Enduro: Wright keen on dash for cash

Rotorua's Keegan Wright (pictured) is gunning for a big payday at the Giant 2W Gravity Enduro event in Rotorua tomorrow.

Mountain bikers Keegan Wright (Rotorua) and Raewyn Morrison (Nelson) could be in for a big payday if they can fend off their closest rivals at the Giant 2W Gravity Enduro event in Rotorua.

The popular event mixes aspects of downhill and cross country mountain biking and will be held in the Whakarewarewa Forest tomorrow as part of the Rotorua Bike Festival.

Wright and Morrison are favourites to win the six-stage race after winning the first two events (of three) in the series.

If either rider can make it a clean sweep by winning tomorrow they will share $10,000 in cash.

Tomorrow's event sold out a month early with more than 400 riders expected to take part.

Hometown rider Wright said he had been preparing well for race day and the prize money would help a lot in funding his up-coming downhill season.

He said the race plan was to stay away from any crashes and pedal hard.

"I just want to stay on my bike and ride within myself, and pedal hard to stay up with all those cross country riders. I know where I'm going so I'll just try to stick to the lines I want to follow," he said.

"I've been out for a few rides recently [to prepare] - a 75km ride a few days ago in the forest and I've been doing a bit here and there each day."

He said he was feeling confident he could achieve the clean sweep when racing gets underway.

Event director Neil Gellatly said all three 2W Gravity Enduro events this season had sold out and they were looking at adding a fourth event to the series next season.

Gellatly said Wright and Morrison were certainly favourites again this weekend.

"It's pretty much very similar to the fields we had in October and December so those athletes, Keegan and Raewyn, are favourites to take the win."

Ray White Rotorua are putting up the $10,000 prize money, for either rider who can achieve the clean sweep.