Nelson secures Enduro World Series mountainbiking races in 2021

Nelson will host mountain biking's Enduro World Series for the first time next year, bringing hundreds of riders and exposure to the region. 

The Nelson Mountain Bike Club will host a leg of the international series over four days, from April 1-4 2021. 

Event coordinator Belinda Crisp said the club was "incredibly excited to make this happen for Nelson".

"This is the culmination of 20 years of work from the original mountainbikers who started building trials in Nelson, the NMTBC partners including Nelson City Council, Ngati Koata and Tasman Pine Forests and all the club volunteers."

Crisp said it was an opportunity to put the spotlight on Nelson to the mountainbiking world.

"It's an amazing way to showcase people to the area. 

"It's not only the mountainbikers, it's all the followers and spectators that will come here and not only see that Nelson has fantastic mountainbike trails, but also an incredible variety of other things to do in the region."

Crisp said over the course of the event, there could be up to 500 riders competing in different sections. 

She said the EWS officials had been impressed by the variety of trails Nelson could offer in one event, and the proximity of the trails to the city. 

"The best thing for the club is the infrastructure and trails built for the event will be enduring for locals to use later. That's the whole reason for running the event, so we can make mountainbiking for Nelsonians even better." 

In an Enduro race the gruelling uphill stages have to be completed within a time limit, but riders' results are based on how fast they can complete the downhill stages. In 2020 the series will travel to eight locations across South and North America and Europe. 

Rotorua is the only other New Zealand venue to have hosted the series, in 2015, 2017 and 2019. '

Mayor Rachel Reese said it was an honour for Nelson to host the event, and a recognition of the work done by the Nelson Mountain Bike Club.

Reese said the decision to award the event to the club had been just reward for 20 years of commitment to track building and growing the sport in the region. 

She said the event would likely bring in more than 1000 people into the region, and could have a social media reach of more than three million people. 

"An event of this calibre helps cement our smart little city on the world stage as an international mountainbiking destination with a range of amazing trails."

Nelson-based photographer Sven Martin has covered the EWS since its began in 2013 and has been pushing to get the series to Nelson since 2017. 

He said Nelson had the perfect blend of trails to both challenge and reward visiting racers, with some of the longest, steepest and most technical terrain and tracks on offer in the country. 

"There are some great purpose built tracks in the forestry but it's the natural feeling trails in the native beech forest here that made us call Nelson home.

"The combination of mountains, beaches and nearby National Parks just can't be beat anywhere."

General Manager of Ngāti Koata Justin Carter said iwi were looking forward to the opportunity through this event to strengthen their partnership with NMTBC. 

"It is easy for the iwi to support the NMTBC and events like this as we are aligned in our purpose: Tiaki Tangata, Tiaaki Taiao, Tiaki Taonga (caring for our people, environment and treasures).

"We tautoko (support) the club as it prepares to host competitors from around the globe experience our world-class trails and beautiful natural environment."