Round one of the North Island Trial Championships were held at Opunake yesterday.
BikesportNZ.com thought it’d be a great chance to catch up with New Zealand’s best “bandits of balance” as they tackled some of the gnarly and steep farmland under the shadow of Mount Taranaki.

National expert grade trial champion Dylan Ball, from Porirua, does a little rock hopping between sections at Opunake. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
Round two of this series is being staged near Egmont Village today.
© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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Wellington’s Carl Robson has a little bit of bother with this particularly steep uphill at Opunake. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Taranaki’s Matt Foster, grateful to escape the clutches of the treacherous river bed. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Taranaki’s Daniel Herbert splashes his way through the creek at Opunake. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

National expert grade trial champion Dylan Ball, from Porirua, conquers the log at the top of the steep hill. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com