Leaving today, he will join the four-man Junior Team for the 2025 FIM International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE) — often called the Olympics of off-road motorcycling — from August 24-29 in Bergamo.
They will be the only New Zealanders competing in the world’s premier off-road motorcycle race, which features long days riding hundreds of kilometres over every kind of terrain, followed by a motocross showdown, all in the neighbourhood of nearby Milan.
The team will be up against 600 riders from more than 30 nations competing at the event.
A working rural professional and New Zealand 2024 Enduro Junior Champion, Affleck has been around motorbikes all his life, and first raced as a 12-year-old.
In New Zealand, fields of about 30 enduro riders race for hours over 10-16km off-road circuits, where lapping slower competitors becomes a major challenge as riders manage speeds well over 100kmh, along with technical water crossings and picking lines through rugged forest.
"For me it’s the middle of the race that’s the hardest because you’re buggered physically and thinking about how much more time there is," Mr Affleck said, "You’ve got to keep pushing, keep consistent ... stay 100% focused.
"It’s fun to ride, race and push yourself."
He and team-mates Jonty Richards, 19 (Cromwell), Dylan Huddleston, 17 (Cheviot) and Thomas Easton, 17 (Ashburton) will rent and tune-in motorcycles in Italy with the help of a support crew that includes Affleck’s mother Jen.
The team will be managed by Tapanui enduro athlete and mother of two, Kylie Dorr.
"At a competition in Mosgiel a couple of weeks ago Blake lapped the entire field, which is just unheard of," she said.
"Physically and competitively all the guys have given it everything, and have the potential to do extremely well.
"We know that mental aspect — young Kiwis from small towns dropped into a massive event in the heart of Europe — that will be one of the major challenges to take on."
Also a lifelong rider, Dorr helped bring New Zealand’s women’s team in fifth at last year’s ISDE in Spain, backing team-mate Rachael Archer to second place and herself finishing 129th out of 570 riders.
"Its going to be hot, rocky and dry," Affleck said of mountainous northern Italy, and drawing on similar experiences added, "I have been to Australia, on holiday once." — Allied Media
