Comp days are the grand finale, a moment when athletes, volunteers and event organisers all breathe a sigh of relief that they made it!
What’s rarely seen or talked about is the collection of fragments leading up to that first run from the start gate. But there's energy and grit that goes into making a comp take-off that's rarely seen or talked about.
The Mons crew had boots on the ground in the days leading up to NST Bike which was based in our backyard. Our social specialist, Sophia and team rider, Matthew Fairbrother captured this behind-the-scenes look into the intricacies of pulling off an event for the first time.
What blew us away in the days leading up to the comp was the shared camaraderie between the gals on the ground. Though they’d all be competing against one another on the day, the practice sessions consisted of cheering each other on, leading one another into bigger features, and moving through the course as a united front.
This course is no joke, while the views overlooking QT give it an easily romanticised vibe, the jumps were challenging with many of the world’s top bikers taking their turn hitting the dirt.
In an effort to be as involved as possible, the Mons crew slept out at the local trailer park for the week. And while hot and dusty, our operations base always had a cooler of cold Speight’s for the end-of-day editing session.
Comp day came around faster than we could have anticipated. The energy of the last days was a vortex of sand, sun, and making sh** happen. On the big day, truck lights headed for set-up were spotted at 5 am on the mountain amidst the still-dark morning.
To be a part of an event in its first year is an experiment in patience, learning and 'no.8 wire'. It was an absolute ride being there since NST Bike’s inception and we’re so excited for what’s to come down the pipe from this event.
Watch the event for the first time in its “Re-Live” format once it goes public on Red Bull TV on March 5th 12:00 PST / March 6th 09:00 NZT on Red Bull and TVNZ + and Youtube.
