The Enduro Race That Costs More Than Your Fork (But Includes a Helicopter)
Some races are about fitness. Some are about skill. This one? This one’s about defying reality.
Welcome to New Zealand, where enduro racing isn’t just point A to B—it’s mountain-to-boat-to-helicopter-to-somewhere-you-didn’t-know-you-could-ride.
The event: The NZ MTB Rally, an enduro stage race that doesn’t just raise the bar—it straps it to a helicopter and drops it on the other side of a fjord.
What’s the Deal?
This six-day backcountry bruiser loops through the Southern Alps like your trail dreams went through a Peter Jackson edit. Riders face timed stages on everything from alpine ridge lines to mossy forest flow—and that’s between the heli drops and boat transfers.
Yes, really. Heli drops. Boat transfers. Stages you can’t scout unless you’re part mountain goat.
The Vibe
Sounds remote. Rowdy. It’s probably what your suspension dreams of.
“You feel like you’re on another planet,” one racer was overheard saying before disappearing into a moss-choked gnar chute that looked like it hadn’t seen sunlight since the Ice Age.
The event is capped and based on a lottery, keeping it small, tight, and just mysterious enough that you probably haven’t heard of it—until now.
What to Expect (Other Than Altitude-Induced Awe)
- 6+ timed stages per day
- Epic, often hike-a-bike access
- Zero cell service (bless)
- Heli and boat transfers that feel like you’re starring in your own MTB documentary
- Dinner conversations about tire inserts, not TikTok (not guaranteed)
What It Says About MTB Right Now
This race is peak MTB as exclusive. It’s not really about racing—though sure, some legends show up to shred—it’s about doing something that most people will never get to do.
But there you go: people ride for stories. And the best story of the race from 2025 is that one man passed on all the fancy motorized conveyances–meet Matt Fairbrother.
Diary Entry: Filed Under “Someday, Maybe (After I Win the Lottery or Sell a Kidney)”
You don’t need a chopper to find magic on a mountain bike. But dang, it would make for a hell of a shuttle.
For now, this one goes on the “if I ever get wildly overpaid for something” list. Meanwhile, I’ll be earning my descents the old-fashioned way—with snacks, sweat, and slightly questionable route planning.
Back to basics. Back to dirt.
