In this powerful and inspiring episode of MTB: Sharing the Stoke, host Jamie sits down with 13-year-old mountain biker Amelia Twist and her mum Toni to talk about a ride that’s about so much more than just bikes.

Amelia, a passionate Mountain Bike rider from Tauranga, is on a mission to challenge New Zealand’s outdated school sport rules that exclude homeschooled students from receiving medals or joining teams in School Sport NZ events. Despite being able to race, homeschooled athletes are denied the same recognition as their peers—a rule that affects over 4,000 students nationwide.

To fight this injustice, Amelia and fellow homeschooler George are planning a 730–800km winter bikepacking mission from Cambridge to Wellington, where they'll deliver a petition directly to Parliament. The goal? To ride for change and raise awareness for the overlooked voices of homeschool athletes.

We dive deep into Amelia’s riding background, her inspiration from bikepacking legend Lael Wilcox, and the logistics behind this bold midwinter adventure. Amelia shares the behind-the-scenes challenges of preparing for a long-distance ride in harsh conditions, from gear needs to legal action—yes, there’s a judicial review in motion, and support is growing fast.

Whether you're a rider, a parent, an advocate, or just love stories about young people making big moves, this episode will get you fired up. Amelia and George aren’t just pedaling for podiums—they’re pushing for fairness, inclusion, and the right to compete.

🔗 Follow their journey: studentsport.nz
📣 Support the cause: Sign the petition and spread the word
📸 Instagram updates: @studentsportnz

🎧 Tune in for:

• Amelia’s favourite Rotorua trails & races

• The injustice behind School Sport NZ's medal ban

• Winter route planning from Cambridge to Parliament

• How you can join the ride or support the cause

This isn’t just a ride. It’s a movement. Don’t miss it.

In this episode I chat with Matt at the airport as we wait for our flight south from Skardu. We talk about the two weeks we have just spent in one of the most incredible places on earth, trying to find epic single trail. Turns out this place has a lot more than just that! From the culture, terrain, people, landscapes, and food to the challenges and successes that a trip like this breeds. Hear a fresh perspective on this remote part of the world.

Now that we have found where the good stuff is hiding, would you come with us next year?

https://newzealandmountainbiking.com/2025-pakistan-trip/

The YouTube Vlog can be found here - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL78Jdf4vw689rHZgf2weloaZF8k_Zoaxm&si=U3Lx-lAUb_l7wwgu

For Insta look for

@newzealandmountainbiking

@mtb_phd @brakeace

@jeffcarter21

@mrmikedawson

@adam.stories

Keep an eye out for the short film that we are putting together from the trip. We are really excited about it!

Remote coaching is here. See how it went with Nick and the creators of BrakeAce. Not only are we talking more about braking, but we also did something pretty awesome. I used BrakeAce to coach Nick remotely. I didn't ride with him at all, he recorded his rides with BrakeAce and Strava - so I could see some common themes with his riding correcting some bad habits and encourage the good ones. He kept cracking PB's on strava and the results were awesome! The chat is pretty good too.

Learn more about the Remote Coaching Here on the NZMTB website.

⁠⁠⁠Check out the video⁠⁠⁠ where I linked up with Matt and we did a session integrating science and coaching to help Matt's riding.

At New Zealand Mountain Biking, we run epic mountain biking tours across the scenic North Island, New Zealand. We also help riders build confidence and skills in our MTB and eMTB private lessons on the legendary Rotorua trails.

The best way that you can support this content is by booking a ride/lesson with us so that we can continue to just talk about mountain bikes!

You can learn more about who we are below or visit our website to book your ride today! ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://newzealandmountainbiking.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow NZMTB

⁠⁠⁠YouTube - @newzealandmountainbiking⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Instagram @newzealandmountainbiking⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Check out the BrakeAce website here⁠⁠⁠

Follow Matt's podcasts here - ⁠⁠⁠Demystifying MTB⁠⁠⁠ - & -

⁠⁠⁠Check out the interesting videos on his YouTube channel here