Graeme Simpson: Crankworx puts fine riding and skill on display

Jackson and Rose Green on the tandem at the Giant Toa Enduro. Photo / Kike Abelleira

It's Sunday, March 1, 7am at Blue Lake (Tikitapu), a beautiful, crisp morning for the Giant Toa Enduro, the first event of 2020 Crankworx or, in te reo Māori, Tere Panuku (to glide, soar and rise).

Clair Coker and Matt Browning are the Tere Panuku volunteers managers, again, and are doing a terrific job registering everyone and dishing out T-shirts, accreditation and wristbands with a warm welcome and smiles.

This is the first time I've marshalled since XTERRA Rotorua Festival in April 2018, so it's reassuring to see familiar faces like Andrew Lawes (who'll drive us in) and hear Tim Farmer's experienced and authoritative voice over the radio. Both are from the Nduro Events crew, battle-hardened from running some of the Whakarewarewa Forest's most complex races.

Marshall point two is at the top of one of the more challenging sections on Hot X Buns. A technical drop into a steep, very fast downhill, followed by a climb out that's almost as steep. This dipper is really what Enduro racing was designed for – downhills, sure, but also sections that require strength and stamina, climbing skills and gear technique.

There's some really fine riding and skill on display – from kids through to the pros. My favourites are Rose and Jackson Green on a tandem. Jackson is the pilot and Rose is the stoker out the back. They've done this before in a whole range of races – Enduro, downhill, cross-country and single speed - and they really are quite magnificent. Look out for them at the Downhill on Sunday.

As Open Women and Men steam on through, the pace rises. All riders are seeded, the start list and times are on the race website and so I know who's next on course, making it easier to identify and holler for favourite riders.

The best thing about the day? I don't use my radio, not once. Why? Well, the odds are very high at an event like this is that if you do, it's to summon a medic.

Local ace, Keegan Wright, is the last rider and after that, the marshalling team descends the hill hoovering up race tape. By 12.30pm the trail is clear, Andrew appears in the van and we're all safely back at race HQ at Tikitapu around 1pm.

My second shift is the following afternoon at Skyline, the main Crankworx venue, helping Amy Kirkland, the dynamic access manager, mark out car-parking for medics, athletes, media, sponsors and production crew in the upper Rotohokahoka Trust block.

It is really enjoyable, hands-on and practical - and I've already requested the same shift in 2021.

Managing access is one of the key roles for any major event and, maybe, one that is least-recognised. There's plenty of parking for everyone, so please be patient and polite to the volunteers working on it, this weekend, whānau.

One of the many things I really like about being a volunteer is the people - old friends and new faces, hugs and fist bumps. Such a diverse group, all wanting to help.

One of the volunteer crew is Claire Mahon, Labour candidate for Rotorua, putting her mahi where her mouth is. Maybe putting in a volunteer shift or two on a community project should be compulsory for all politicians?

It's the finale of Crankworx/Tere Panuku Rotorua 2020 this weekend. Get up on the hill: www.crankworx.com/festival/rotorua.