Riders Cole Hulsebosch, 16 (left), Sierra Beca, 12, and Dylan Beca, 15, are competing in the North Island Secondary School Mountain Bike Championships. Photos / Cameron Mackenzie, Dominic Blissett, Rory Stock
Riders Cole Hulsebosch, 16 (left), Sierra Beca, 12, and Dylan Beca, 15, are competing in the North Island Secondary School Mountain Bike Championships. Photos / Cameron Mackenzie, Dominic Blissett, Rory Stock
One of the biggest mountain biking events in New Zealand is set to be held in Tauranga for the first time.
DirtCraft, a mountain biking organisation focused on assisting the personal development of individuals in the sport, will host the North Island Secondary School Mountain Bike (MTB) Championships alongside Tauranga MTB Club this weekend.
Tauranga local Tristan Haycock, DirtCraft founder and former competitor, said he was excited to test his capabilities in hosting one of the largest MTB events in New Zealand.
“It makes me proud that our community is at a place where we can host an event of this scale and for our local riders to go and rip it up on their local trails.”
Haycock won the North Island title in 2016 and said hosting the event now was “pretty special”.
“I first attended back in 2013, and since then, the event has grown each year, now with around 650 young riders.
“It’s one of the most populated MTB events in the country.”
His advice to riders competing over the weekend was to enjoy the trails, make some new mates and give it their best.
DirtCraft founder Tristan Haycock won the North Island title in 2016 and is now hosting the event for the first time in Pāpāmoa. Photo / Supplied
“When you try your very best, that is where you learn the most about yourself, good and bad, it’s all part of growing up,” he said.
“I am excited to share the opportunities I had with others.”
Cole Hulsebosch, aged 16 and the current downhill under-17 national champion, will represent Tauranga Boys’ College in the downhill and enduro disciplines.
“These are my preferred disciplines because I get to see how fast I can go and push my limits,” Cole said.
“Some of my favourite things about the sport are the speed, the adrenaline, and challenging myself on technical trails and features.”
Having trained under DirtCraft, Cole said this had been a great opportunity to improve his skills.
“It’s helped me ride smarter and faster and given me tips that have made a big difference in my riding.”
Siblings Dylan, 15, and Sierra Beca, 12, are also competing.
Dylan rides for Tauranga Boys’ College and is the current U17 national enduro champion, while sister Sierra rides for Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School and is ranked third for her age in cross-country and enduro.
“I’m competing in all of the disciplines and am hoping for a top-five in cross-country, a podium in downhill and will go for the win in enduro,” Dylan said.
“To me, mountain biking is a great way to hang out with friends, stay fit and enjoy the outdoors.”
Competing in all disciplines, Sierra said she was most looking forward to spending time with friends while also having a good race on local trails.
“My favourite aspects of MTB are the social side but also the competitiveness,” she said.
“I am hoping to come first in enduro and top-three in cross-country and downhill.”
North Island Secondary School Mountain Bike Championships
Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.
