Three-time Olympic mountain-biker Leuchs is stepping up to test his mettle in the big rave next weekend.
Leuchs (40), a Dunedin business manager, who pulled the pin on an illustrious international mountain-biking career following the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, is set to take on the two-day section of the great multisport race.
A talented athlete as a teenager, Leuchs tinkered with running, duathlon and triathlon while at Logan Park High School.
He could have arguably excelled in any of those sports, but turned to mountain biking, and in a short space of time international honours took him to all parts of the world.
For the better part of 10 years Leuchs was based in the Annecy, France, near the Swiss border.
"I felt like it was necessary for me to learn the trade. And to live and breathe it," he said of deciding to base himself in Annecy, close to all the top European mountain-bike action.
Leuch's decision to be there brought immediate results with selection in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and kept him
in the New Zealand team
for Olympic competition in Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008), as well as Commonwealth Games action in Manchester (2002) and Melbourne (2006).
But since retiring following the Beijing Olympic Games, Leuchs has only dabbled in various local sporting events, taking nothing too seriously, with his business and family now his main focus.
"For this I'm relying on my 10 year-old muscle memory to get me through."
He described a recent training run over the 33km mountain stage as brutal. But it has been learning to master the kayak that has brought about a whole new skill set for him.
"I've been kayaking now for about a year, and the guys
here [Otago University Kayak Club] are amazing and in particular coach Brendan O'Neill. I always knew it was a technical sport, but it's been really fun learning that side of it."
Leuchs has also benefited from the knowledge of five-time Coast to Coast competitor Mark Dickson, who has helped familiarise Leuchs with the demands of the 67km Waimakariri River stage.
"A big part of doing this race is a challenge for me. I didn't want to do the same old, same old. I've been mountain biking all my life. And road cycling, too.
"I'm not really racing the Coast to Coast. I'm going to be there to enjoy it. And to achieve the goal of crossing the country on your own steam. And, frankly, it's just amazing terrain ... "
Leuchs has taken a lot of heart from the opportunities the Kathmandu Coast to Coast offers up by way of family involvement and the camaraderie of all those involved.
With his wife, Roshni Mistry, and his children, Jasper (7) and Laksmi (5), as members of his support crew, Leuchs will not be lacking in motivation.
"I've got my kids really excited about the lolly part. I don't know if there'll be any left for me."
