Words Lester Perry
Images Caleb Smith & Jason Beacham

On 7th September 2012, at the youthful age of 30, James Dodds – affectionately known as Dodzy – passed away after a hunting accident. Not only did the mountain bike world lose a key figure that day, but many of us lost a great friend and inspiration. For ten years, the Dodzy Memorial Enduro has brought together a section of NZ’s MTB community, firstly to celebrate Dodzy’s life and legacy, but equally to celebrate the things he was into, as we are; riding and racing bikes, hanging with mates, and just generally having a good time outside.

In the months preceding Dodzy’s passing, he and Jeff Carter (business partner in NZ Trial Solutions trail building company) had pursued the idea of running a race in the Wairoa Gorge MTB park they’d been developing. At the time, the zone was off-limits to all, aside from over 50 trail builders working in there, or those who were lucky enough to know the right people or were part of the inner circle of the land owners RHL. The idea had been to open the park up for an event to give people a taste for the gnarlier side of what it had to offer. Dodzy had a taste for tech, and he wanted to expand the circle of who could enjoy some of the gorge’s finest.

We had a lengthy sit-down with Nick Crocker, who was managing the Wairoa Gorge property at the time of Dodzy’s passing. “I had to ask Jamie Nichol what Enduro was. Well, to get an exact definition. I mean, I knew what it was, having seen a little bit of stuff on Pinkbike, but it was kind of like, what actually defines it? What is it really? I don’t think there were any in New Zealand back then.”

“It’s pretty funny because I had two chats with Dodzy, who was just frothing about it. And I was sort of like, it’s pretty left field to be honest (to be running a race). We used to have Zoom chats every couple of weeks, and he’s just going on about this Enduro, and I’m like, man, I don’t even… I’ve got this big list of things that I wanted him to give me answers to and he’s just going on about this Enduro!”

Background work was progressing, and with signoff from the gorge’s owners, things were falling into place for an event to remember— until the fateful day in September.

Nick Crocker was heading off on holiday; south towards Kaikoura, having just ridden the Maungatapu trail. He and his now-wife stopped at the Kekerengu Store for some food. Jeff Carter’s name flashed on the screen as Nick’s phone rang—nothing out of the ordinary; Nick was site manager in the gorge, employed by NZTS, which was Jeff and Dodzy’s trail-building company.

Jeff delivered the devastating news that Dodzy had passed, and Nick’s world went into a spin – not only at the loss of a mate, but also thinking of the effect Dodzy’s passing was going to have on so many people. Once the initial shock subsided, he knew he needed to inform the wider NZTS crew. “I had to call Mortz at the gorge and tell him to let all the boys there know and pass it on, which was pretty heavy. He got all the guys together at the gorge and passed the news on to them. Everyone just went crazy.”

Following Dodzy’s funeral, talks of an Enduro continued between the owners of the Gorge, Jeff and Nick. “Jeff Carter was the one who was sort of like, well, if we’re still going to do it, it should become the Dodzy Memorial. So, I guess that’s where that idea stemmed from.”

“I remember being pretty overwhelmed and pretty conscious of how important it was, because it’s all Dodzy’s mates and it’s sort of quite strange for us to be the ones running the memorial. I was conscious that some people would probably think it should be in Rotorua, and people would be like, why? What’s the connection to the gorge?”

Jeff organised the back end, creating the online entry form and helping distribute the link. Gabby (Dodzy’s partner) also got stuck in, helping organise sponsors and a load of spot prizes. From there, it was over to Nick and his crew at the gorge to organise the race trails and ensure they were up to spec come race day.

In the event’s early days, before Facebook was a common thing, communication was largely word of mouth. A link to an email sign-up form had been flying around. First, it was emailed to Dodzy’s close friends, who then sent it on, and word of the event went viral from there. Weeks later, the link to the entry form was emailed to those who had signed up, and in about two minutes flat, the first Dodzy Memorial Enduro was a complete sell-out. These early years became known as “the keyboard warrior years”.

For the first few editions, the balance of holding an event of this magnitude and reach, while keeping its core foundation as a memorial to Dodzy weighed heavy on Nick’s mind. The first couple of years attracted a broad range of riders to the gorge and, inevitably, there were a few people whose riding wasn’t up to the level needed to take on the gorge.

“I remember one guy at the shuttle pickup just came over and got pretty aggro with me and was like, ‘You can’t do this. It’s too hard. Everyone thinks it’s too hard. You’re going to have to change it’. I said, I can’t, mate. It’s not going to change.” After a chat with some of Dodzy’s closest friends, they agreed the race should stay as it was, just as he would have wanted it. “It was definitely a challenge making sure the event was an appropriate memorial for him and stayed true to Dodzy’s quest to have a high-level Enduro at the gorge, by not only having flawless logistics over the weekend but also by laying out one heck of a technically demanding array of trails to race too.”

After a couple of years, the DME’s reputation was cemented, and those who turned up to race knew not only what they were in for but were prepared for the level of the event. “The epic thing has been that so many people have been up for the challenge. We haven’t let up. It’s stayed hard, but people just got better, and the riding progression has been unreal to watch.”

Over the years, the numbers have changed as people have aged up through the categories. Those who were Elite or Open at the early running’s, have worked their way through the Masters divisions and, in some cases, into the Legends classes – a lot changes over ten years.

“It’s pretty unreal to look at, for example, Nico Schroeder, who won in the Open Men category in 2023. The first year, he would have been four or five [years old]. Mel and Nigel, his parents, would have got mum and dad to babysit him so they could come and volunteer at the race. Now he’s won it. The same with Xanthe Robb, who was 3rd in the Elite Women’s in 2023. She’s probably been watching this race from the get-go. It’s pretty cool to see those guys come through. They’ve got a connection with the race, through their parents, and then they’ve made it their own as well. It’s pretty awesome.”

A fully independent event like this runs on a shoestring budget and, with no external funding or assistance, should any cost blow, it would ultimately be on Nick to sort it out. Outside of finances, the amount of administration going on behind closed doors leading up to each event presented Nick with a mammoth task each year, particularly once he had relocated to Rotorua from Nelson for a few years.

“For a while there, every morning you get up, you do an hour’s work then, if I can, I’ll shoot home at lunchtime and keep up with emails and stuff. And then after work every night for an hour and a half or something. It’s pretty full on, but that’s it for the initial entry period. It’s tricky when you’re working full-time because you have to keep up with everything. If you let everything slide, then all of a sudden it just backs up. It’s a lot easier if you can keep up with the emails and just sort of keep the momentum going.”

The work isn’t done after the final rider had come across the finish line, with the following week spent tidying up, returning gear, tying up admin and paying bills. Fortunately, Nick’s memory of how much work he was putting in for each event quickly faded and, after a short couple of weeks down time, he’d begin the build toward the following year’s gathering.

Most of the work leading into the event was dealt with by Nick, but the closer the event drew, the more people became involved. Once all the preparation was complete, a crew of around 55 assembled to support and run the event. During the first year the team was largely NZ Trail Solutions crew who were still working on the site. As the years have gone by, and NZTS work ceased, the mix for volunteers has changed to be less trail crew but more core locals who have had an attachment either to Dodzy or the Wairoa Gorge, in one way or another.

We’ve seen major ups and downs over the years, from threats of forest closures due to fires, to Covid – then there was the big wet of 2020. Keen to get a DME going in 2020, with the turmoil of lockdowns, travel restrictions and general uncertainty, Nick worked with Byron at the Fourforty Bike Park in Auckland, a longtime friend of Dodzy, to get one in the calendar and keep the dream alive. That was a weekend to remember, attracting many northerners who hadn’t yet made a pilgrimage to the Wairoa Gorge. A number of Dodzy’s close friends from his early years turned up to celebrate his memory; taking on a grass dual-slalom and a fast paced Enduro.

By November 2020, things were looking up with regards to Covid, and Nick managed to pull together a monumental running of the event. With one eye on the weather leading up to game day, and rain coming in, Nick grew increasingly concerned that shuttle and emergency vehicles may not be able to make it through the river at the foot of the hill, meaning the event wouldn’t be able to proceed. A steady stream of vehicles arrived at the Gorge on Friday afternoon, able to camp onsite over the weekend, for the first time. The rain continued through the night, bringing the river to critical levels. Fortunately, a small lull in the weather meant the river dropped enough to allow an eight hour window in which to run the event. With a pivot in proceedings, the regular two-day event became one; riders would now head up the hill straight into race runs rather than spend the day practising and racing the following day.

By sundown, after a soggy day sliding down the trails, riders returned to a campsite underwater and assessed the damage from the day. Bikes were broken, gear torn, everything was wet and muddied, but smiles remained. Come Saturday evening, after a hearty feed, revellers were treated to a bush doof of sorts as P-Digsss took to the decks. Everyone on- site embraced the night, enjoying a party Dodzy would have loved to be a part of!

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and all things in life have a season or chapter. November 2023 brought with it the final running of the DME. For the last time in this format, a core group of riders gathered to celebrate one last time. We saw some first-timers who’d finally managed to pull away from normal life to attend, as well as groups who’d attended all 10 events. What was evident was that, regardless of how many visits to the event they’d had, each person had a connection to Dodzy in some way, and everyone knew why we were there.

Harriet Harper – DME podium contender
Well… Gabby and Dodzy were like the King and Queen of mountain biking there for a while. It was a privilege to get to hang out with them. Dodzy was running on about 200% intensity for mountain biking, not just that he designed/ made his own bike and ran the skills clinic business, but every ride he went on was full tilt, with minimal stopping, and he seemed to have twice as much fun doing it than anyone else.

The DME is the only race I’ve bothered doing in recent years, as it always attracts a super fun crowd. I remember the keyboard warrior phase (first in, first served entry), then the repeat invite list developed to keep the good vibes going, which was nice. I wouldn’t have been organised enough to get an entry otherwise! Obviously, people thought I won it more than I did, but I came second most times I went. It was the sort of event where not winning was totally OK; it was always a podium full of your best mates, even if you’d only met them that weekend (I’m thinking of you, Katy Winton).

My favourite edition was the super wet one with the Bloody Priest stage. I wish I’d made it to more of the after parties, but I always had a reason I couldn’t stay, which was a shame, especially when P Diggs got involved. I LOVE Shapeshifter!!!

Sam Blenkinsop – Multi-time Elite winner and current pro rider
I always loved racing the DME, I think because it’s always such an awesome event – and to remember a good friend. It’s cool to see all the old boys that used to race downhill when I was growing up. Everyone is just having fun on their bikes in a good location on awesome trails. Racing in Nelson is always an excuse to have a wee holiday with the family and go fishing and ride bikes. I will really miss doing the Dodzy Memorial Enduro, but we all have so many good memories of the riding and the parties. Winning was always cool, but I just loved being there and riding. I really hope we can go back one day and keep this event alive for Dodzy and us old boys who love racing bikes, purely to get together and have a laugh.

Justin Leov – Former pro rider
Dodzy was one of those guys who was way ahead of his time in the way he thought about and got things done. He was a mate who shared the same biking interests, but we really built a strong bond from hunting together on various missions around the North and South Island. Remembering Dodzy through the DME was something that brought people together to enjoy an epic place ( which he created ) and share the Dodzy Vibe and memories of the good times with mates doing gnarly stuff. That was Dodzy through and through.