The first group of riders for Natural Selection Bike has been confirmed, including a host of the world’s best mountain bikers.

Natural Selection Bike will be held on Mt Dewar in Queenstown on February 15, 2025, where the Elevate Trail Building team is working to create a world class mountain bike course.

The first rider announcement includes 13 riders who prequalified from six countries. The competition features a men’s and women’s division and will combine the three most dynamic disciplines in mountain biking: Downhill, Slopestyle, and Freeride.

One of New Zealand’s top female mountain bikers, Queenstown’s Vinny Armstrong, is the first Kiwi named to compete, with more expected to be named in the second lineup in January.

“It’s so cool to have an event like this coming to our backyard,” Vinny said. 

“The rider lineup is really strong, there are some amazing athletes set to compete and the track is looking epic so it’s going to be a great event.”

The men’s lineup includes: Dylan Stark USA, Bienvenido Aguado Alba SPN, Carson Storch USA, Nicholi Rogatkin USA, Thomas Genon BEL, Reed Boggs USA, Johny Salido MEX, and Kurtis Downs USA; and the women’s includes: Cami Nogueira ARG, Casey Brown CAN, Vinny Armstrong NZL, Vaea Verbeeck CAN, and Barb Edwards USA.

Event director Sophie Luther said she was thrilled to see such a strong athlete lineup for the inaugural event. 

“Natural Selection Bike is set to be one of the biggest global mountain bike events in 2025 and these athletes are the world’s best,” she said. 

“The track is looking epic and it’s going to make for an amazing event in February. We’re urging mountain bike and sports fans to grab their tickets as the event will sell out.”

Formerly known as Proving Grounds, the competition is now part of the Natural Selection Tour, which is expanding from its snowboarding roots to include mountain biking, surfing, and skiing.

The event will also include a ‘Dream Ticket’ qualifier at the world famous Dream Track in central Queenstown on February 7, which will give local talent the opportunity to compete for four spots at the main event.