The creations I have seen of yours have all been very well refined. Almost like an art form. Is it a conscious decision to make what you’re building look really clean as well as ride how it should?

We like to be precise, and get something to a point where it’s pleasing to the eye. We’re not freaky about it, just yet…we do allow grass to grow etc., but refining our trails is definitely something that we like to do. There’s nothing worse than seeing a jump on a downhill track, that has logs and twigs sticking out of it and every given angle, and the dirt is loosely chucked on top of it. That would be a cardinal sin for any spade wielder. Functional, fun, clean and in proportion is what we aim for. If we were too obsessive, then neither of us would ride, and would probably never leave our houses for spade cleaning duties.

There is a good scene here, but you’re right, the average Joe walking in the street wouldn’t really know there is a strong mountain biking scene here. It’s pretty underground and despite us all riding a long time, it is still in its early days, especially when you see how popular mountain biking is in Britain and other places around the World.

Lots of great riders, and good downhill/enduro trails now populate Belgium though, so things are growing for sure, you just need to know where the best bits are. Belgium is a small country, so all the little groups of riders tend to know each other, which creates a great social riding scene. You can turn up to any set of jumps, trail, or downhill track in Belgium and usual see a rider you know. It’s a nice environment.

Yeah, in my eyes, or at least that’s my plan. I could try to be the fastest at racing, but it’s tough at the top, with the likes of Minnaar, Gwin and the others. I’ve always liked jumping and building, especially jumping the big lines that flow. It’s funny though, because when I race downhill, it’s the opposite, I prefer the rougher tracks, the likes of Val di Sol and Fort William. Although I still love competition, I don’t race quite as much any more, don’t worry, I’m not quitting downhill and I’m not taking up Enduro (laughs), but I want to achieve a few goals and I have a few projects that I’d like to work on, so having a good balance of riding projects and racing is a nice position to be in. I scratch off a couple of World Cups each season to be able to focus on other projects, whether it’s film or something like Rampage.

It’s great to see how downhill is progressing these days. Things are getting bigger and better, and riders are being pushed more. Look at the motorway section of Fort William even, the jumps have gotten bigger and bigger each year. I think it’s what riders are wanting, so it’s good that courses are being adapted. It certainly has made me progress my riding over the years.

Well, without giving too much away, as I am sure you have gathered, I like to go big and I like flow. So I have some projects that really will push my limits. To give you an idea, I was riding moto with a friend one day, and we were hitting the gaps on the track no problem. You have the help of an engine of course, but it feels so good jumping on an MX bike. Basically, that got me thinking…on a moto scale. We’ve already maxed out the height restrictions on the diggers we’ve been using for this project. I also have a concept for an event. Whether it will work or not will remain a mystery for now, but if it were to work, it would be a lot of fun. No more info than that I’m afraid. I want to keep on pushing myself and doing things that are cool and I find fun.

The whole internet/social media thing has been a good thing for the sport, definitely. Like you say, everyone sees everything these days and I think because of this, people are always going to push the sport bit by bit. Take tricks for example, a few years ago, you had ‘made it’ if you could do a backflip on a bike. Now every kid down at the skatepark can do a backflip, it’s almost ordinary. The latest video I saw was a BMXer doing a flair to front flip. That has set the bar, but now people have seen it I’m sure it will only make someone hungry to raise the bar even higher.

The obvious advantages of it is that it helps to raise your profile. If you do something cool, it’s going to go down well. People want to see what you’re doing and what you want to do. It’s a great thing to keep you on the ball, your fans interested and your sponsors happy.

Everybody maybe knows. But if I saw someone without a tooth, I’d be asking the same question ha ha, ‘How did you do it man’? It happened riding BMX, when I managed to knock out five teeth. I picked them back up and got them all fixed. A few years later, I crashed riding BMX again and knocked another tooth out, which I got fixed again. Riding BMX always seemed to be a bit of a jinx for me. Sponsors didn’t like me riding 20” as I’d get wild and injure myself. Injury has never stopped me though, riding trails on my BMX is so much fun, even if there is injury waiting around the corner. When you live where I do, where it’s flat, riding dirt jumps offers a great place to vent. People like that about me I think, the fact I ride a bit of everything and am not worried about what other people think or want me to do, too much. I’m not rebellious by any means, but I’ll ride what I want to ride and what I think is fun, that’s what makes me, me.

A little further down the line, the tooth that was knocked out the second time around, got an infection. Just before a World Cup too. I pulled it out, using better methods that the traditional string and slammed door technique, and to this day, the tooth fairy hasn’t reimbursed me. Now, It acts as a weight saving method for racing. Carbon fibre and air shocks are old school now!

I might be old school, but I’m happy to stick with 26”. I think for other aspects of the sport, it makes more sense. But then, you could also argue that a cyclo–cross bike with suspension will be faster for cross country bike with 29” wheels on certain courses. It’s logical that bigger wheels go faster, so maybe I’m scared of change more than anything. I’ve ridden bigger wheel sizes, but I still prefer my 26”and 20” wheels. That’s just my personal preference though and I’m sure that I’ll be swung to bigger wheels at some point. That said, it goes back to the 26” vs 20” wheels on dirt jumps debate. I ride both BMX and 26” bike on dirt jumps, but every time riding my BMX is more fun, it all boils down to flow.

Ben Gully rode 650b at Rampage last year, and got on the podium, so it’s evident that it’s not a bad thing even for the ‘freeride’ movement. I’m just happy to stick with what I know for now. At the end of the day, as long as people are getting out and enjoying riding bikes, wheel size doesn’t matter.