If you just look at the racing, Keegan Wright’s path to the Enduro World Series doesn’t seem surprising. Like many mountain bike greats, his trademark power and bike skills come from years of snapping gates and flowing rhythm sections on a bmx track as a kid. Naturally, he stepped up to downhill racing as a teenager and then enduro and pumptrack, which became his two specialties.

Today his resume has highlights from almost every discipline and, at 24, the young man’s future in racing looks bright. But it hasn’t always been this way. Rooted In New Zealand tells the unlikely story of Keegan Wright’s path to a life as a pro racer.

New Zealand