Spectators will be lucky enough to watch some of the best Xterra athletes in the world at the Paymark Xterra Rotorua Festival on Saturday.
Defending champion Braden Currie of Wanaka, who finished second at last year's Xterra World Champs in Maui, will again take on local talent Sam Osborne and Olly Shaw.
Osborne and Shaw, both from Rotorua, finished second and third respectively last year and they're both keen to change up the results this time around.
"I was second by 12 seconds in the end," Osborne said. "That 12 seconds still haunts me. I pulled out a pretty incredible run last year, hopefully I won't have to pull that out again this year and for sure I'll be going for the win on home soil."
Shaw's placed third for the last couple of years, so he's determined to push up a place or two this weekend.
"It would be great to improve on that third place. I've had a pretty good past couple of months of training and racing and I managed to win Xterra Motatapu just over a month ago now, so everything's gone pretty well."
Osborne's been the training partner of Rio Olympics bound triathlete Ryan Sissons, and the duo recently spent six weeks training at altitude at the Snow Farm in Wanaka.
"My build up for Xterra has been going as well as it could be. Because I've been Ryan's training partner, I do everything he does. I've been mainly doing ITU events and we went to the Snow Farm before the Abu Dhabi and Wollongong races. We've been down at sea level for a while now, but you still kind of get those benefits."
The Rotorua duo can't wait to race on home soil again this weekend. Shaw said it's his favourite event of the year.
"Not only because it's where I live and I have friends and family supporting me, but I love the atmosphere of the event itself. It's a real relaxed start time for a triathlon, 11am is quite a late start so there is always a good crowd.
"A lot of people gather around for the start of swim and to watch us head out on the bike. It's also a reasonably short Xterra, a short swim and then a really fast bike and run. As far as the course itself, there's nothing better than mountain biking in Rotorua - everyone enjoys it."
Osborne spends six months of the year in Europe, so to be able to come home and race in Rotorua is always a special occasion.
"When you're racing in Europe, you know pretty much no one. So to race at home and have people cheering your name is pretty cool, it's not something that we get to have very often. I mean we're pretty lucky to have an event like this on our own backyard, and it's literally our own backyard. People say home is New Zealand, but to actually have it in the same town you live in is awesome."
They both agree with Currie that the mountain bike course at the Paymark Xterra Rotorua Festival is the best in the world.
"The course this year is a new one so it will be interesting to see what people think of it, but it's definitely the best Xterra mountain bike course that I've ridden anywhere in the world," said Shaw.
Osborne said the mountain bike course was one of his favourites.
"I think it showcases more of what Rotorua actually has when it comes to mountain biking and it's a pretty hard course. I've heard a few people whinging about it not being technical enough, but to actually ride that course fast is hard to do."
Both athletes are targeting the Xterra World Championships in Maui later this year and there's certainly plenty of healthy competition between Osborne, Shaw and Currie.
