Held at Arthurs Point’s Mt Dewar over two days in February, this year’s downhill mountain biking event was held without spectators — the results are fully embargoed till next week.
Staged for the first time last year, this year’s course was further refined with two full top-to-bottom lines, each with multiple feature options.
The 23 riders each got one scored run per day, worth up to 50 points each.
The new two-day format gave riders time to reset, visualise and prepare for their second run — while the men’s field rode different lines both days, the women rode the same primary line twice, challenged to deliver two distinct runs using alternate features and tricks to maximise scoring potential.
Winners of the men’s and women’s comps each take home a Polaris Xpedition XP 2-seater.
Riders also competed for the evo Best Trick, with $3000 awarded to both a male and female standout performance.
Of this year’s field, eight were women — double the number who competed last year — and included two-time Red Bull Rampage competitor and hometown standout Robin who missed last year’s event.
The men’s field included sole Kiwi Billy Meaclem, of Christchurch, who qualified in the Wynyard Bike Park Dream Ticket event in February.
Fellow competitor Nicholi Rogatkin, of the United States, says it is a "seriously impressive event", and the cinematic premiere is a "must watch".
"The riders have to use so many different elements of skill ... The venue is difficult and technical, and we have to balance risk versus reward perfectly to set ourselves apart from the rest of the competition."
Natural Selection Bike Aotearoa premieres at 6am next Wednesday.
