The early pecking order has been established after a thrilling opening round to the 2020 New Zealand Cross-country Championships near Marton on Sunday.
Manawatu's Paul Whibley took the lead at the start of the three-hour senior race and he never looked back.
Twice United States cross-country champion and the 2015 New Zealand champion , the 41-year-old was in scintillating form and he quickly built a solid advantage as Hamilton's Phil Goodwright and Pukekawa's Jim Orton settled in behind him.
Suffering various injuries over the past couple of seasons and generally only an occasional racer in recent times, Whibley was hoping to mark his return to this four-round Yamaha-sponsored competition with a positive statement and he certainly did that – eventually winning the main race by a comfortable margin.
Taupo's three-time former national champion Brad Groombridge and Raglan's defending 2019 champion Jason Dickey were stuck in traffic and well behind the leaders as the riders completed the first of what would be seven brutal laps on the parched farmland course.