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The Back Story Of Just MTB

Monday 29 June 2015, 5:03PM

By Beckie Wright

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In New Zealand, there is a theme among young adults –they finish school or college and then get an overwhelming desire to explore the world on an overseas experience.  It’s natural of course to want to explore what the rest of the world has to offer when you’ve spent the last 21 years confined to a small island in the Pacific Ocean.  This is exactly what happened to JustMTB founders Mike and Aaron. 

Born into the same neighbourhood, they grew up together riding mountain bikes, exploring the beaches, sailing and finally discovering windsurfing. This kept them out of trouble until they finished school in the early 90’s.  Soon after they went their separate ways to follow dreams overseas. Mike headed to live and work in San Francisco and New York, Aaron to travel the globe chasing the Olympic Windsurfing circuit.

Whilst exploring the trails of their new found countries, local groups of riders would pick up on their Kiwi heritage and ask if they’d ridden the famous Taupo trails, or seen the glaciers and sounds of Fjordland. Sheepishly they’d reply they hadn’t.  After a few years, and a whole handful of awkward experiences the opportunity came in 2006 to move back to New Zealand.  Both Mike and Aaron jumped at the opportunity to come home and explore the amazing locations and trails they’d heard about overseas. 

So began an eight year spell of exploring and riding mountain bikes together, always trying to find the best flowing single-track trails, the most scenic backcountry and the epic experiences which make mountain biking so special. Some trips they’d return home full of stoke after finding gold, others desolate after a 100km muddy fire road slog.  It was in 2012, while sitting atop Coronet Peak looking over Queenstown that it dawned upon them -   having gained this huge wealth of trail knowledge, they now had the perfect opportunity to show others the best of what they had discovered.

Over many exciting mornings the pair spawned their dream from mates’ weekends away into JustMTB as it is today.  Taking a year to plan and develop this dream, it was the little things they focused on – minimizing travel and maximizing riding time, finding unique accommodation, and incorporating some of the culture and other experiences available in New Zealand into their holidays.

In between running JustMTB, guiding and kids, Mike and Aaron still find time to get away on weekends, exploring the latest mountain bike trails in New Zealand, and discovering hidden gems to add to their tours.

For more information please visit the website at http://www.justmtb.co.nz.