Pakotai motorbike rider Josh Alexander relishes great year in enduro

If you hear the faint rumble of a motorbike engine over the weekend in Pakotai, odds are it's 18-year-old Josh Alexander continuing his enduro training after a stellar year. Photo / JW Photography

If you're out and about in the Pakotai countryside this weekend, chances are you might see a young man tearing over the hills and through the valleys.

That's because on most Saturdays and Sundays, Josh Alexander, 18, will be out for hours at a time, traversing Northland's landscape on his KTM 250 EXC motorbike, training to compete in New Zealand's national Enduro Championships.

It seems all the training and hard work paid off for the young NorthTec student who, in just his second year of competition, claimed the national enduro title in the TTR2 (intermediate) grade, along with the North Island and Central Region titles.

In just his second year of competing, Alexander picked up national, North Island and Central Region enduro titles. Photo / Supplied

Enduro is a form of cross-country motorcycle riding where competitors ride for hours or days over a variety of terrain. In the format Alexander competed in, often referred to as 'classic enduro', riders had to finish an about 180km long course which was broken up into a number of stages raced as time trials against the clock

The object of the format was to arrive at pre-defined checkpoints according to a strict schedule, with penalties awarded when defined times were not met or when a rider received outside assistance when not permitted.

The national enduro circuit saw riders compete across seven rounds of competition from March to July with the North Island and Central Region competitions being held from April through to October.

Terrain varies greatly in enduro from flat, open country to steep, rocky hills. Photo / JW Photography

Alexander showed great form to pick up his maiden national title, winning four of seven stages to take out the top spot after starting the sport just last year.

"I've always thought I could get a national title but I never thought I would get three titles in one year," he said with a laugh.

Starting out as most do, as a 10-year-old on the lawn of his parents' dairy farm riding a Yamaha PW80, Alexander said he felt natural early on riding a motorbike, but didn't do much more than the odd trail ride before fellow Northlander Adrian Broughton went to Romania to compete in a gruelling five-day enduro.

"I heard what that was like and I guess when I was younger I looked up to [Broughton] as my idol so he, along with dad, got me into the enduro."

By his own admission, Alexander understands the need to adapt in trying conditions to succeed in enduro. Photo / Supplied

Then one day during milking last year, conversation turned to an enduro race in Whangamata in the coming days. Leaving home at 4am for 9.30am race start, Alexander finished fourth in his class and was hooked from that day on.

"I felt quite good because I did better than I thought I would, I expected to not finish and have an absolute mare of a race and crash."

Competition terrain ranges from the flat country of Masterton to the rocky hills of Wellington and the muddy swamps of Hokitika. It was in Hokitika where Alexander secured his national title in the second to last round of competition, however, it didn't all go the 18-year-old's way.

"It was the second to last river crossing and I dropped my bike and drowned it, filled it with water," he said.

"I thought I'd just thrown away my race, I thought I'd just blown it."

Enduro is a very individual sport as it requires riders to be self-sufficient at all times when it comes to breakdowns and finding their way through difficult terrain. Photo / Supplied

As enduro required riders have to be self-sufficient during competition, Alexander worked quickly to empty his bike of water and after six minutes of trying, the bike started and he was able to finish in time to secure the title.

"I was over the moon, I was so happy but I knew there was another round and I knew that I still had to go and compete and prove that I deserved the title."

While riders are often on the receiving end of a long list of injuries, Alexander was quick to touch wood when he said he had never broken a bone while on a bike.

Despite breaking both ankles, torn ligaments in multiple ribs and a shattered nose, Alexander insisted none had come at the hands of his bike.

A flooded bike in his second to last river crossing still wasn't enough to stop Alexander from claiming the national title. Photo / JW Photography

Alexander's fortune with bike-related injuries could be put down to his commitment to training. If he isn't helping his father on the farm, Alexander will be out on his mountain bike most evenings before heading out on five-hour trips across the Pakotai countryside on weekends.

With such a time commitment to the sport, Alexander said it was satisfying to see the results of his training.

"You see your friends go out on weekends and they're partying and having fun and you're at home asleep because you've been riding all day or training, I guess it's seeing all that hard work you put into that race, pay off."

While he was shifting his focus from the title hunt to the job hunt, there was always a chance of seeing Alexander return to the sport in the future. Photo / JW Photography

Alexander, who will graduate from his NorthTec level three automotive course this month, said while he had to put his enduro dreams on hold while he hunted for a diesel mechanic apprenticeship, he knew enduro would be a big part of his life in the years to come.

"Enduro is something I will always do, whether I do have to take a break from it for a couple of years," he said.

"I guess you could say there is a love for the sport really, the people, everything that goes into it."