If you want the inside scoop on what’s going on behind the scenes in the theatre that is the DH World Cup you need to have some good contacts. One story that nobody seems to have properly got to the bottom of this season is that of Stevie Smith and his bust ankle. After a word on the grapevine we reported earlier in the year that Stevie would be missing the first two rounds of the World Cup due to this injury, something that was then denied, only to then be proven correct when he didn’t show up at those rounds. Anyway, the word on the street is that he will be racing at Fort William, but we wanted to get the full story about what has been going on, and what will be happening next.

Luckily for us Dirt’s very own James McKnight happens to be good mates with Nigel Reeve, Stevie’s mechanic, and so with no regard for journalistic fair play, or the value of friendship, he started tapping Nigel’s phone calls until he had enough incriminating evidence in order to blackmail Nigel into spilling the Stevie beans. So, without further ado, here is the outcome of Nigel being pinned down to answer some hard hitting questions about Stevie Smith…

How have you been enjoying time off not having to do any work for Stevie?
Ha! Come on McNibbles, mechanics don’t get time off!!! I’ve been trying to get everything as ready as I can so when Stevie gets back on the bike we are all ready to go. And I did actually get the chance to ride my own bike once or twice.

Were you considered to take Stevie’s place on Devinci’s World Cup assault?
Yes, but very very briefly. You know that short moment between realising you’re waaaay too drunk as the room spins around you, before the floor decides to smack you in the face . . .

Did you have to cut your NZ holiday short due to him injuring himself?
Would you call being cancelled on the way to the airport brief?

Were you banking on being home in Aus for Cairns, and if not how will you hold this inconvenience against Stevie for the rest of the season?
I made it there for Cairns, looking after Nikki B (Nick Beer) and Deano “dog killer” Lucas, however after all that rain I kinda wished I’d stayed back in Morzine.

How glad are you that Stevie’s recovery will get you out of the snowy Alps and back to sunny Scotland?
I’m definitely looking forward to a midge or two, washed down with whiskey of course.

How many celebratory beers will Stevie be drinking at Dirt’s Fort William party?
Since you guys are paying the bar tab he’ll probably opt for some top shelf stuff rather than beers.

Nice answers! I suppose I better ask you what he actually did in the injury, what he’s been doing to stay fit/motivated, and how fired up he is too? Also, can we expect to see special about his bike at Fort Bill?
Ummm…he hurt his ankle (not sure how much info I’m allowed to give out, there is a screw in there though). Training wise he’s been doing what he can, watching the World Cup and wishing he was racing, and yeah he’s fired up as fuck for sure. His bike is always special cos I work on it!!! We’ve got a weeks testing to do before the race so hopefully I can come up with something special…been thinking 28.25 ” wheels. It’ll be the next 650B.

So there you have it, the inside scoop on all things Stevie Smith. We for one can’t wait to see him back racing, and if you fancy a few more words of wisdom from Nigel then watch the video below of him doing a ‘bike check’ on Stevie’s bike at Leogang a few years back…