Age
20
State
Beautiful Queensland
Sport
Cross Country (XCO) Mountain Biking
Current Bikes
2019 Trek Fuel EX 9.8
2019 DMR Sect
2014 Trek 1.2 Compact
How did you get into the sport?
My Dad has been riding bikes twice as long as I have been alive, so sure enough when I came along I was going to be on something with two wheels sooner rather than later. He would always take me on adventures riding our bikes. It started with going for early morning rides to the skatepark on the weekend, to going for longer rides to the other side of town for fish and chips, to him picking me up after his weekend training to go ride the trails with him. Dad (Chris) is a racer at heart and has taken his passion and experience to coaching people all over the world to be the best riders they can. I’m lucky to be able to share that passion with him, and even at 20 years old I ride with him every second weekend.
When was your first race?
My first race was in July of 2012. I was just easing into highschool, and stopped adventuring on the weekends. Dad had been competing in the Rockhampton MTB Cross Country Series running an hour north of our hometown in Gladstone. In an effort to get me out of the house he asked if I would like to come compete in junior category. At first I was reluctant but came around to think it could be a bit of fun. A friend of Dad's in town had even organised for me to take his hot pink Yeti ASR-5 to the race that fit me well at the time. Even though it was hot pink and wasn't officially mine, I adored that bike. I tried my best and had a lot of fun at that race, and as a bonus won it too. From then on, I just never stopped riding my bike!
Hardest thing about the sport?
The hardest thing about mountain biking is trying to explain to my Mum that I won’t hurt myself. Mum just cares about me riding by myself but I am constantly reminding her that ‘I know what I’m doing out there’ - as crazy as that sounds when she sees videos of me darting between trees and flying off drops up in the hills on any given day. I love you Mum!
Training?
I train/ride my bike almost every day. I do effort sessions 3 times a week and a recovery spin sessions every other day with core work and stretching. At least one of those rides are on the trails doing race laps, and the rest is a healthy mix between hills, and threshold work. Once or twice a week I'm also hanging out at the pump track with my Pushys co-workers after a solid day's work at home base. Separate to the physical work, I get out at least 3 times a week to do skill drills to maximize my control come trail time. Dad is officially recruited as my coach and does a great job of keeping me honest!
Motivation?
“You can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.” - Jim Carrey.
I just love mountain biking. Ever since my first race I have never not been off my bike for more than a couple of weeks or so. My motivation comes from a mix of my desire for adventure, and my drive to be the best version of myself I can (with inspiration from Jim up there). I love the mountains and adventuring in general. If I’m not riding my bike I like camping, rock climbing, the odd trail run, a road trip here and there, or taking friends and my younger siblings to a vista we haven’t seen before. I’m constantly seeking to create amazing experiences - mountain bike racing and social riding is the most awesome constant experience of them all!
Results
2018 was a transitional year for what I was pursuing in MTB. I started the year participating in the SEQ Enduro series from 2017. After getting a 20th place in Round 1, I had a scary crash in Nerang training for Round 2 in which I almost crushed my larynx. Although I was really enjoying myself in Enduro, Technical Trail riding and XC racing is 'in my blood'. I've had much success in the XC scene in Central Queensland in previous years in my hometown. From that I bought a new steed more inclined for this pursuit and put my heart into training hard for XC in 2019. I had the below successes in the 2nd half of 2018 in training for this year:
1st Sport Male Rd 3 CQ XC Series
1st Expert Male at the Dingo Duo Weekend:
1st Dingo Duo Half Howl Expert Men
1st Dingo Duo Enduro Expert Men
And a couple wins so far this year:
2nd Elite Male Rd 1 Sunshine Series
1st Sport Male Rd 2
1st Sport Male Rd 3
Future goals 2020?
My goals for 2020 are:
Podium Elite QLD XC Series
Enter and Finish 2 National Tier Rounds
Top 20 National Championships
...with no shortage of training and fun races in between!
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