Words: Santa Cruz
Photos: Cameron MacKenzie
Hey there,
Welcome to Road Rules, Sports Fans. This time the only team that can beat them... is themselves.
The Santa Cruz Syndicate crew takes a break from chasing their endless summer in the southern hemisphere to split up into two teams and battle it out on a series of head-to-head, and elbow-to-elbow challenges, with team bragging rights and an all-expenses paid trip to Japan on the line. Time to hit the road!
Starting in Queenstown, New Zealand and moving onto Canberra, Australia the team had the obligatory stop in Tasmania en route to experience the best riding that Maydena and Derby have to offer.
Amidst the excitement of racking up pre-season laps on the new V10, the teams encounter typical trackside attractions, like a snake enjoying his very own Christmas goose. Questionable eating and riding challenges all mix in with a healthy dose of competition to liven things up. As usual there is never a dull moment with this crew - and the challenges really up the ante.
Which team do you think will be standing atop the podium when it's all said and done?
ROAD RULES: Episode 1
Big trouble in Queenstown: rule bending, Lahar-gate, and very sketchy racing
Time to hit the road in Queenstown, NZ. First stop is with our friend Paul Angus at Vertigo Bikes to ride the legendary Lahar bike in the Retro DH challenge. Then, the Syndicate competes their way through the super-sketchy Skyline Relay.
ROAD RULES: Episode 2
Mayhem in Maydena: the Santa Cruz Syndicate sabotage themselves
This one’s a master class in what happens when you incentivise some very talented and competitive athletes to sabotage their opposition. Sit back, grab a cuppa, and enjoy.
ROAD RULES: Episode 3
Demolition at Derby & the bushtucker challenge
While riding Derby singletrack, Nina provides a variety of somewhat-misguided David Attenborough impressions before being an absolute legend at the Bushtucker Trail Road Fuel challenge. But the rest of the crew wasn’t to be outdone at the beach olympics.
ROAD RULES: Episode 4
The finale in Canberra: which team can win the grand prize?
Turns out building bikes while blindfolded is pretty hard; Jackson’s birthday is a rager; and the final race comes down to the wire.
