Mountain biking: Enduro World Series to return to Rotorua

American rider Curtis Keene in action during the 2017 Enduro World Series event in Rotorua. Photo / Boris Beyer/Crankworx

Rotorua is fast becoming one of the world's ultimate mountain biking destinations.

The 2018 Enduro World Series (EWS) season may not have started yet, but organisers are already announcing the details of next year's calendar and Rotorua's Whakarewarewa Forest has made the cut.

The 2019 locations are being announced daily, starting today,including four completely new venues. First up will be a trip down under to the incredible trails of Rotorua.

This North Island venue has proved a real hit with riders from across the globe, with many now travelling to the iconic trails of the Whakarewarewa Forest for their off-season training. With a huge and ever-growing mountain biking community in Rotorua, organisers showed little hesitation in returning for a third time.

The last time an EWS event was held in Rotorua was in 2017 and the winner was New Plymouth's Wyn Masters.

Enduro World Series managing director Chris Ball said: "We've been working to announce the 2019 calendar much earlier this year to allow the local organisers, riders and fans more time to prepare.

"We couldn't be more excited to be heading back to Rotorua - the trails are world class and the local riders, and community in general, always offer us such a warm Kiwi welcome," Ball said.

Crankworx Rotorua event director Ariki Tibble said the EWS, with its strong field of world-class competitors and international media, brought another level of excitement to Crankworx Rotorua.

"Our team are very excited to welcome everyone back in 2019. We are very focused on delivering the best possible Crankworx Rotorua 2018 at the moment, but knowing that we have this lined up for 2019 definitely puts a spring in the step," Tibble said.