Godziek & Nogueira win inaugural Natural Selection Bike Aotearoa
Poland’s Szymon Godziek and Cami Nogueira from Argentina laid down incredible runs to earn the top podium spots at the inaugural Natural Selection Bike Aotearoa.
Competing in the international freeride mountain bike event on Queenstown’s Mt Dewar, Godziek had the audience gasping as he laced two top to bottom lines on the custom-built course.
The 33-year-old landed huge backflips and 360s on his way to an impressive combined score of 92.88.
“Winning was my goal when I came here. It’s been a hard week, I’ve practiced everyday and been giving it 100% so I couldn’t be more happy,” Godziek says.
“I’ve loved this event, it’s a mix between slopestyle, freeride and downhill and you have to be a very skilled rider to be able to ride on these features. There are sections where you need to really manage your speed to be safe and get the landings.
“My goal was to be the guy who mixed it up and did everything. I did front flips, back flips, tailspins, 360s and supermans. It’s what I wanted to do and I’m definitely going to be back next year.”
Nogueira was equally impressive, delivering a clean run packed with big airs to score 86.50.
“I’m so stoked that I won. I’ve put in a lot of work, it was such a technical course so I’m really happy with the result,” Nogueira says.
“I’ve loved the course and loved New Zealand. This is the first Natural Selection Bike. It’s going to be huge in the future and I’m so happy to have been a part of it.”
Riders from six countries competed, with a crowd of around 1,500 cheering them on, on a bluebird day in Queenstown.
The comp, blending three of mountain biking’s most dynamic disciplines - Big Mountain Freeride, Slopestyle, and Downhill, - was supported by the New Zealand Government through its Major Event Fund, with the aim to showcase New Zealand as a world-class mountain bike destination through the global broadcast.
Billionaire Queenstown mountain bike advocate Rod Drury also played a pivotal part in bringing NST Bike Aotearoa to life, funding the build of the innovative Mount Dewar course, and donating via his philanthropic non-profit organization TRAC for the main event.
It will return next year, becoming an annual event.
In the men’s comp, Carson Storch (USA) finished runner-up with a combined score of 85.88, followed by Louis Reboul (FRA) in third with 80.38.
In the women’s division, Hannah Bergemann (USA) placed second with a score of 79.75, while Kirsten Van Horne (CAN) took third with 78.50.
Adolf Silva (ESP) claimed the Best Trick Award with a massive superman, while Finley Kirschenmann (USA), who qualified for the finals through last week’s Dream Ticket event, earned the Best Style Award for his beautifully executed runs.
Janelle Soukup (USA) and Carson Storch (USA) were co-recipients of the Spirit Award, recognised for their energy and passion throughout the event.
Previously known as Proving Grounds, the competition is now part of the Natural Selection Tour, which is expanding beyond its snowboarding roots to include mountain biking, surfing, and skiing.
Committed to sustainability, Natural Selection Bike aims to become New Zealand’s leading ultra-low-emission sporting event.
Event Director Sophie Luther expressed her thanks to those who made the event possible.
“It’s been a massive effort to create this incredible course and bring a world-class freeride mountain bike event to New Zealand,” Luther says.
“A special thanks to the New Zealand Government for supporting the event through its Major Events Fund, and to philanthropist and mountain bike enthusiast Rod Drury for his vision and dedication in making this event a reality.
“Natural Selection Bike is an annual event and we look forward to returning to this beautiful site in 2026 for another fantastic competition.”
The event was also sponsored by New Zealand Tourism, adidas Five Ten, Mons Royale, POC, Canyon Brewery, Queenstown Tourism, A New Earth Project, Turtlebox, Nocs Provisions, Outdoor Research, Yeti Cycles, and Trek Bikes.
Tune In: Catch all the action from Natural Selection Bike on Red Bull TV, Natural Selection’s YouTube when the event premieres on March 6 NZT.
Final results:
