All downhill for bike star

Sam Blenkinsop is glad he accepted an invitation to compete in the NZ MTB Rally around Nelson, Tasman and Golden Bay, as he promptly stormed to victory.

“It was like a year of racing in six days,” declares the well-travelled 36-year-old, after dominating the second edition of the stand-alone downhill event.

There were 33 short and sharp stages combining for a total of three hours from Sunday 23 March to last Friday, with riders being transported to and from the venues and even getting a heli-drop.

Entries were capped at 120 with the inaugural winner, Matt Fairbrother, returning to defend his title.

“But he dislocated his shoulder after crashing out on the first day,” confirms race director Ali Jamieson.

It was a reminder for Sam, just one mistake could be costly.

“The first two days in the Wairoa Gorge, the Richmond Hills and the Silvan Forest were pretty physical, but then we had the privilege of being allowed to race through the Abel Tasman National Park.

“We finished that day on the beach at Kaiteriteri with a swim and a barbecue. It is an iconic part of New Zealand, and I love going there,” enthuses the Whanganui mountainbiker, who’s been competing for 20 years.

The next day, the competitors boarded a Wilsons Abel Tasman catamaran to sail to Cable Bay for the next stage.

Another feature was riding on the revamped HotBox Mountain Biking Trail along the Maitai Valley to the finish at Sunday Hole.

“We got to christen it,” says Ali, an Englishman who’s been in Nelson for the past 10 years.

‘Blenky’ won the NZ MTB by just under a minute ahead of Matt Walker and Frenchman Kilian Bron, who lost five minutes after a stick was caught in his gears and jammed his bike chain.

While Kilian celebrated by staging the premier of his latest trail and trekking movie ‘Mandala’ at the Sutor Art Gallery, Sam headed to Kaikōura to go diving and hunting.

After that, it is off to Cairns for the next round of the Crankworx Series.
Not surprisingly, he hopes to be invited back here next year along with the countless volunteers the Nelson and Golden Bay mountainbike clubs.