Profile of local youth rider
Local GBMTB youth member Wylie Sowman has had a busy 25-26 summer riding season, competing in the NZ Enduro series.
Wylie has been riding with Gravity Nelson’s Youth Development Squad since he was 10, and competing in the South Island and National secondary schools competitions for the past couple of years. He’s done okay, but he had a frustrating enduro in the 2025 nationals where the large number of riders limited his enjoyment of the race. That made him want to look into open events.
He started with the Mammoth Enduro in Nelson, a tough event held in the heat of Nelson summer. The 2025 race was 43km over 5 stages and 2450m of climbing (1. Sunrise Ridge, 2. Whaimana, 3. Peaking Ridge, 4. Cranknstein/629, 5. Maitai Face). Wylie rode two stages blind and dug deep in challenging heat to successfully complete all stages. This really boosted his confidence, and one of Gravity’s coaches encouraged him to enter the other South Island Enduro Series events: Cable Bay, The Craigie and the Gorge Enduros. On top of these events Wylie has had the privilege of a trip to Whistler in 2025, and had a banging summer riding both locally and in Rotorua, Mt Hutt, Middle Hill, CAP and Craigieburn, all of which has added to his foundational skills and fitness.
Wylie wouldn’t be doing any of this without his awesome mates (and parents!) he mostly competes and trains with GBHS friends Kye and Archie, as well as riding with the GBMTB Guns. He also rides with a weekend squad in Nelson, these committed young riders train for the high fitness demands of enduro events often accumulating 1000m of climbing over a day.
Even though Wylie didn’t win any events, his hard work and consistent performance helped him finish 5th in the Under 17 Men’s in the NZ Enduro Series. This coming season he’s hoping to improve his time across all the events and maybe join a North Island leg of the Series. He’s especially excited about hitting the fun and scenic Craigieburn trails again, and is eyeing up the opportunity to ride in The Milk and Honey, and some of the Southern DH and NZ Downhill Series.
In his spare time he enjoys track building with his mates and has heaps of bike projects happening in the farm workshop. These include a tandem made from old kids’ bikes and a bike trailer to carry all his track-building tools. You can follow his adventures on Instagram at @wyliesowman
Youth riding 25/26 season update
Guns
This season got off to a rocky start thanks to the uncooperative weather. The first three rides were cancelled for both the Shredders and the Rippers, and by the third attempt the Guns were so frustrated that we decided to give the Piki a try anyway. Little did we know it was actually snowing at the top of the hill! The kids absolutely loved it and declared it their best ride yet. It was pretty cold, though, so we wrapped things up after just two shuttles—everyone had frozen hands. Still, it’s a ride the kids won’t forget anytime soon.
The Guns headed to the Rameka for their next ride, but things didn’t quite go to plan. By the end of the day we had one broken arm, three stitches, a nasty thigh bruise, and an unfixable puncture—four different riders, all unlucky. It was certainly a challenging day out, but thankfully we had lots of helpers and tough kids. The Guns have been treated to a special guest lately — our local celebrity Brady Stone has been joining us on our rides! He’ll be in Golden Bay until Christmas, and the team is absolutely buzzing to have him along. What a treat!
Shredders
Shredders started with a great signup of 26 kids in total. With a few new faces it was back to basics. Our first two rides of the season were rained off so it was decided to do a Bike & Helmet check with a tyre changing competition session which the group loved. On the bike the group has been listening & riding awesome learning about body position & corning. All in all a great bunch of kids MTBing
Rippers
The Rippers — a lively cohort of riders aged eight to eleven — have grown in confidence on the Bay’s trails this term. With an average of eight riders showing up each week, the group has maintained a steady mix of boys and girls, with around a quarter to a fifth of participants being female. But perhaps the most heartening figure is the number of parents who turn up, helmets on and ready to ride. On many Tuesdays at 3.30pm, half the group has been made up of adults, a level of commitment that speaks volumes.
Weather pinched a couple of sessions, but one of those washouts became an impromptu workshop on tube-changing — a small but vital rite of passage as these young riders grow more independent. Thanks, Steve Cottle, for running that.
This term’s trails have included Motupipi Hill, the historic Rameka, and the ever-popular Pikikrunga. A standout development has been the kids arriving with increasingly reliable bikes and gear (proper shoes firmly non-negotiable), and some now carrying their own tube in a backpack — a quiet but telling marker of their growing self-sufficiency.
On the trails, the group has mastered Grade 3–4 descents and, without fail, they all loved the flowy rhythm of the Piki track. There have been no serious crashes or mechanical mishaps (touch wood), and everyone now holds a confident attack position — standing tall on the pedals, level and ready.
Some are already eyeing up their first jumps; all are buzzing to keep exploring and keep ripping through the trails of the upper South Island.
