Meet mountain bike champion Jess Blewitt

Ski racer. Adrenalin junkie. Mountain bike champion. Jessica Blewitt is somewhat of a legend in and around Queenstown. Originally from Mount Manganui, she grew up travelling back and forth between the North Island and Queenstown while ski racing with the Queenstown Alpine Ski Team (QAST). When she transitioned to downhill mountain bike racing in 2019, Coronet Peak remained her training ground of choice because of the world-class track and great facilities.

Thanks to her time at QAST, Jess learned to control her nerves in tough conditions and with strong competition. This quality has helped her to become the best of the best in downhill racing as well. She is currently the Women’s Under-19 National and Oceania mountain bike champion and won the New Zealand National DH Series on her beloved Coronet Peak. For the future, she aims to compete overseas in the World Cup to race against the best in the world.

But mountain biking isn’t all about winning for Jess: “I always say to people to make sure you’re having fun and enjoying it! And sometimes you can even push yourself a little harder or aim to tick off something you may have been eyeing up for a while.”