Leading the way is Canterbury 30-year-old Anton Cooper, making his return to the sharp end of cross-country racing as he looks to become the first rider to achieve 10 national elite titles.
After illness forced him out of a tilt at the Paris Olympic Games, Cooper has joined Lapierre Racing Unity, buoyed after winning the national series in Dunedin recently.
"I am building all the time, which is great.
"I have built a lot since the win in Dunedin, where I was not expected to win.
"The health has been good which has allowed me to train well, and with that I have built form which is all I really needed.
"I didn’t feature in the world cup last year so everything is a step forward this year."
After the national event, Cooper races two rounds of the Continental series in Canberra before aiming for a return to the UCI world cup circuit in Brazil.
The former junior and under-23 world champion claimed his first elite national crown in 2013, and has enjoyed success in Rotorua with three championship wins.
His competition is likely to come from 2023 winner Matthew Wilson, who has been impressive in the national series, and Taupo’s Coen Nicol, who won the final round in treacherous conditions.
Taupo rider Sammie Maxwell, recently turned 23, has already chalked up four straight elite women’s titles as well as a clean sweep of the national series.
The former under-23 champion will be challenged by 2020 champion Josie Wilcox (Nelson), runner-up in Queenstown last year, and defending under-23 winner Maria Laurie (Christchurch).
The gravity riders are also an intriguing mix of proven performers and gripping young guns.
While the emerging riders have been thrilling, watch for the venerable experience of Sam Blenkinsop (Christchurch) and Brook MacDonald (Rotorua).
They have four national elite titles and 13 podiums between them and can never be counted out, especially in Rotorua.
The young charge is led by defending champion Lachlan Stevens-McNab, 2023 elite winner Toby Meek and the in-form Sam Gale.
While Queenstown’s four-time national champion Jess Blewitt is looking to a return from injury for the 2025 world circuit, she is not quite ready for racing.
It leaves former junior world champion Jenna Hastings (Rotorua) as the female rider to beat along with Trek Factory professional and two-time junior world medallist Sacha Earnest.
Cross-country is tomorrow, racing over a 4.9km circuit with a 221m elevation gain, based in the Whakarewarewa Forest.
The downhill competition will run for the final time over the famed Taniwha Trail, a 1.8km run with a 309m descent, as the area is planned for logging. — Cycling NZ
