The 2016 DME final yarn

Hey all,

We have just come through the honeymoon post race period which included excessive caffeine intake (that’s actually just standard), left over chicken and squinting in the glow of the outrageous compliments. Mother nature has just given a good ‘back to it’ back hander to the back of the head and the boys at the gorge now have a big clean up job after the weeks intense rainfall and I’m sitting in a campground in Waitangi waiting for the rain to stop so I can go back to work. I figure it’s a good time to have another look back at what was the 4th annual DME.

 It’s probably a huge no no to make the best yet claim, but this was the best yet. Our volunteer team were sharp as, our buses kept going all day, the food was outstanding, the weather was mint and the only drops of moisture on the trails came from your sweaty helmet pads as you picked your way down 3 challenging but rewarding race lines.  The exciting news is that the DME will be back in 2017 and, yes, it will be the best yet. Its definitely a huge no no to make the claim a year in advance, but we are quietly confident.

 Another big shout out to the team below who contribute to making the event happen. (As you read each name can you just do a small fist pump or yell yeah boi, you can alternate hands if fist pumping.

RHL NZ – The owners of the park who generously open the gates every year and make this event happen.

 Sponsors

- Hyperformace Hardware (Santa Cruz NZ) – Stylie

- Blueshark – Al

- Cactus – Daryl

- Ground Effect – Cherie and team

- Mons Royale – Richard

- Urge Helmets- Kashi

- Revolution Bikes – Chris

- Bowater Toyota – Azza and David

- Mountain Bike Skills Clinics - Mildy the Legends men champ

- Fresh Choice – Gary

- Torpedo 7 – James and Alan

- Worralls – Pete

- Spoke Magazine – Neil, Brett, Hayward, Rod, Aaron

- Parrot DOG - Ol Wattie Watson - how good were they?!!

 Helpers

- Donaldson Civil – Luke

- Spinifex- Sam Worsp

- B’Rad Cycles -  Llama

- Upshift  - Tama and Paul

- Niness timing – Andrew

- Stash Media Worx – Rossco (DME hall of famer)

- Deville Café – Cam (you guys need to pipe down) and Evan

- Pomeroys – Tracy and Hayden

- Helibike Nelson – Steve

- Browser Sound Systems

- Graham (portside auto)

- Nelson Mountain Bike Club

- Golden Bay Mountain Bike Club

- Hirepool, better late than never.

- Nelson portaloos

- Triple One Care and Tom Jerram

- Mike (curly haired man) Armstrong and Simon (oily rag) Finucane

Volunteers – what a team!

Mickey Fan

Kelly Leonard

Cordelia Sharpe                        

Nigel Schroder

             Stevie Bill

Bronwyn Tuck

Blake Mc Dowell

Keith Rayner

Brenda Clapp

Daniela Soto Paredes

Glenn Taplin

John Butler      

Reuben Miller

Glen Buckley

Reuben Miller

Olivia Johnston

Cassie Marwick

Brian Alder

Tristan Rawlence

Rosie Horn

             Rob Waters

Simon Bannister

Lewis

Anne-Marie Friis

              Rene Cocker

Patrick Murray

Hamish Best

David Ayre

             Grace McGowan

Phil Etheridge

Dinah Jerram

Jeremy Binns

Graham King

Mike Greisen

Susanne Bennell

Steve Fox

             Murray Findlay

Tim Lloyd

Matt Price

Mel Schroder

             Mike Brien

Ian Chadwick

Alex Oconnor

Tony Wall

             Jessica Enlund

Murray Drake

Tom Jerram

Caelab Drummond

            The Wairoa crew

Brendan (Morts) Morton – The ideas man behind the race lines and a lynch pin in getting the trails and signage ready and managing it all on the day. Countless other tasks along the way

Dave (T) Taikato – A huge amount of preparation work and trail grooming, and all sorts of mongrel jobs like weedeating in 30 degrees, he gets it done. Also made the Beech wood trophies.

Dave (Scottish) Scotland – The man with the key to your hearts, providing all of the food everyday. A massive job into the wee small hours.

Pete Fyfe – Heaps of behind the scenes trail work and preparation and overseeing the safety team on the day.

Simon Lloyd – He’s a part time on the crew but needs a shout. He does all of the excavator work, believe it our not that road used to be 100 times worse. He also drove at the event.

 

LINKS

SPOKE Videos and Storys

Event Wrap up Video

Dodzy Tribute Video (NZ Trail Solutions Story)

Results and story

PHOTOS

Digby Shaw Photography

Matty Ayloff

RESULTS

The Timing Team

 

FINAL WORD

So that about wraps things up. Was awesome to see you all at the Gorge, hope to see you next year. If you have any questions etc just get in touch. Cheers. Nick C

 

…hopefully you can take a bit of that infectiousness that Dodzy exuded away with you and live your life with a purpose that is meaningful to you. That would make him so proud, and I think that he would feel like his time on this earth with us had been worthwhile if his passing inspired other people to live their life well lived…

Gabby Molloy

 

2016 ENTRANT LIST

Here is the list of competitors for the 2016 DME.

Still waiting on a couple of competitions to close up, so there will be a few lucky names added.

The Mens race is all go with regular quick fullas Leov, Nicoll, Bennett, Blenkinsop. Wyn Masters is back to his old 'work'place, might be a 'productive' weekend for him. There are heaps of others to keep an eye on and some locals who have some inside knowledge.

The womens field is missing the whole 2015 podium, but still seems as competitive as ever, Anka Martin, Harriet, Megan Rose, Alice Baker, Jo Perrot, Tiff Farsnworth, Mel Blomfield. . Its actually unreal looking at the level of riders right through the categories, heavy hitters everywhere.

In alphabetical order

Tom Adams Wellington

Steven Adams Wellington

Kane Adcock nelson

James (GEEZA) Alexander Rotorua

Maiki Andersen Christchurch

monique anderson nelson

Mike Anderson Nelson

John Baddiley Wellington

Jaenine Badenhorst TAURANGA

Chris Badenhorst tauranga

Ronnie Baker Queenstown

Tom Baker Queenstown

Alice Baker Nelson

Amy Ballagh Queenstown

Joel Bamford Wellington

Jarrod Bang Wellington

Rod Bardsley Paraparaumu

Luke Bassant Christchurch

Nick Bedford Wellington

Kieran Bennett Christchurch

Ross Benton New plymouth

Hamish Berkett Nelson

Ian Best Wellington

Jeremy Blake Wellington

Sam Blenkinsop Christchurch

adrian blok christchurch

Melanie Blomfield Chrustchyrch

Derek Bond Wellington

Jake boylett nelson

Michael Brake Nelson

Chris Brown's nelson

Abbie Bull Wellington

Rachel Butcher Nelson

Gary Campbell Cambridge

David Carlyon Wellington

Ian Carswell Queenstown

Jeff Carter Rotorua

Spencer Cathman Nelson

Isaac Chamberlain Christchurch

Les Chan Warkworth

martin chandler Nelson

Callum Chisnall Christchurch

Leif  Christensen Queenstown

Jonathon Clearwater The Forks

Cyril Clement Wellington

Tayne Clements Nelson

Phoebe Coers Dunedin

Amy Cole Wellington

Cameron Cole Wellington

JEffrey Collins chchc

bradley COLLINS New Zealand

John Colthorpe Auckland

Mike Cowlin Wanaka

Eden Cruise Porirua

Andrew Cullen Oakura

Mitchell Currie nelson

Tim Davidson wellington

josh de veer nelson

Emil de Vries Havelock North

Jon Deaker Queenstown

Bryn Dickerson Plimmerton

Sam Donaldson Auckland

Luke Donaldson Nelson

Cushla Donovan Wellington

Liam Drew Wellington

Mark Dunlop Rotorua

Karolyne Dunn brightwater

Murray  Dwyer Christchruch

Deanna Elvines Nelson

James Fagan Dunedin

Thomas falconer Rotorua

Tiffany Farnsworth Richmond

Matt Farrar Wellington

Rick Federkeil Auckland

John Fink Christchurch

Simon Finucane Rotorua

sam fisher queenstown

Hunter Flatz Manukau

Jeremy Forlong Dunedin

matt freeman Auckland

Carl Garth Nelson

Scott Gillanders Nelson

Jake Glover Nelson

Ethan Glover Nelson

richard goldsbury Christchurch

Ian Goldshmidt Nelson

Hamish Gordon Wellington

Clinton Gray Rotorua

Alastair Gregory Nelson

Boyd Grinstead Chch

Sam Grummitt Christchurch

Leigh Halkett Queenstown

Ben Hall Nelson

Kerry Halse Auckland

Richard Harding Christchurch

Harriet Harper Christchurch

Matty Harris Squamish, British Columbia

loui Harvey Nelson

Todd Hasley Nelson

Gordon Hastings Dunedin

colin hastings chc

Michael Hayward Nelson

Levi Healey-Furniss Nelson

Shanine Hermsen Nelson

shannon hewetson Melbourne

Nathan Hewetson Nelson

Max Hides Christchurch

Patrick Higgins Nelson

Aaron Hogg Christchurch

Clement Holgtae Auckland

Noah Hosie Nelson

Richard Houston Takaka

Mathew Hunt Rotorua

Alistair Jamieson Nelson

Andre Jaworski RD1 Richmond

Paul Jennings Nelson

nicola johnson Lower Hutt

Richard Jones Queenstown

Carl Jones Rotorua

Pierre Jordan Richmond

Ben Karalus Nelson

Hamish Kay Brooklyn Wellington

Daryl Kearns Nelson

Mulvey Kelly Wellington

Glenn Kempton Chch

Wade Kenchington Queenstown

Neil Kerr Wanaka

Graham King Nelson

Sam Knowles Motueka

Matthew Kristofski Wellington

Thomas Lamb Queenstown

Jane Lambert Mapua

Paul Larkin Kew East

Mathew Lees Dunedin

Justin Leov Blenheim

Kashi Leuchs Dunedin

Thomas Lindup Wellington

Tony Lines Wellington

Adrian Loo Christchurch

Ally Mackay Christchurch

Ross MacLennan Nelson

Chris Manson Wellington

Alicja Marcinek Christchurch

Anka Martin Nelson

Sven Martin Nelson

Gareth Martyn Nelson

Wyn Masters New plymouth

Justin Matthews Queenstown

Shane McAusland Haast

Anja Mcdonald Nelson

Shaun McFadden Christchurch

Cowboy McGinnity Lower Hutt

amani mcintyre golden bay

Quinton Mckay Christchurch

Hayden McKay Nelson

Dayne Mcknight Waikuku beach

Ross Mclachlan Lower Hutt

dayle mclauchlan christchurch

Jarrod Mclauchlan Nelson

Ben McLaughlin Nelson

Shona Mclean Nelson

jonas meier CHRISTCHURCH

Logan Mickell Nelson

ash millar chrisatchurch

Mildie Monster Nelson

Tom Moore Wellington

Ben Moulam Nelson

Joseph Nation Christchurch

Scotty Newman Wellington

Jamie Nicoll Nelson

Daniel Olave Nelson

Reuben Olorenshaw Nelson

Matthew Page Wellington

James Parmenter Nelson

Amanda Pearce Nelson

Cati Pearson Rotorua

Jo Perrott Nelson

Lester Perry Te Awamutu

Nathan Petrie Christchurch

Georgia Petrie Christchurch

jordan phipps christchurch

Ricky Pincott Wellington

jimmy pollard Queenstown

John Postles Nelson

Dave Pratt Nelson

James Pretty Wellington

Jimmy Pritchard Perth

Mark Quayle Wellington

Al quinn wgtn

Dan Raggett Nelson

Nathan Rankin Levin

cole read nelson

josh reilly auckland

Nick Reuther Christchurch

hugh reynolds christchurch

Andy Richards Christchurch

Jonty Ritchie Wellington

Matthew Roberts Christchurch

John Rollston Nelson

Megan Rose Queenstown

Chris Rowley Wellington

Marcus Roy Invercargill

Cherie Rusbatch Christchurch

Dave Schaper Nelson

Craig Scott Christchurch

Byron Scott Auckland

Stephane Seelen New Caledonia

Peter Shaw Wellington

Samuel Shaw Rotorua

Ben Shayler Dunedin

Lewis Simpson nelson

Richard Skilton WELLINGTON

Gary Smith Upper Moutere

Sasha Smith Wellington

Rob Soothill chch

Mike Spanbrooke Rotorua

matthew stamand wellington

Kevin Stanbra Rotorua

Marc Stewart Khandallah

Mike Stylianou Nelson

Nicholas Sutcliffe Christchurch

guy Sutherland timaru

nicole swain Lower Hutt

Matt Tebbs Wellington

Jamiew Thirkettle NELSON

Jason Thomsen Richmond

Jamie Trafford Nelson

Peach Travis Wellington

Simon Tucker Christchurch

Trevor Van den bogaert christchurch

Chris Vanderkolk Auckland

Jonny Waghorn Wellington

Matthew Walker Kawerau

nic ward nelson

Daryl Warnock Christchurch

Dan Webster Wellington

Mark Weston Christchurch

Ash Whitehead Nelson

Naomi Whitehead Nelson

David Whybrew Hendra

Ben Wilde Wellington

Ryan Williamson Wellington

Renee Wilson Christchurch

Gregor Wilson Wellington

Gerrard Wilson Wellington

Jared Wilson New Plymouth

Mical Wilson Nelson

derek Winwood Wellington

Jethro Witte nelson

John Wooding Christchurch

Odin Woods Christchurch

Paul Wynen Nelson

alastair young Orewa

Chris Young nelson

Will Young Wellington

NZ CROWN

NZ CROWN

We have once again invited the cream of NZ Crown racers to attend the DME.

This year the invite goes to the top 5 men and women enduro riders.

We're also stoked to announce the DME is again a gold ranked NZ Crown Event.

Yeeeeah man!

Men

Wyn Masters

Carl Jones

Matt Walker

Samuel shaw

Jimmy Pollard

Women

Raewyn Morrison

Meg Bichard

Rosara Joseph

Sasha Smith

Natalie Jakobs

To find out how you compare to these guys check out the website, or maybe don't… your call.

www.nzcrown.co.nz

ENTRYS OPEN SOON

ENTRYS OPEN SOON

Entries for the 2016 DME open on Sunday Sept 27 at 7.00pm

An entry link will be placed on the website and also on the facebook event page at that time.

- Be on your computer at 7 sharp

- Get your autofill sorted

- Good luck

 

Here are the fields for the entry form;

          Name

Gender

DOB

Age Category (age at the end of 2016)

-Pro/Elite

-16-29

-30-39

-40-49

-50+

Email Address

Town/City

Phone

Emergency contact person

Emergency contacts number

Medical conditions

- yes/no (if yes we will contact you)

Payment (acknowledgement that you will pay)

Bike wheel size 

T Shirt Size

Food requests

- vegetarian

- gluten free

- other

Risk Waiver

 

 

 

2016 Date Announcement

2016 Date Announcement

The Wairoa Gorge Crew is stoked to announce the 4th annual DME will be held at the Wairoa Gorge (near Nelson) on February 6 and 7 next year.

It’s hard to believe that almost 4 years has passed since James ‘Dozdy’ Dodd’s tragic accident.  It’s a loss that is still felt here at Wairoa and around the NZ mountain bike community.  We’re happy to see the DME has evolved into a pretty fitting tribute with a big social focus as well as some wild, goofy grin inducing, riding and racing.

This years event will follow the same format as previous years with a shuttle day on the Saturday and timed runs on the Sunday. The former Saturday night debrief at Deville will be conveniently moved to Sunday night, post event, with Monday being a recognised public holiday and a chance to recharge and travel home.

200 entries will be made available to the public in the coming months with some debate taking place currently as to whether there will be a ballot or a first in first served entry system. We will let you know the outcome. Entry fees are expected to stay at $150.

We are wrapped to have the support of some awesome sponsors, and a spot prize pool of about $10000 is expected, so pretty much everyone’s a winner.  The biggest prizes on offer a Santa Cruz frame and our Golden Ticket which is arguably better than old mate Willy Wonka’s.

Hopefully this will motivate you even more to get out riding on those freezing evenings and weekends and lift your riding to another level. One thing’s for sure, the trails aren’t going to get any easier.

NEW SPONSOR DAY..

NEW SPONSOR DAY..

You knew the DME was already a nice mountain bike race.. We'll now we've made it 'real nice' with a cold hard beer injection.. Parrotdog are on board to keep you refreshed with tasty beverages during the event. If you don't know what Parrotdog is we suggest you go do some research.  But please - Research Responsibly

http://parrotdog.co.nz

 

Must Watch: 2015 Dodzy Memorial Enduro Recap

Must Watch: 2015 Dodzy Memorial Enduro Recap

It’s taken us a little while to get this up but better late than never, right? This clip from Spoke filmer Ross Mackay captures the chilled out vibe that encapsulates what it’s like to be at Wairoa Gorge for the Enduro: shredding amazing trails, remembering a friend and a little bit of racing. Enjoy.

Originally posted in Spoke Magazine.

Sam Blenkinsop is the Pro Elite Winner

Sam Blenkinsop is the Pro Elite Winner

If you were near the finish line of the Dodzy Memorial Enduro on Sunday, and witnessed Sam Blenkinsop almost chase down Justin Leov you may have been a little confused when the final results were read out and Kieran Bennett was announced the winner with Justin in second just one second behind. Both Justin and Kieran were pretty positive Sam had beat them and after some number crunching, reviewing of finish times, talking to the starter and reviewing the start times of riders near Sam, it’s clear that he didn’t register a start time in the final run, meaning he went from a podium finish to last in the results.

Organiser Nick Crocker stated: “We can be confident to a 10 second margin of what the riders’ actual times were and are happy to change the results on that basis”.

Kieran Bennett had this to say: “Watching Sam hunting down Justin at the end of stage two and three we all felt like Sam had the win pretty well wrapped up so obviously I was confused when I was announced as the winner and Sam wasn’t even in the top three. I felt bad there had been a stuff up with his time and I’m really glad it has been all sorted out and now he has got the trophy he deserves. I’m still really stoked to be second and to even be on the same podium with Sam and Justin is a massive achievement for me.”

And Justin Leov had this to say about the outcome: “It was obvious Sam had won to me and it’s why I said something at the podium. I was counting the time gaps each stage and he was putting in consistent runs. I knew the speed I had was fast but crashed in the first two stages, one of which I counted 20 seconds before I could get back up on course.”

The final results see Sam Blenkinsop some 30 seconds ahead in first place with Kieran Bennett in second and Justin Leov in third. Final times on the results page will be updated soon.

And out of all the 250 racers out at Wairoa Gorge over the weekend this timing mishap happened to one other rider, Sam Knowles, and it turns out he was also in podium contention for the Masters category. After reviewing start times around his start, the Masters podium changes a little with Hayden McKay still in first, Sam Knowles in second and Ben Shayler in third.

Originally posted in Spoke Magazine.

2015 Dodzy Memorial Enduro Tribute Video

2015 Dodzy Memorial Enduro Tribute Video

On Friday Spoke film maker Ross Mackay and Caleb headed into Wairoa Gorge to work on a video and photos to showcase the Gorge trails, but most importantly, to try and capture what the Dodzy Memorial Enduro event represents and what it means to New Zealand mountain bikers as well as those closest to him.

Originally posted in Spoke Magazine.