It was an all-Kiwi affair on the pro men's podium at the Giant Toa Enduro yesterday,the opening event of Crankworx Rotorua.
On top of the podium was Rotorua's Keegan Wright, who traded stage wins with Sam Blenkinsop, of Christchurch, all day and finished with a 4.8 second win.
"Me and Blenki are always really close. He was right before me so I was always trying to chase him down. I always got to the end [of a stage] and thought 'far out, he must have smoked me. I didn't even catch him.' But obviously we were just back and forth with each other which is cool," Wright said.
Rounding out the pro men's podium was Matt Walker, of Kawerau, who said there had been clashes with events overseas this year resulting in a strong Kiwi field.
Starting off her international competition season in commanding fashion was Canada's Casey Brown, who won all six stages in the pro women's race.
But while decisive, more than two minutes faster than second place finisher Rotorua's Ronja Hill-Wright, the win was no easy feat. Brown rode Stage Five - aptly named Te Ahi Manawa, which translates to "Burning Heart" - blind, then finished her day with some added spice on the final stage.
"I love racing without really knowing what's coming up. It was exciting, to say the least. Then I had a pretty wild stage six. Me and Vaea [Verbeeck] had a pileup. That was exciting. These tracks are so great around here and the weather has been so good compared to last year. Beautiful cool breeze and overcast. Couldn't ask for a better day. Super stoked," Brown said.
Canada's Casey Brown celebrates a win at the Crankworx Rotorua Giant Toa Enduro. Photo / Fraser Britton/Crankworx
Despite the crash, Verbeeck, also of Canada, finished strong in third.
Another Rotorua local, Cati Pearson, took fourth and said the vibe was "awesome".
"It was really supportive, lots of good banter, chat and laughter - it was a great day. It's pretty amazing to see all the work I've been doing paying off. From last year coming as a nobody in the system mid-pack to actually being at the pointy end is awesome," Pearson said.
The wins for Wright and Brown put them in a strong position as the battle for King and Queen of Crankworx kicks off for another year. Each walk away with 225 points, the most awarded for a win in any Crankworx event. Brown is on deck to battle for more points over the next eight days of Crankworx competition, currently registered in every event open to female competitors.
Wright on the other hand will take his points with him to Chile, missing Crankworx competition from Monday onward in order to compete in the first round of the Enduro World Series in South America. But he says this taste of victory ought to satisfy him until the Crankworx World Tour hits Europe in June.
"I'm doing the other three stops. Going to bring my jump bike and my slalom bike and give it a good nudge for sure. Can't let the Frenchies take it all," he said.
Crankworx Rotorua Giant Toa Enduro results
Pro Men: 1st Keegan Wright (NZ) 28m 08s 2nd Samuel Blenkinsop (NZ) 28m 13s 3rd Matt Walker (NZ) 28m 54s 4th Samuel Shaw (NZ) 29m 02s 5th Nigel McDowell (NZ) 29m 16s
