Mountain biking

It’s an honour for Maia and I to be able to speak on behalf of Mr Moir and the Dunstan Mountain Bikers. Looking back it all started 5 years ago when I took the leap of faith to go on a Friday after school ride with Mr Moir. From there on it spiralled. Over the years I’ve had some amazing experiences and been to some unreal places all just to ride my bike for which I’m super thankful. With a new group of riders coming through I’m hopeful for the future of mountain biking at Dunstan and I hope they have as many good experiences as I did.

At the end of February, MTB Otago ran the inaugural Otago/Southland MTB Champs at Signal Hill in Dunedin. DHS had 18 students competing. Hot and dusty conditions greeted riders for the Downhill, where Cam Moir and Steffi Moss both won their age group. Sunday morning it was time for the hurt locker with the cross-country. Cam Moir won the U14 boys, and William Miller was 2nd. Fern Cameron won the U15 girls and Eddie Adams had a great fight with older riders, winning the U16 boys. Jonathan Miller won the U20 boys, with Maia Adams winning the corresponding girls race. The final afternoon was the Enduro, with 3 dry and dusty stages. Cam Moir had another win, as did Eddie Adams. Cooper Millwood won the U15 boys enduro by 3 seconds. DHS had wins in the overall titles by Cam Moir, Eddie Adams, Steffi Moss and Flynn Ealson along with winning the overall best school title by over 1000 points. A good result for the first event of the year.

Next up was the South Island Schools MTB Champs at Mt Hutt. The excitement was high after the cancellation of the same event last year due to COVID. First up was the cross-country with some great performances from Cam Moir, gaining 2nd in the U14 boys, and a host of 4ths from Eddie Adams, Cooper Millwood and Maia Adams in their age groups. Saturday came the Downhill on a fast and open track with performances to note from Cam Moir in 5th, and Maia Adams in 2nd. The next event was the 4 stage Enduro. Cam Moir finished up 3rd, as did Fern Cameron, and Maia Adams won the U20 girls enduro by over 25 seconds.  Overall, Dunstan placed as the 4th best school out of 70 and the top school in the South Island for XC. This was a great result for only 15 students when some schools have upwards of 40 competing. Individually, Cam Moir was 3rd in the U14 boys and Maia Adams won the U20 girls section. 

The next event was the annual Linger and Die Series on home soil. The downhill was raced on the Clyde DH track, with DHS having 8 students competing. Hayley Harris had a successful day, claiming 2nd in the U17 girls class. The Enduro preceded the downhill with 6 stages out behind the clock with about 1200m of climbing involved. Cooper Millwood put all his training to use, winning the U17 boys section, even beating the older boys in the process. Jonathan Miller won the Junior Male section after a dominant performance and Hayley Harris came home 2nd in the U17 female section, doing her big brother proud.

Unfortunately the National Schools MTB Champs that were meant to be in Blenheim were cancelled. Aside from this we have had a successful year with many enjoyable moments. The next big event will see Dunstan riders competing against the professionals on home soil as the international event Crankworxs comes to town. This is a huge opportunity for Dunstan riders to get their names out there on the international scene.

Finally, we would like to say a massive thank you to ICL Chartered Accountants, and Design Windows for their constant support, we appreciate what you guys have done for all of us. And of course a big thanks to the man himself Mr Moir for his passion and enthusiasm.