Mountain biking: Andrew primed for challenge

Racing 24-hours solid in an attempt to be crowned a world champion takes a special sort of person.

Whangarei's Matt Andrew is that sort of person. The 28-year-old is building his way towards the World 24-hour Mountain Bike Championships in Canberra, Australia in October.

Andrew explained the winner of the race will be determined by the rider who completes the most 19.5km laps in the 24-hour time period.

"The racing is very demanding on the body," said Andrew. "I will be riding continuously without sleep for the duration of the race, grabbing a bottle of water and food as required when I ride past the pit area.

"A large part of the race will fall at night where I will ride continuously with special high powered lights on my helmet and bike."

Andrew said the pit area will be a three by three-metre site where his mechanic and feeder will be on standby, alongside a spare bike if needed.

Training for such a race is not easy as it requires many hours on the bike as you would imagine, something Andrew has to balance with his day job and family.

Andrew is an architectural designer for Homeworld in between racing at elite level for New Zealand

"I have competed in many 6-hour and 12-hour mountain bike races in my racing career taking many podium finishes. [But], this year I intend to take my racing to the next level."

He said for early 2013 his focus will be on the North Island rounds of the New Zealand Mountain Bike XC Cup and various national events.

Later this year, Andrew's focus will turn to compete against the world's best at the 24-hour world championship event.

"Preparing for these races is not easy," explained Andrew. "It takes a lot of hard work and training. You have to be tough mentally as well as physically to get through those long hours in the saddle.

This weekend Andrew will continue his progress as he takes part in the 80km New Zealand Mountain Bike Marathon Championships in Rotorua, taking place in challenging terrain on some of the best trails our country has to offer.

Andrew said after a recent 8th placing racing elite in the New Zealand cup he is aiming to place even better against the country's best riders. He said he hopes his chances are boosted as he will compete on his new bike, sponsored by myBike Whangarei.

He said this weekend's race will take him and other top riders about four hours to complete the 80km course.