Rotorua's Sam Shaw the man to beat in Giant 2W Gravity Enduro race two

Whether in admiration of his racing ability or transfixed by the majestic golden mullet flowing from beneath his helmet, there is no doubt Sam Shaw will be one to watch in the second round of the Giant 2W Gravity Enduro.

While Rotorua mountain biker Sam Shaw is technically in the middle of his off season, he cannot resist entering his favourite local events while he is home.

Shaw spent much of the year racing all over the world in the Enduro World Series and now, back on his home trails, he is making his mark.

He finished seventh in the Whaka100 in October before winning the first race of the Giant 2W Gravity Enduro Series, ensuring all eyes will be on him when he lines up for race two tomorrow. "I'm pumped as, it should be a good weekend. [In race one] I wasn't expecting anything and had a really good day - I made a very small number of mistakes and it all accumulated to a very close win over Dan Self.

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"If you're in town, what's the point in not racing. It's definitely putting yourself out there to get a good thrashing but sometimes it works out as well. "

Self also spent much of the year racing in overseas, becoming the first recipient of the $10,000 Mark Dunlop Memorial Scholarship, awarded each year to a rider in the series to support their international racing dreams.

"I see Dan all over the world, doing a lot of the same races. It's probably more competitive against each other when we're at home but it's friendly competition of course - a bit of banter," Shaw said.

Rotorua's Sam Shaw on his way to a win in Giant 2W Gravity Enduro race one. Photo / Cameron Mackenzie

Shaw endured a tough year in the Enduro World Series, finishing 56th overall after a string of injuries prevented him building any real momentum. His best finish was 48th in the Giant Toa Enduro at home in Rotorua.

"I had a year of injuries and recovery from those injuries so it definitely wasn't what I was planning on doing in terms of results and racing. You can't help it sometimes, I just kept injuring myself and had to take heaps of time off the bike.

"It was just crashing. I had a few rounds of broken ribs and then a few rounds of just very bad bruising. They were mostly in training, it was just a lapse of concentration, maybe too much training but crashing is part of the sport, it just happens sometimes."

Sam Shaw makes a splash at the NZ Enduro earlier this year. Photo / Supplied

He will spend the summer at home working and preparing himself mentally and physically for the 2020 season.

He hoped to do all eight races on the Enduro World Series as well as at least four rounds of Cross-country World Cup circuit and said racing both disciplines helped keep him motivated.

"I want to try to make the New Zealand World Championship team for cross-country and if things really go my way, I want to try and get in the Marathon Cross-country World Championship team too. That would be pretty exciting because that's in Turkey in October.

"[Doing both disciplines], for me, I really like it because with enduro I sometimes feel like I don't need to train too hard. Whereas if I keep the XC going I'm really keen to keep really fit which is what enduro actually needs as well. For me, it works out great, the XC fitness crosses over well for the longer enduro stages."

It was just crashing. I had a few rounds of broken ribs and then a few rounds of just very bad bruising. They were mostly in training, it was just a lapse of concentration, maybe too much training but crashing is part of the sport, it just happens sometimes.

The third race in the 2019/20 Giant 2W Gravity Enduro Series, on February 22, will double as an Enduro World Series qualifier. Shaw has already qualified but is excited about the prospect of the race attracting more riders.

"It's always cool to have a race like that which attracts more competition. Even though I'm already qualified it does help my overall ranking in the world if I do put together a good race."

Giant 2W Gravity Enduro Series - Race 2 schedule:
Saturday, December 7

Long Course, non-shuttled: 9.30am-4pm (6.5hrs).

Long Course, shuttled: 9.40am-4.10pm (6.5hrs).

Short Course, non-shuttled plus e-bikes: 10.30am-3pm (4.5hrs).

Short Course, shuttled: 10.40am-3.10pm (4.5hrs).

Prizegiving: 4.30pm.