Four young riders from New Zealand’s South Island are about to make history in Italy.
Jonty Richards, Blake Affleck, Dylan Huddleston, and Thomas Easton will compete in the Junior Trophy at the International Six Days of Enduro, often called the “Olympics of motorcycling.” They are the youngest New Zealand team ever to enter this world-famous under-23 event.
The competition, which has been running for more than 100 years, will be held in Bergamo, Italy, where the riders face scorching summer heat and tough terrain. Each day, competitors ride about 220 kilometres, spending nearly eight hours on their bikes for six days straight.
To prepare, the Kiwi team trained for six months, including a camp in Central Otago. But racing in Italy will be a different challenge. “That’s probably going to be one of our biggest problems, being from the South Island,” Richards admitted.
The rules make things even harder. At the end of each day, riders have just 15 minutes to fix their own bikes with no outside help. Affleck explained they’ve practiced so much that they can now change tyres in two minutes.
Team manager Kylie Dorr, who captained New Zealand’s first women’s team last year, said the challenge is enormous. “For these boys, this will be the hardest thing they’ve ever done in their life.” Many riders don’t even make it to the finish line.
Still, the young Kiwis are heading in with confidence and determination. “To get first, first you’ve got to finish!” Richards said with a grin.
