2011 World Champion Manon Carpenter has skillz for milez and rides pumptracks, bmx, xc, skate parks as well as downhill with consumate ease!

We shot this video at the start of the season after I surprised myself (and everyone else I think!) with a second at World Cup #1 in South Africa. I knew I was riding well and had been training hard but it was still a bit of a shock to see it all come together, so when Tom and Tyler said they were interested in doing some filming we came up with this idea. I’ve always done a lot of other riding besides Downhill so we wanted to show that. Unfortunately this year hasn’t quite gone to plan with a broken collarbone at World Cup #2 interrupting my season but after the last World Cup at Val D’Isere I finally feel like I’m getting back up to speed, and I can’t wait to show it!

What I love about racing Downhill is that you can ride pretty much any kind of bike, and as long as it has two wheels you can class it as training for Downhill; be it BMX, XC, Dirt Jumps, Skatepark or MX – and it’s all awesome fun! My Dad builds BMX tracks for a living (www.bmxtrackconstruction.co.uk) so I’ve always spent a lot of time on them. I think they’re great for bike handling skills and everyone should have a go on one – there’s not much better than manualling flat out down a straight over rollers! Cross country has also been a big part of my riding thanks to where I live and it has definitely helped with fitness for racing. As for the skatepark and trails it’s just good fun to mix it up… Enjoy!

Words: Manon Carpenter
Photos & Video: Eyesdown

Music
Artist: Aether
Song: Drama Free ft. Tina Hanae Miller