North Island Cup next stop: Auckland

Round two of the RaboPlus New Zealand North Island Cross Country Cup heads to the purpose-built Woodhill Mountain Bike Park near Auckland this weekend on January 10.

Road racer Clinton Avery, national champion Stu Houltham and Mike Northcott will do battle in the elite men's race while in the elite women's field, young racers Monique Avery and Samara Sheppard will race each other for the first time in the New Zealand Cup this year. Sheppard is making the move to the elite field after dominating the U19 category.

After last weekend's sprint finish between Patrick Avery and Dirk Peters and considering the talents of Reuben Horn, another exciting race is expected for the under 19 men.

Racers will tackle multiple laps of an 11km course including some of the most technical sections in the park.