Matthew Fairbrother: Totally More Enduro Than You

Everyone’s favourite enduro bikepacker is at it again. This time, he’s riding (and paddling) the entire NZ MTB Rally – instead of doing any of the uplifts and boat transfers. Or catered assistance and comfy beds.

One giant week coming up… starting tomorrow I’ll be racing the @nzmtbrally a 6 day supported enduro race, although I’ll be doing it 100% human-powered and unsupported. This means whilst the rest of the competitors are getting shuttles up the hills, helicopters up the mountains and a boat charter across the bay, I’ll be grinding it out on the pedals doing my best to keep up, whilst still trying to race. This could well and truely be the biggest week of my life. Excited to rip into it!

Matthew Fairbrother, Instagram

While everyone else doing the event takes advantage of helicopters, catering and general trip-of-a-lifetime assistance, Matthew is riding it all unsupported. After day one, riding all the ups as well as the timed downs, he was in first place – beating everyone that had been on the uplift trucks. After day two he was still first, despite logging the second fastest time of the day. Then he had planned what he thought would be about seven hours of paddling a kayak through the night, with his bike on a special rack, which you can see here in practice sessions.

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A post shared by Matthew Fairbrother (@matthewfmtb)

However, the forecast stormy weather meant he had to give his bike to the normal people and only do the paddling. Six and a half hours later with fish in his kayak, he made it to land, where a short pedal puts him ready to start day three.

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Tune in for @matthewfmtb’s latest challenge -taking on the @nzmtbrally totally unsupported. Day 1 has ended and he’s currently sitting in top spot! Awesome achievement.

For those who don’t know what he’s up to, here is a quick summary :

-120 Racers are taking on an epic 6-day backcountry enduro adventure in New Zealand’s Nelson-Tasman region
– A “typical” day in the race averages 600 – 1200m of climbing and 2300 to 3000m of descents
– The official challenge features multiple heli-drops, a boat crossing and 4×4 shuttles…but in true Fairbrother style, he’s switching a boat trip for 7-hour kayak through the night with bike strapped on board, and heli-drops with hike-a-bike

Find out more about the rally via the link in bio and stay tuned for more updates as the rally progresses!

Thanks to @__snaccident___ for sharing various clips from the day!

Deviate Instagram

Who cares if he finishes on the podium? It’s a thoroughly epic effort. Follow him on Instagram stories if you want to keep up with this wild trip, or read about the time he bike packed the entire EWS, below.

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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