What rider or person has most influenced your career?
“He’s not a mountainbiker, but I’d have to say Joey Dunlop, the Isle of Man TT racer. He always kept it simple and did things his way without a big song and dance. He proved to me that where there was a will, there was a way.”
What has been your favourite or most memorable race?
“The Irish EWS in 2015, I won’t forget that one anytime soon.”
Who would you loved to have raced against or ridden with?
“Voulliouz and Peaty were always people I’d love to ride with or race against and watch up close, glad to say I got to do that before they retired this year. I guess that’s the beauty of Enduro, it brought the likes of Voulliouz back to racing.”
What’s your opinion on E-Bikes?
“Love them, I use one for training. It lets me ride twice as much downhill with the same effort as normal. They’re great for getting people on bikes too, the more people on two wheels, the better, if you ask me.”
What’s your favourite wheel size?
“29 is doing it for me right now. Haven’t looked back since I got on the big wheeler last April.”
What life lessons has Mountain biking taught you?
“That in the grand scheme of things, it’s just bike riding. The world will keep turning no matter what we do, so do what makes you happy…. and that chicks don’t actually dig scars.”
Who doesn’t get the credit they deserve in the industry?
“The photographers. The hours those guys put in during a race weekend is insane.”
What’s been the most questionable thing to come out of mountain biking?
“Fat bikes”
What’s been the best track you’ve ridden?
“Champery world champs.”
How would you change World Cup downhill?
“More natural, technical tracks and less bikeparks. Like the good old days of Champery and Schladming.”
What do you still want to achieve in mountain biking?
“Be World Champion.”
What do you want to see more of from the Dirt website?
“DirtTV, A Slice of British Pie and those kinds of videos. I’m a sucker for a good riding edit.”
What do you hope the next 20 years brings for mountain biking?
“Hopefully we don’t end up on bikes that ride themselves on trails resembling the M1. If it keeps growing the way it is then I could see mountain biking as a mainstream sport in 20 years. TV coverage, huge amounts of people on the trails, the industry getting bigger etc etc…”
