Emerson's 3 Peaks Enduro

Day 1 Start Times

Please see list below to see your start times for Day 1 - Saturday. We will hold race briefings 5min before each of these start times. 

International Riders Descend on Emerson's 3 Peaks Enduro

Press Release by Derek Morrison

The hills encircling the city skyline above Dunedin, New Zealand, will come to life over the weekend for the Emerson's 3 Peaks Enduro mountain biking race, which has attracted an international field of riders.

Riders gather at the start line at the summit of Flagstaff for the 2015 Urge 3 Peaks Enduro mountain biking race held in Dunedin, New Zealand. November 28, 29, 2015

Paul van der Ploeg, of Mt Beauty, Australia, will be joined by Frenchman Thomas Bailly as the lead international riders vying for a podium spot from local favourites Justin Leov, of Blenheim, Jimmy Pollard, of Queenstown, Keegan Wright, of Rotorua and Dunedin riders, Leighton Kirk and Ethan Glover in the men's. In the women's Nina Arnold, of Whistler, Canada, will be up against former local Anja McDonald, now of Nelson, with reigning champion Rae Morrison relegated to media duties while carrying an injury.

Race founder Kashi Leuchs, of Bike Otago, said the race had a few surprises in store for riders come the start on Saturday.

"We can let people know now that we actually have a few new tracks in the course," he laughs. "We kept that really hush, hush because we didn't want riders out practising these new trails, but essentially what we've done is to clear some older tracks that had become overgrown and hadn't been used for some time."

Kashi said it was important to have something fresh for riders.

"The first track of the race, The Pepper Tree Track, will probably see a few wide eyes as they come down the trail," he offers. "It's not easy – if it was to rain we wouldn't be able to run that course – it's probably a bit too scary for that. But it is a nice part of Dunedin, set in beautiful bush and it's great to be able to showcase that."

The event is ranked as an Enduro World Series (EWS) Qualifier race in 2016 and marks the first time local brewery Emerson's has been on board as title sponsor.

"We have more international riders that we have ever had before and that's clearly thanks to the Enduro World Series qualifier status," Kashi explains. "From what I am hearing there are some very good international riders here as well. They're not just tourists coming to experience the race – they're top riders chasing EWS qualifying. I think they may surprise a few of the faster locals."

One of the masters of the Dunedin trails and a leading EWS rider, Justin Leov, is returning for the race from his new home in Blenheim.

"It's wonderful to have Justin back here," states Kashi. "He is obviously a big part of Dunedin mountain bike culture and one of the best enduro riders in the world right now. Despite his tough year this past season, he's still got the speed to be up there in the top of any EWS race, so to have someone of his calibre here with us is fantastic."

Organised by local bike shop Bike Otago in conjunction with Mountain Biking Otago, the 2016 Emerson's 3 Peaks Enduro features stages on each of the three tallest peaks surrounding Dunedin's CBD: Flagstaff (668m), Mt Cargill (676m) and Signal Hill (393m) over two days of racing.

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Emerson's 3 Peaks Enduro Sponsors

Every year we have held the 3 Peaks Enduro, we wouldn't have been able to without the help of all of our sponsors, and this year is no different. 

First off, we are proud to welcome our new title sponsor for this year, Emerson's Brewery. Located right here in Dunedin, we could not think of a more perfect name to have attached to this event. Along with being the namesake of this year's event, Emerson's will also be hosting the after-party following Saturday's day of racing. With great food on the menu and even better beers on tap, We're sure it'll be a great way to wrap up day 1 of the race. 

Even though Emerson's is the name on the race, we still would not be able to pull this all off without the help of all of our other sponsors:

Camelbak - Long known in the mountain biking scene for their hydration packs (perfect for carrying plenty of water and supplies for races like 3 Peaks), Camelbak has hooked us up with a ton of packs and other swag for prize giving this year, as well as being on of our major sponsors. 

100% - Arguably one of the most popular brands among the downhill scene in Dunedin, you'd be hard pressed not to see a number of riders sporting 100% goggles, helmet or gloves shuttling Signal Hill. 100% has gifted us a few pairs of goggles, gloves, and even some shirts and hoodies to hand out at this year's event. 

Sweet Cheeks - Wanaka based company providing chamois cream and other fantastic products. There products are made from beautiful natural ingredients and its what we use ourselves. We have a bunch to give away as prizes.

Cactus Outdoor - Based out of their Christchurch headquarters, Cactus Outdoor makes some of the most durable and long-lasting work wear in all of Aotearoa. They've been on on board as one of our sponsors for a couple years now, and for good reason. We can't get enough of their awesome shorts. 

G-Form - Leading the game in new-age protection technology, G-Form has hooked us up with several pairs of their new knee/shin pads and elbow pads for prizes. 

New World - Dunedin's Centre City new world is the best super market in town! They have donated a $250 meal voucher that we use to buy food for the feed zone.

Ground Effect - Providing cyclists with bike-specific, NZ-made gear since 1994, Ground Effect are whole hearted supporters of what they call the "Cycling Revolution". They've provided us with a ton of their awesome socks and beanies to give away to some of the volunteers.

Taste Nature - Dunedin's local organic garden, store, and eatery, Taste Nature is providing lunches for each of our volunteers throughout the weekend. Just like the race wouldn't be the same without our sponsors, our volunteers are the backbone of the race, and keeping them well-fed is key to a successful event!

WTB - Fuelled by a desire to create durable and reliable mountain biking-specific equipment, WTB is a shop favourite for their bomb-proof tyres. They tossed us a few of those awesome tyres as well as some other goodies to give away come race time. 

Today on Facebook

We choose the best posts and put them up here. Just put #3peaksenduro on your facebook posts so we find it.

Today on Instagram

Review coming up shortly on the new pocket rocket. Pity I have to give this one back. #mavicpro #dj #djiglobal #drone #tinyasfuck #4k #vsco #vscocam

A photo posted by Aaron McGrouther (@loamerlust) on Nov 27, 2016 at 9:38pm PST

Hello Dunedin ! #3peaksenduro #mycanyon

A photo posted by Justin Leov (@teamleov) on Nov 29, 2016 at 11:39pm PST

We've arrived in #DunedinNZ. Gotta take a moment to rave about the great little #Trail network on Signal Hill. The climb trail was so mellow and flowy that we made the 6k journey a couple of times more than expected. Plus some sweet techy rock gardens and off-camber roots for the win! 📷 @harmon_dan \\ #NZMTB #YetiTribe #SuuntoBike #Dunnerstunner #ExploreNz #PureNZ #Singletrack #SwimBikeRun #3PeaksEnduro

A photo posted by Nina Arnold (@ninaa2007) on Nov 30, 2016 at 1:11am PST

Fresh rubber always a good option for #3peaksenduro in Dunedin this weekend. Cheers @wildernesstrailbikes and my boys at @ridejoystick for keeping me going. #seeyououtthere @torpedo7 @srammtb @ridecannondale

A photo posted by Jimmy Pollard (@jimmyfpollard) on Nov 29, 2016 at 11:30pm PST

One year ago...

Emerson's Brewery Party

wanting to bring anyone to join us. The cost will be $20 per head. You will need to order by Tuesday night (click on link) or we can't promise there will be enough.

Today, Emerson's head chef, Andy with his electric guitar and sensational custom built smoker cranked up - cooking the pork slow and low. While he warned us that looking was not cooking, he did allow us one sneaky peek...

2 Weeks to go - Race Updates

Some extra spots have become available... if you are still keen to enter, please purchase here. If you want to be included in emails with upcoming info/maps/results etc, please sign up here. 

Emerson's is our new title sponsor

Super exciting news today as we announce the new partnership with Emerson's Brewery!

Emerson's are another Dunedin company with a long, proud and patriotic history of producing fine quality product. We are very excited about this partnership and even more so, about the regular after ride pints we will enjoy as well !!!

Thanks to Chris, Greg and Richard for the belief and trust in what we are doing... hugely appreciated.

Please support the #3peaks sponsors!
#emersons #yetinz #bikeotago #camelbak #dunedinnz
#onehundredpercent #cactusclothing #urgebike #groundeffectclothing #wtb#gform #sweetchecks #newworlddunedin #tastenature

3 Peaks becomes EWS Qualifier

The Enduro World Series (EWS) announced today a new round of qualifying events that will offer riders a clear pathway on to the world stage of enduro mountain bike racing and it has named the Urge 3 Peaks Enduro in Dunedin, New Zealand, as one of those. 

Urge 3 Peaks Enduro event director and Olympian Kashi Leuchs, of Dunedin, said he was surprised when he got the call from EWS managing director Chris Ball a few weeks ago.

"We didn't even know this kind of thing was being planned," he admitted. "But the concept certainly does make sense for the riders and its a real honour for us to be part of it."

The EWS had been aware for some time it needed a more transparent entry system for those riders devoted to enduro, but wanted to ensure it could create a fair and open structure before its introduction. They believed this had now been achieved with the roll out of 18 new Enduro World Series Qualifier events for the upcoming year – two in New Zealand. The Giant Toa Enduro, held in Rotorua as part of the Crankworx festival each March, will be the other New Zealand event to reach the qualifying status for EWS. 

"I think it’s a big step forward for the sport as a whole," states EWS managing director Chris Ball.

Leuchs said this was great news for the Urge 3 Peaks Enduro.

"It's a huge team effort to put this race on and after four years of running it this is the perfect thing to make us all excited again. I'll be calling everyone together soon to discuss what fun things we can add and ways we can improve."

He said the event, which was supported by local club Mountain Biking Otago, already fitted into the mold of world enduro events. "We don't see the need to change the formula too much to be honest," Leuchs said. "We have lots of capacity to grow the numbers without sacrificing quality, so it should just mean even more fun."

The Urge 3 Peaks Enduro has become as iconic for the Dunedin trails it uses as it has for the culture of the event and this is something Leuchs said he would preserve now the event had EWS Qualifier status.

"A few years back Tom Bradshaw and I made a really conscious decision that the Urge 3 Peaks needed to remain focused on its core – the grassroots riders. We will make sure this doesn't change."

"Of course we do expect more international riders will take part and some of these riders might have a lot at stake, but that's just going to add to the fun for the rest of us watching them battle it out."

For Leuchs, the announcement is a tip of the cap for his personal endeavour to promote enduro racing in New Zealand. "I am buzzing on it right now," he smiles. "Really though it won't change the most important stuff, which is simply seeing everyone out there having fun on their bikes, hanging out and fizzing after their runs. That's why I do it."

The first test for the qualifying series events will come this week with the Giant Toa Enduro taking place at Crankworx Rotorua. The Urge 3 Peaks Enduro will take place in Dunedin on December 3-4, 2016.