Rotorua's Jeremy Christmas will take up the chief of commissaire's role at the 2014 Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships in South Africa.
Christmas will complete a rapid rise in the official ranks when he heads to South Africa in June.
Like a referee in rugby or umpire in cricket the commissaire is there to ensure the competition is conducted within the rules and every athlete gets the best opportunity possible.
A self-described "average racer" on a mountain bike, Christmas got serious about the trackside support roles just prior to the 2006 World Mountain Biking Championships which were held in Rotorua.
"I loved mountain biking and I was keen to put something back into the club firstly, then the world champs were in Rotorua and I got involved as a volunteer and the next level up was to be a referee and I thought I'd give that a go," he said.