Dirt columist Seb Kemp caught up with World Cup racer Wyn Masters for a chin wag.
Seb How’s team stuff going?
Wyn Yeah good got my new frame today for Nats (Nature Valley Raboplus NZ DH MTB Series) and I’m all signed now, just got to sort some other stuff out.
Seb Sicko. You riding a Lapierre?
Wyn Yeah an 09 for the NZ racing but not on THE Lapierre team like Blinky.
Seb So who is behind it all? What’s the plan/format?
Wyn Well Playbiker but I have a German guy sponsoring me as well so I am going to do IXS Euro cups, German Cups and World Cups maybe the odd Italian race
Seb So for a while it looked like you were going to set up your own team, which had been playfully codenamed ‘Just Wyn’, what happened with all that?
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Wyn Nah I didn’t have time to do all that, so I am riding for the Playbiker team with Nathan Rankin, as this year is real tough to get sponsors sorted. Brook MacDonald (former Ancillotti team mate and World Junior Champ) still has no ride! I am going to work all season with the goal of setting up my own deal for 2011. Last year I spent 10g on just flights
Seb Holy crap dude, you must have some mean air miles saved though?
Wyn Yeah got a few not to far and I’ll be a gold member.
Photo:Jono Church
Seb I suppose you have to show yourself as more than just results. Got to be a face out and about. The coverage you got last season with Dirt TV and Littermag (vitalmtb.com) amongst others must go someway to helping?
Wyn Yeah bro for sure, yeah it’s helping for sure. Lots of people know who I am now, so just have to put a good season together in 2010
Seb There are a million pinners all trying to even qualify for the finals each weekend so riders have to try expand their potential coverage for their sponsors.
Wyn Yeah got to stand out from all the others
Seb For you is it a conscious decision to get in front of the camera or do they just bug you all the time now?
Wyn Well I stop to have a chat sometimes but its getting more from them now too, but I am always up for being in front of the camera if there is an opportunity.
Seb I think nowadays if there was a league of most recognized names yours would be well up there and your face is getting about more than Filthy Fiona from Folkestone on a Friday night.
Wyn Err…Yeah which is what I want, just got to keep that going next season, then I should be able to make a living from racing and be completely living the dream
Seb So what is the schedule for the year like when you get back from Portugal in December?
Wyn Well NZ racing and riding, get in to training hard from the beginning of February onwards and base myself in Rotorua. Then Oceania’s in Dunners (Dunedin, NZ) and then around mid-April back to Europe and testing before the WC begins again.
Seb So are you moving to Rotovegas because of its location and facilities?
Wyn Yeah well in the Naki (Taranaki, NZ) I can’t train properly for the World Cup when there is no where to shuttle, and find myself getting dragged out on the piss too much
Seb haha and you think that will change in Roto? They have a good BMX track, XC, and DH shuttle stuff there. Good spot for training.
Wyn Haha well the nightlife there is pretty shit. Yeah, they have everything I would need to train. Got to get my gates dialled to race 4x all WC next year
Seb What’s a typical Wyn training day going to be like this summer (hemispherical difference in NZ)?
Wyn Haha, well possibly something like this: Core Strength stuff or gym early in the morning then XC ride, then DH runs, maybe gates. There could be too much stuff to fit in one day but that’s what I want
Seb Have you got a structure to training like you had last year with that moto dude? What’s his name?
Wyn Yeah I will, as he is based in Hamilton it will be better being closer. John Appel. Last year was hard trying to do too much training and racing NZ racing at the same time plus the off-season last year was shit
Seb How come?
Wyn I didn’t really ride for like 3months working 7days a week in Aussie working in the mines to pay back debt accumulated racing World Cups, then pretty much most of December I got pissed. So took a while to get going
Seb So back to the present day, congrats man, I heard about your win in the 4x at the Oceania Championships last weekend. That’s sick. What are the results from DH?
Wyn Thanks bro, I got 3rd in DH. Cam Cole first and Rankin 2nd. I was disappointed, I made some mistakes in my run
Seb I heard you won dual slalom as well?
Wyn Haha, yeah would have been good to have the hat trick but didn’t have it today.
Seb I’m stoked for you. It must be a huge confidence booster coming into the WC season?
Wyn Yeah pretty happy with how everything is going so far I just have to continue it on through the WC season but its good to now be able to be consistent. In other years I haven’t done that.
Seb When do you head off?
Wyn I head off to Italy 12th april.
Seb So what are your plans before your fly off to Europe? Live off the earnings from Oceanias and Nationals titles? Shower in champagne? Straight pimping the groupies who love a winner?
Wyn Haha dreams are free. Back to work next week at the sawmill and training during the afternoons until I head over.
Seb Did you get any pay from the two titles you took?
Wyn I got 200 for National champs win and 150 for Oceania 4x win
Seb Nice?
Wyn Haha bit of a joke I think but better than nothing.
Seb So what do you think needs to be done to domestic racing?
Wyn More marketing, better money and possibly an Oceania series to attract riders from both countries [Australia and NZ]
Seb I agree with first two for sure. They go hand in hand, but don’t you think an Oceanias series would be hard because travel is expensive. Yeah sure the Ozzies have to fly to most races so what’s the difference flying to nz, but what about Kiwis?
Wyn Well for the Ozzies they have to fly to all their events already and I think Kiwis would like to race against the Aussies now and again. It could be good.
Seb Just like the cricket and rugby where there’s lots of good competitive rivalry between Kiwis and Ozzies, maybe the same for the Oceania series. I like the sound of that. As long as everyone sits down and drinks together in the end
Wyn Haha yeah keep it social as well
Seb Are you still in Rotorua till April?
Wyn Yeah then home for a week before Europe
Seb How has training in Rotorua worked out for you? As planned? Good decision?
Wyn Yeah so far everything is going as I want it to would have more time if I wasn’t working but I think its better to be working then you are more motivated to get out on the bike after work.
Rotorua makes it heaps easier to train for DH with the shuttle running four days a week too
Seb Yeah, I believe that the more time we are given, the more we waste it.
Wyn Yeah I think so too
Seb Shuttles. Oh yeah South star shuttles run in Rotorua. Good service?
Wyn Yeah South Star are awesome with the shuttle running tuesday and thursday arvo and sat and sunday all day, don’t get much better than that
Seb So what kind of tracks do you ride? It’s the Whare…something forest isn’t it?
Wyn Yeah Whakarewarewa forest, I ride several of the tracks there generally real fast and rough
Seb What about other forms of biking? Do you enjoy fixed gear riding around in ovals as atool for fitness?
Wyn Haha I used to dabble in a bit of that but haven’t in along time. I like riding my trail bike, doing big hillclimbs and then sick downhills.
Seb How often do you do that?
Wyn 3-4 times a week
Seb So what about the other Kiwis? They all prepped and primed for WCs?
Wyn Yeah Justin should be set to have an awesome season. Blinky hopefully heals up in time to be back on a bike for Maribor and Cam and Rankin also seem to be going really well lately, Scolesy is on an Italian team this year too so could be in there. And I think George Brannagin will impress this year in Junior
Seb So is it a Kiwi clan over seas?
Wyn Yeah big Kiwi clan now. We are taking over.
Seb Ok that’s enough I got Farmville to play. Speak tomo dude.
Wyn Talk then bro.
Photos:FaceBook
