He will be spending his first full summer in his home city in Dunedin for 11 years.
Leuchs (30), a professional mountain biker for eight years, has been riding internationally since 1995 and has competed at 13 world championships.
His world ranking is 17th but two months before the Beijing Olympics he was in the top six.
But he then was affected by asthma and he was pedalling uphill.
"Everything turned to custard after that," he said.
The course at the Beijing Olympics did not suit him.
"There were short steep uphill climbs but no technical descents," he said.
"That is one of my strengths."
His four months back in Dunedin will be the longest period he has been back since leaving to pursue his cross-country mountain-biking career overseas in 1997.
"It will be nice not having to rush about and have time to spend with my friends and family. I will be back training but it will be an easy period for me and I will not be racing the cross-country events."
He has been a member of the Cannondale Dutch professional team for the past four years but has recently been signed by the Italian Felt team.
Leuchs expects to reach the peak of his international career during the next decade because it takes time to mature in an endurance sport.
He is disappointed there will be no mountain biking at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010.
His next big target, outside world championships, is the London Olympics in 2012.
Leuchs has bought a house and lives in the home town of his coach, Benoit Nave, on the French border with Switzerland at Annecy.
It is his off-season and he will not be competing in the New Zealand mountain bike series over the summer months.
But he will race in more adventure-style races in the four-day Alpine Epic in the Lake Tekapo region and the Dunedin Peninsula Challenge.
"Cross-country racing is my job but adventure racing is my passion. I enjoy being out in nature," he said.
