Dunedin's top mountain bike enduro event has moved to an early-autumn date.
The Three Peaks Enduro will be held this weekend, moving to March from its traditional December dates.
One of three world championship qualifier events in New Zealand, the Three Peaks is among the country’s top enduro races.
Enduro racing consists of both up and down hill riding, but only the downhill sections are timed.
Race organiser Kashi Leuchs said personal reasons had been the main reason behind the change in dates.
However, he said it also coincided with peak season for the sport, and when borders reopen there should be more international competitors.
While numbers were down from last year, Leuchs was thrilled with the quality of the field.
"We’ve got a really good stack of elite riders," he said.
"Pretty much the who’s who of enduro in New Zealand will be here."
Among the men’s field are Charlie Murray, Matt Walker, Kyle Lucas, Sam Shaw and Bradley Harris.
Rae Morrison, Louise Kelly and Melissa Newell will all compete in the women’s race.
Racing will be held around Whare Flat, over Swampy Summit and the Nicholls Falls track tomorrow, before heading to Signal Hill on Sunday.
The tracks change every year to keep things interesting, and Leuchs was excited by this year’s trails.
"The tracks are going to be fantastic this year. We’re really excited.
"There’s been quite a lot of track building happening, we’ve got a really dedicated crew of people that build these trails.
"So we’re quite fortunate to have a fresh track this year. There’s some classic oldies in there, but a lot of new trails."
The event would still go ahead if there was a late switch of Covid-19 alert levels.
However, that would require shorter races and two groups of riders.
Racing begins at 9am on both days and would go until about 2pm.
