to hear what goes on back there!

With the Giro only a few weeks away we also took some time to preview the upcoming action in Italy, as well as start to get ourselves ready for the Escape Collective's Fantasy Competition, which we will all be taking part in next month in the special Life in the Peloton league which you can of course join and take all three of us on whilst the race is going.

Catching up with these guys is always so much fun, and even though I don’t miss the stress of getting rain jackets or feedbags in the races, I do I love hearing the insight as to how the peloton keeps evolving.

Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Cheers,

Mitch

Next Episode

Talking Luft Top 6's! Giro d'Italia's Most Influential with Harry Dowdney

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

What else could we be talking about on Talking Luft Top 6 this week other than the Giro d’Italia!

My guest on this episode of the pod is one of the many people who keep the sport looking and sounding so cool from the other side of the lens, film producer and director, Harry Dowdney.

Harry has been behind the camera in some of the most memorable cycling films of the past few years - on more than one occasion he had me dressed in retro gear retracing the steps of riders from some insane ride from another era.

More than that though, Harry is an expert cycling fan who loves the Giro – if you ever needed any proof of that go and check out who is currently leading the Escape Collective Fantasy Giro competition!

The Giro is a race that people love, it sums up the feel of racing in Italy; the style, the passion, the food, the mountains, and the people – it all adds up to being a special race and it made choosing our own personal top 6 most influential things a lot of fun.

This week we had some great picks, we go through some classic editions of the race and get to discuss some of those iconic Italian mountains that we love (or hate - depending on if you’re riding). Of course, any Giro chat wouldn’t be complete without throwing in some of those larger-than-life icons of Italian cycling too. We had so much to work with – I could have done a whole pod just on our favourite Cipollini looks to be honest!

I was so happy to have Harry on for this pod – he clearly loves the race and his knowledge of the details of so many Giri is incredible. I was buzzing after making this one, so chuck it on when you settle down for one of those sprint stages and enjoy!

Cheers!

Mitch

This episode is supported by our friends at HVNM. Visit hvmn.com/LIFEINTHEPELOTON for 30% off your first subscription order (discount automatically applied at checkout).

This episode is supported by our friends at Pillar Performance.