Story: Bosch's 'e' Evolution
Bosch’s ‘e’ Evolution
The visionary Robert Bosch always appreciated the advantages of the bicycle. From 1890 onwards, the Bosch company founder visited his customers in Stuttgart on a modern “low bicycle”, which was still little-known in Germany - penny-farthings were fashionable in continental Europe at the time. Robert Bosch relied on technology that he considered to be future-proof and forward-looking. In 1923, Bosch introduced to the market a dynamo light for bicycles - it comprised a generator and a headlamp, with over 20 million units produced into the 1960s.
Fast forward to 2009, the bicycle once again became a focus for the Bosch Group, this time in electrified form. In the last few years we’ve played, reviewed and ridden more and more Bosch powered eMTBs. We thought it was about time we reflected on their history as we mark our historic 100th issue. A few weeks back I caught up with Dave Howard, Head of eBike APAC at Bosch, based in Taiwan. We’ve met in person before, but this time it was across digital means for obvious reasons. In fact, he was based in China but recently Bosch have moved offices to Taiwan to get closer to the brands and the assemblers.
Dave explained; “Back in 2009, it was just a handful of guys. First it was a hybrid with Mercedes Benz - it was a bit of a Frankenstein.” Bosch was, and has always been, around service first - following in the footsteps of their automotive division. “We never thought eBikes would have this much success.” In 2011/12, serious production began around the commuter space but Bosch had nothing in mind about eMTB. It strangely enough came from Taiwan, some of the cycle industry wanted to adapt it into MTB. As the industry always wants to push forward, a prototype concept was brought about. The tinkering began and the adaption of electric to MTB’s was made. However, it was still a prototype and a long way off from being available on the market.”
A few years later, in 2014, the Bosch bicycle team was around 150 people. The business expanded for the global market. Bosch has staunch stance on supporting growth of OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufacturer) especially in North America. Of course the rest of the world matters, but North America is strategically important moving forward. At that time there was only handful of brands in the eMTB game.
Dave says; “IBD’s (Independent Bicycle Dealers) are the gatekeeper to the market and some of the IBDs sold throttle-based bikes without service. At that time there was push back from IMBA. Talk was about how these bikes would destroy our sales with ‘normal’ bikes. So, we needed to develop a strategy around this. It was a challenging time, there was a real stigma around it being lazy.”
When asked about our market, Dave says: “NZ was a surprise for Bosch as they were fast adopters, actually the market demanded Bosch came into the market sooner rather than later.” Bosch had to make moves quickly to keep up with the demand. “[A speed of] 32km per hour was a key thing and the importers asked Bosch to come into market. In NZ there were no barriers except getting product into the market.” I ask whether it will slow down? “Growth projection for NZ is starting to slow a little, however they predict around 13% growth over the coming years.”
Over the years, Bosch has seen their eBike consumers change. The average user when they first launched was the Baby Boomer but, in more recent years, they’ve seen the age group drop down to the mid-thirties. It seems the trend is catching on. This is helped by their expanding portfolio of brands, rather than just being niche. Consumer perceptions are key and driven with top-end brands entering the category. In recent years, the smaller boutique/niche brands have adopted it, so in essence this makes it a more acceptable part of the mountain biking culture. Dave says, “it’s gone from niche to mainstream. There’s now an overpopulation of the category with a huge demand. It (eMTB growth) is supported by not only Bosch, but other brands that are driving the scene.”
Moving to the current decade, the eBike division at Bosch has expanded to around 500 people, and Bosch has around 70 brands using their product. Dave explains, “the aim is to have a team that’s small and agile.” Well, with a year most won’t forget, the adaptability of any business will be the key to future prosperity. I ask about what the future holds for eBikes? “Light eMTB will be the key; high-end bikes will remain but there’s a key to getting more people on bikes and involved with the sport. Design integration of battery and drive unit together. This is why we built a purpose-built drive unit so it could be a proper feel. There’ll be more innovating and refinements.” However, I want to know if they can extend the range of the batteries, as this catch up was just after our Old Ghost Road escapade (story in this issue), where we ran out of range. “There are limitations with batteries, if you increase the range then you need a bigger size and it’s a challenge with frame designs. If you want more range, then you need more space.” Back to the topic of the future. “Pre COVID 19 it (the future) was bright, and post it’s blinding, but we will need to step forward with caution. eMTB’s will continue grow, especially as the brands we all know and love have more offerings within the category. We aspire to have a more natural feel and for the bike not to feel like a powered bike. The future is a super clean handlebar set up. We will continue to promote trail building and development.”
Words: Liam Friary
Images: Cameron Mackenzie
Story: Behind the Brand with James From earSHOTS
earSHOTS allow riders and runners to take their love of sound to extreme places. These unique headphones stay secure no matter what the environment demands – from back flips at the park to the steepest descent on the trail. Made for adventure and exploring, these headphones are the ultimate accessory for those who want less distraction whilst listening to music or podcasts while they do what they love. We wanted to find out more about the story behind the brand, so we fired off some questions to earSHOTS founder, James Bell-Booth, to get the inside scoop.
NZM: Hey James, can you tell us what your original inspiration was, for earSHOTS?
James: I was training for an adventure race called the T42, in New Zealand’s beautiful Tongariro National Park. While training, I got fed up with my earphones: they fell off, got dislodged, and constantly needed re-adjusting. This resulted in frustration and distraction. After trying every earphone on the market at the time, and not finding anything that could stay in and feel comfortable while still sounding good, I came up with the idea of a new earphone design that would use magnets to attach to the ears. A design that you would fix to your ear – and forget. That was seven years ago…
NZM: How long did you take to come up with the idea, design it and get it to market?
James: It wasn’t overnight, that's for sure! There’s been home re-mortgages, many late nights teaching myself how to hand-mould magnets, thousands of hours on the trails testing all aspects of earSHOTS – and that’s all before we went on the market in April 2020.
NZM: Who are earSHOTS designed for?
James: First and foremost, they’re for riders and runners who love music, but hate being distracted and annoyed by earphones falling out or requiring constant adjustment.
NZM: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
James: Just focus on putting one foot in front of the other – the results will look after themselves.
NZM: How long have you been riding and what sort of riding do you enjoy most?
James: I have been riding since I was about 16, with varying levels of intensity. I used to live at the foot of the Kahuterawa Valley. When Arapuke bike park wasn’t even a thing, we would ride up the road to the trails in the pine forest. On the way back down the valley we would stop at the swimming hole – the Bull Hole they called it – and cool off. It was epic. Unfortunately, they subdivided the land and now you can’t swim there. Classic bloody property-obsessed people ruining the old school Kiwi experience!
NZM: What’s the craziest or most backcountry place you’ve taken your earSHOTS to?
James: Where I have been is nothing on where I am seeing our customers take earSHOTS – including over the Southern Alps and even down to Antarctica.
NZM: Best playlist/podcast for listening to through your earSHOTS?
James: I love all types of stuff, depending what mood I am in. Our earSHOTS ‘blood, sweat & sound’ playlist on Spotify is definitely a go-to. Then for podcasts, I listen to everything from current affairs stuff, personal growth stuff and even a bit of philosophy. On my library right now you will find Downtime, the Mountain Bike Podcast, BBC - The Documentary, and the Robcast, which is a philosophy type vibe.
NZM: Finish this sentence: As soon as I’m out of lockdown, I’m going to…..
James: ....the beach. I find the ocean super therapeutic.
NZM: What’s next for the earSHOTS brand?
James: See my answer to question four! Touch wood, we have some really big hopes and dreams for earSHOTS. The big focus is making earSHOTS the best sound experience for riding and running in the world. We have been working on a few things and will look to share those with our community of customers and partners pretty soon.
NZM: Outside of running a successful company, and mountain biking, what can we find you doing most weekends?
James: It’s pretty hectic, I am not good at sitting still.... I take the kids riding; I recently purchased the ‘Kids Ride Shotgun’ seat for my three year old son, Ben, which he is stoked about. I try and get out for a surf as often as possible, which involves a two hour+ drive to anywhere decent. Then outside of that, chilling out with mates and family.... I have three kids, so they are always wanting to do something which keeps life pretty full on. I wouldn’t have it any other way, though.
Story: A Nelson Underdog
Wairoa Gorge is, to many people, some of the best riding in New Zealand – perhaps even the world! And it has a story to match; one that has been told again and again, without growing old. One story that is yet to be told, however, is that of Nelson’s newest trail network out at Cable Bay Adventure Park.
The story, as well as the park itself, is a work in progress as the park has not yet officially opened (update as of time of publishing: Cable Bay is open for mountain biking!) as a mountain bike destination. It does see well over 150 daily visitors throughout the peak season though, who go quad biking up the many forestry roads, horse-trekking through the native bush, challenge themselves on an archery dragon hunt, shoot across the valley high above the canopy on the SkyWire, and enjoy the mouth-watering delights of the Base Café. Basically, it’s a pretty busy place.
As you’d expect, this hasn’t stopped the MTB community whatsoever.
It all began with Richard and Elina Ussher, a well-known adventure-racing couple - the epitome of fitness and adventure teamed up with fantastic personalities. A strong indication of evolution having peaked, as they also happen to be ridiculously good looking. Having travelled the world in pursuit of challenging adventure, Elina and Richard were both well accustomed to risk and dealing with uncertainty, yet their biggest adventure to date was to happen much closer to home when they took over Happy Valley Adventures and turned it into Cable Bay Adventure Park in December 2017.
It wasn’t long before Richard, staying true to his adventure-racing background, had run up, down and across the 500 hectare property enough times to have a pretty good idea of where he wanted tracks built. After joining a couple of the local Super D races in Nelson, organised by Loui Harvey, Richard was keen to show Loui around. Now, for you guys who know the two of them, you can only imagine the sparks that flew that evening in the forest when Mr Enthusiastic met his equal in Mr Grand Plans. For you guys who don’t know them, imagine Chip and Dale - on steroids - if the two chipmunks were of completely different builds and backgrounds.
Trail building took off properly in October 2018, once Loui returned from a six-month overseas trip, racing the EWS. After a month of weekly night-digs, there was a group of 10 or so members who were to make up the core group of the operation. These guys didn’t only show up during the lovely summer nights with never-ending light, but also throughout the dark, wet and cold winter months, to get the job done.
Richard describes the decision to buy the park as a “calculated gamble”, so the first ever single trail out at the park was named, and is now affectionately known as ‘The Gamble’. The team, despite their occasionally unfavourable working conditions, seem to all keep turning up – being generously fed and hydrated post-digging has certainly contributed to this kind of commitment and vibe; a vibe worth returning for. I’ve been there; I’ve heard them all tell the stories about the size of the rock they moved off the track - much like a great fishing story, the hands get further and further apart with each rendition. Eventually, winter turns into spring and then summer, one track turns into two and then five.
Fast forward to summer 2020 and, after a life-changing ride in the Polaris uphill and an eventful skidfest following Sven Martin, Sweden-based kiwi Steve (@stevesmurfy) Murphy claimed that The Gamble had landed in his top five tracks ever ridden. You guys who know Steve are probably aware he is easily excited when it comes to riding bikes down a hill, but you’ll also know he has ridden his bike on a lot of trails around the world so I will claim it for the purpose of this article. The face of Loui, who has managed the trail building efforts and, along with Richard, has marked out where most of the trails will go, lit up upon hearing this and replied: “You just wait ‘til you ride Jurassic!”
Climb aboard the Polaris to smoothly Segway up the steep, baby-head-littered forestry road to the same starting point as The Gamble, enjoy a second go at the log drop and the rocky chute - but for goodness sake do not pedal that short climb again! Instead hang left into a different world. It’s here you might find that, unless The Gamble converted you already, you become slightly religious…. OK, at the very least you’ll find it pretty cool. But, don’t go ahead and peak prematurely; I haven’t even started talking about the trail itself yet. The aptly named Jurassic is carved out amongst giant pungas, mighty natives, dramatic shapes and a multitude of dark green shades that will have you imagining that you’re riding alongside a shrieking T-rex with abnormally short arms. This could just be Loui, but you won’t know as you’ll be too busy managing your trail-froth. After negotiating unexpectedly well-built corners, rowdy rock turns, Chiliean anti-grip like dust, into off-camber anaconda roots for 600 metres of vertical descent, you won’t mind that gentle pedal out along the creek to get all your ducks back in a row.
Next up, the Cable Bay DH track. Starting with a no-fuss firebreak, straight-line into the pines before you hit the road gap that drops you into one of the few sections of natives, after which you’re on your own in the open with nowhere to hide. By getting increasingly steep, the trail will ensure you stay on your game. A 10 minute, on-demand shuttle will have you back at the top so you can do it all again.
If, however, these grade 4-5 trails do not appeal to you in any way, you might be more interested in the fact that the shortest pedal takes you to Formula 1; a wide, flowy, digger-built grade 3 that lends itself nicely to smashing out a few laps. Whilst talking about laps – one of the many grand plans for Cable Bay, is a trail following the perimeter of the park creating a nice, long (not to mention, scenic) loop to ensure there is something for everyone.
Having been created by – and for – the community, Cable Bay Adventure Park has already landed firmly in the hearts of locals and, through its easy access, is now gaining traction both nationally and internationally. What can I say? Everyone loves an underdog!
Words: Jess Enlund
Images: Sven Martin & Henry Jaine
Story: Life according to Justin Leov
Life happens at a million miles an hour for Justin Leov. In that respect, not a lot has changed since his days racing the World Cup downhill circuit. The day we meet, he bowls up to the airport pickup zone, chucks the window down, then leans out and asks if I’m Liam. I reply, ‘yep’, so he leaps out and gives me a stern handshake - you get a lot of these in the south. Justin hails from Blenheim, which is at the top of the South Island, New Zealand. We throw my bags in the back of his pickup and head to his digs.
During this short ride, we cover most riding topics - and give the president of the local mountain bike club a call. I get the gist that Justin is always ‘on’ – his hustle is relentless. Our chat is mostly about bikes – and rightly so, as he’s made a bloody decent career out of racing them. But, more on that shortly. Justin’s stories, and his ability to relay them like they happened yesterday, is incredible. I scramble to take notes or record some of what he is saying, as we leap from topic to topic. Being in his company, you get a real sense of Justin’s energy and enthusiasm for the sport, and immediately I can see why he’s done so well.
After traversing some dry and dusty gravel roads, we pull into Justin’s property, Jentree. There’s a country-style house, a barn, a river, and a steep hill that sits behind the house. We jump out of the pickup in front of the barn, which is littered with property maintenance gear, bike paraphernalia and the old-school Land Cruiser he uses for shuttles up his hill. The race plates from his racing days are scattered all around and there’s even a wall dedicated to them. From Downhill, EWS and Crankworx, there’s either a race plate, medal, trophy or cheque (you know, those large, novelty ones). It’s evident Justin has excelled in his chosen sport, and I’m blown away by how much mountain biking history is encased within his barn.
Justin is pro eMTB, and rides a Specialized Levo SL. Yes, he does have a pedal bike too, a Specialized Enduro, but these days most of his time is spent on the Levo SL. Justin reckons eMTBs have definitely established a place in the market. His Jentree property is straight up, so the Levo SL makes the climbs more fun and, when Justin gets home from his job as a builder, he can cut laps without anyone else having to shuttle him. What’s more, he can ride the descents swiftly, too. Of course, knowing a thing or two about racing downhill bikes helps, along with knowing trails on his property, but Justin explains that the Levo is much more planted on the trail, due to it being a little heavier. Put simply, it gets your centre of gravity a little lower.
“For me, the Levo SL is nearly the perfect bike,” Justin elaborates. “Being time limited with work, kids and trail maintenance, it simply means that when I can get out, I get twice as many laps in on the trails than when I’m on my regular bike. Being a lot lighter than the regular Levo, I find the dynamics while riding the Sl to be very similar to a regular bike (more playful and easier to manoeuvre). This, I believe, suits the rider who likes more technical trails and wants to ride with a feeling closer to their regular bike, yet also wants to get a whole heap more riding in for their time. I’d also like to add that my riding intensity doesn’t change, I still go flat out on the climbs like I have always done, it’s just that now I get there quicker.”
Justin spins some great yarns, but the conversation never wanders too far from his racing days. Of course, this is what I’m here to cover, but I could definitely spend more time just hanging out with him. He’s a top bloke who is also very humble, especially when you consider that his past is more decorated than most.
Let’s kick things off at the beginning, when he was first getting into riding, as a youngster. Mountain biking wasn’t on his radar initially; he was into motocross, but after some pretty heavy injuries, he moved away from it. It was at high school, Marlborough Boys College, where Justin was encouraged to give mountain biking a go. The youngsters would head out each Wednesday and explore the region’s trails and, on a few occasions, they headed to Jentree. There were a few groms who were keen riders, and they pushed each other – together, they headed off to races and events and started kicking ass.
Justin kept up the training and would ride from his place, across to Jentree (where he now lives), and cut laps until the evening light ran out. This was his daily routine: just getting his skills up and riding as much as he could. At 14, he entered his first Nationals on the West Coast. The hard, gnarly and technical track didn’t put him off and, after this race, he was hooked. As he started to race more, his skills improved and he took his first Junior National title at Jentree in the coming years. Oceania Champs followed, and soon Justin had hustled some businesses around Blenheim to support a trip to Europe: the good folk of the region backed him, and off he went. The plan was to hit the ground running with the World Champs and World Cup finals. Long travel and hectic schedules didn’t distract Justin at the World Champs in Kaprun, Austria, where he was 10th overall (racing as a junior) in his qualifying run, with a stacked field, and 20th in his race run. A week later, he was racing in Les Gets, France in the Open Men’s field (back then there wasn’t a junior class) throwing solid runs and placing well in the qualifier to eventually end up 40th in his race run. Justin returned home, but was yearning to head back again. The very next year, he did just that.
The plan was super loose, but Justin was determined to make it. Alpe d’Huez stands out for him that season, not only because he wore a skinsuit and placed 9th overall, but because he met Jason Marsh, a Kiwi living in Morzine who was hunting for different ways to do things (he would go on to work as Greg Minnaar’s mechanic and create MarshGuard fenders). At 17, Justin was still trying to work out what made him tick. Building anger before races was discovered by Marshy (Jason Marsh): he started annoying Justin before his run, and it worked. Being pissed off and getting aggressive before races made Justin ride harder. Justin recalls a time later on in his career, when he asked SRAM for a new derailleur and they wouldn’t help out. This fuelled his anger and was part of his process. “Everyone has their things, but learning this helped me early on. Also, work rate means a lot and you’ve got to have the want and desire. You’ve got to have the mongrel. Sometimes natural talent will be taken away by hard work,” Justin explains.
From showering in a bike wash, to sleeping in vans and doing just about whatever it took to get from race to race in Europe, built Justin’s character for the years to come. By 2005, he was riding for a small Swiss team, called the Suspension Centre Team, owned by Gery Peyer. It wasn’t a salaried position, but Gery gave Justin a place to stay as well as transport and a Turner to race on. This was the year Justin made himself known on the world stage, placing on the podium in USA and rounding out the year in 15th overall. After this, he started getting noticed, and signed with Martin Whiteley as a manager. Martin helped land a deal with Yeti for Justin’s 2006 season. The enthusiasm and stoke of making it was there but, unfortunately, it was short lived, with an injured shoulder during a 4X gate start in Spain, where he didn’t understand what the medical staff were saying. He punched on for the rest of the season before eventually getting surgery when he returned back home. The following seasons were much better and Justin snagged 10th overall finish in 2008. Martin then asked Justin to join a few team; Trek World Racing, with the likes of Tracy Moseley and Aaron Gwin. This was a well-oiled and organised programme. “You need to figure out what you need to do win – a lot of kiwis did well at home, but struggled with the stress abroad.”
After a few years riding at the highest level in downhill, Justin’s enthusiasm for it dwindled. The demands were high from constant training, intense races (with no room for error), hectic travel schedules and the stress of it all. He felt burnt out, threw in the towel and retired in 2012. Finished with racing, Justin returned home to start a building apprenticeship.
But, as it so often does, racing bikes soon lured him back in.
There was a new discipline on the scene: enduro. Justin was happy at home; he was completing his building apprenticeship and had been off the bike for a while, when Martin called and (eventually) convinced Justin to give this enduro racing a go. Relenting, Justin flew back abroad and, sure enough, finished 4th in his first race: that was enough to hook him. Shortly after that, Trek Factory Racing offered him a deal where he could race enduro and help out trackside with downhill rounds. It meant he’d be up at 5am training for himself, then helping out on the downhill racers, followed by a gym session in the evening. It’s not hard to imagine how this got a little too busy after a while, and Justin felt he couldn’t give it his all, so the following season he scaled back and focused solely on racing.
Justin says these were some of the best years of his racing career, on reflection. He had a great relationship racing with Tracy Moseley and there was great support with the team. The Trek engineers were also so invested in developing the best product for racing; they would use rider feedback as much as possible, and Justin and Tracy were behind the 29er movement before it was widely popular. They helped develop the Remedy 29er and the Slash 29er. And his racing? It was going really well, especially aboard the Remedy 29er - he took third overall in the 2014 EWS. That same year, Tracey won it. The next year, Justin’s focus was on taking the win. He won his first EWS round in Scotland and held the lead with the series but, luck wasn’t on his side when he crashed in Whistler, dislocating his shoulder.
There’s no doubt Trek were a massive part of Justin’s career, and it was hard for him to move away from the team. However, when you’re a sponsored athlete, the window of being able to earn highly is only open a short time. After some serious consideration, Justin signed with Canyon in 2016. Trek had the opportunity to match what Canyon offered, but couldn’t, and told Justin it was too good to turn down. He still had the mongrel and fight but, on the first Canyon training camp, he caught glandular fever. In order to fully recover he needed to return home and be off the bike - for at least six weeks. The first few weeks, Justin could barely make it off the couch, a concept which was not only hard physically, but mentally too. The next few years didn’t go his way, due to health reasons and Canyon not moving with the times in regards to having a 29er race bike option. The time came to retire, again, and head home to complete the building apprenticeship - Justin was fed up with the bike. “Reflecting on my career, everyone is driven differently. For me, I was focused on racing and missed most of the social occasions. You have to give it 100%. Find where you are – you can try and change yourself to fit a model, but you’ve got to see what’s best for you.”
Justin was back on the tools, building and living in Blenheim, when he caught wind that the Jentree property was for sale. This was enough to ignite his passion for riding bikes again. Justin, his wife Victoria and their two kids, Annabella and Luca, moved in.
“Jentree got its name from the previous owners, John and Jenny Meek. John was referred to as ‘Track Man John’, and was the creator of the cross country course. When Victoria and I bought it off them, we decided to keep the name as a tribute to John and Jenny’s hard work. The original cross country was, at the time, more technical than most other courses, so it developed that reputation. My first ever mountain bike race was an XC here, and it had a climb so steep you had to shoulder your bike and climb up it by foot. It was so cool to see something like that in a course, you don’t really see that often anymore. John loved naming sections and locations; the DH was called The Mangler, true to its name it also delivered. Digger-built trail didn’t really exist at this time, so the closest we had was my dad pushing a few cuts in the hill with a bulldozer. These would be named “Leov Lane”, and the pond at the top of the hill was also built by my old man and named Gladys’ Pond - after John’s mother. There were definitely a few degrees of connection to this property for me, and being able to purchase it from John and Jenny really brought it back full circle.”
The place needed a bit of work, and the trails had been left for years, but Justin just chipped away on things at a slower pace. Justin takes pride in the property, and the Jentree trails are unique. It’s clear to see that there’s plenty on for Justin these days, but he gives me ample amounts of his time. Heck, we even stop at one point when we’re shuttling the trails so he can offer me some skills coaching. Yep, he coaches mountain bike skills too – well, there’s not much he doesn’t do! The tips he gave me have made my riding a whole lot better, and I’ll be giving him a call again for sure.
Justin’s wife, Victoria, welcomes me into their family home and I quickly learn that she’s his most dedicated supporter and has been by his side throughout his whole career. It’s clear to see that Justin’s performance at the highest level has been backed by Victoria holding things down on the home front and, importantly, keeping things balanced. Of course, there’s been some rocky moments, but Justin says they’ve learnt over the years: it’s not easy when you’re pro, often miles from home, focusing on riding bikes - sometimes there’s not much room for anything else. For Justin and Victoria, years of phone calls progressed to Skype calls and seeing how best to work a long distance relationship.
It takes one hell of a driven person to pursue a sports career at the highest level and, without doubt, Justin is one of them. But, his humbleness remains, even after being one of our most decorated mountain bike riders. It’s clear to see the lessons learnt from racing abroad are applied to many aspects of his current life. His support network is solid and his passion for the sport, and giving back to the next generation, is what stands out.
Words: Liam Friary
Images: Henry Jaine
Story: A Decade Dedicated to Women
Even the strongest native New Zealand tree needs a supportive environment to flourish at the start, and many burgeoning women mountain bikers are no different. Creating this type of environment was the incentive behind Revolve, a “down to earth” women’s cycling club that caters to women of all skill levels, who want to ride a bike!
Founded in 2009, Revolve was the brainchild of two local bike enthusiasts – Ash Peters and Marjolein (MJ) Cook – who found there was a severe lack of women riding the trails and racing in local events. With a little prompting from supportive local bike shop owner Nigel Welch, they decided to do something about it. “What started as a casual weekly ride quickly grew and, as more and more ladies started to turn up, we thought… maybe we’re onto something,” says Ash.
With the simple mission to get more women on bikes – be it mountain or road – Revolve’s popularity grew quickly and captured the hearts of many – both guys and girls. By 2012, over 1000 people had signed up for the ‘Weekly Revolver’ e-newsletters to stay in the loop with the weekly rides, events, and skills and maintenance clinics.
“Given the response and commitment we received fairly quickly, it was hard to believe there wasn’t a club before,” says Ash. “They say ‘build it and they will come’ and, with Revolve’s inception, I’ve had countless women reiterate this saying – whether they were too nervous, unacquainted with the trails or not keen to ride with their partners, these women were looking for an outlet and, through Revolve, found a club to call their own.”
Fast forward ten years and Revolve is much more than a two-woman band – the committee of nine, headed by co-presidents Meagan Robertson and Abbie Bull, continues to be the driving force behind a club that remains committed to empowering the women of Wellington, and ideally beyond, through their love of cycling.
Keeping the wheels turning
Over the years, Revolve has provided its members with a wide variety of activities and benefits; bike maintenance classes, women-only events, trips away, subsidised skills courses, quiz nights, shuttle days, and more. While the options vary and evolve from year to year and committee to committee, one core offering has remained constant since Revolve’s inception in 2009: its guided weekly road and mountain bike rides.
“No matter what else is going on, be it event preparation, first aid course organisation or injured Ride Guides, Revolve Ride Guides always pull together to ensure consistency through its ride schedule,” says Dee Skilton, who has been on the committee as a Ride Guide coordinator and Trails Liaison for the past four years.
With road rides every Saturday morning, and mountain bikes rides every Thursday evening (every second week in winter), Revolve members always have something to look forward to. Ride Guides also organise additional rides beyond the weekly offering, such as the Weekend Excursions led by Ride Guide Nicole Hoy and the Wainui Weekend Rides led by Dee, which draw good crowds and have become much-anticipated calendar staples.
“If our rides are our constant, it’s drawn from the strength of our Ride Guides, and a key part of Revolve is ensuring we have enough Ride Guides who are trained and passionate about our mission. They are the face of Revolve, and the ones who influence whether those who turn up for rides end up coming back – it’s a big responsibility!”
To ensure the Ride Guides feel confident and are well prepared to lead rides, Revolve organises and funds Ride Guide training, first aid training and skills courses, as well as bi-annual get togethers and an appropriate thank you at the AGM.
For many of the Ride Guides, like Weekend Excursion extraordinaire Nicole Hoy, it’s a way to give back to a club they feel passionately about. “Nine years ago I found Revolve. I loved riding a bicycle and wanted to become a more confident mountain biker. Ashley and MJ were amazingly patient with riders like myself, and their love of mountain biking was infectious. My confidence grew, as did my list of bike riding women friends. I've met some of my dearest friends through Revolve and am eternally thankful for that. It’s a big part of why I continue to Ride Guide – I want to support this unique and welcoming community of riders.”
More than just riding
While Revolve’s initial goal was to get women on bikes, the lack of women riding was particularly obvious at the start line of an event, so building women’s confidence in attending events became another club aim early on.
Women of Dirt was the club’s first event and has arguably become its most notorious. Designed as an inclusive and fun six-hour relay – complete with baking and best dressed prizes – the aim is to encourage women to try their hand at racing in a comfortable atmosphere. “It reiterates our mission, which is to build confidence in women of all abilities and skill levels through their enjoyment of riding,” says co-president Abbie. “Women of Dirt is unique in that it encompasses an awesome blend of fun and competition. With girls aged seven through to women in their late fifties – some that have ridden a handful of times and others that ride several times per week – it proves an opportunity to get together, ride bikes and meet like-minded people.”
With the ninth Women of Dirt event plan underway, co-president Meagan – who took part for the first time in 2011 – says it’s been incredible to see the event grow over the past eight years. “On my first-ever Revolve ride, myself and another newbie – now one of my closest friends – were talked into putting together a team for Women of Dirt. It was such an amazing way to find out what Revolve was all about – the people were friendly, the biking was fun and the atmosphere was almost electric.
“For the next few years, I rode and helped organise with more new friends, and since taking on the president role four years ago, I’ve been mostly organising – but always taking time for a lap or two!”
The event, which took place at Makara Peak for the first five years, became so popular that the committee decided to move it around to help give women exposure to trails further afield – in 2017, it was held at Wainui Trail Park and last year at Belmont Regional Park.
Meagan says the decision hasn’t come without its own challenges. “It’s already challenging to convince women to take part in an event at all, even when it’s on home turf, which is Makara for a lot of people. Convincing them to give new trails a go takes a lot of encouragement, and a lot of pre-rides.” Looking to cater for a wider variety of riding abilities, and expose women to a different racing format, the Super V was born in 2012. Held at Polhill Reserve, the pedally downhill race gives women a chance to get shuttled to the top of stunning singletrack that can rarely be ridden at speed due to its dual-use status and popularity.
“It’s similar to Women of Dirt in that the environment is incredibly supportive and friendly, plus you get time to chat to the other women on the way up in the shuttle. It feels a bit more like a race though because you start one by one, and you don’t want to let people pass you,” says Tina Frew, who was convinced to join in after only a few weeks in Wellington, and has participated every year since.
Both events are organised wholly by the committee, who continue to refine the processes around them.
“Where we see areas for possible improvement, we make a change,” says Meagan. “Over the past four years, our focus has been on ensuring volunteers feel valued, sponsors feel appreciated and the atmosphere at the race is welcoming and fun. It’s a massive job organising these events, and we’re lucky to have such an incredible committee, and race day volunteers, making it happen.”
Friends of Revolve
In addition to its two staple events, the Revolve committee also organises a Christmas party, an AGM and an AGM Shuttle Day for Ride Guides; members and volunteers, and Friends of Revolve are welcome at all three events.
“While Revolve is all about empowering women, it wouldn’t be as successful as it has been without support from those outside the club, who we call Friends of Revolve,” says Abbie, whose membership research led the club to introduce an actual Friends of Revolve membership earlier this year.
“Every committee member and Ride Guide has people in their life who supports their volunteering, and many of our event volunteers are men who support Revolve’s mission. It’s so close to our hearts that we acknowledge a Man Friend of the Year at every Christmas party.”
Why women only?
Much like the hashtag #ifyoucanseeityoucanbeit, Revolve caters for all women, particularly those who are nervous about “not being good enough”. In any given week, Revolve receives a handful of emails from women wondering if they are “good enough” to join a ride and, nine times out of ten, said women are more than capable of joining the ride they’re enquiring about.
Committee member Sarah Murray, who has now been the Roadie Ride Co-coordinator for the past three years, admits Revolve’s ‘no one left behind’ policy was a major drawcard for her. Two Coast to Coasts, an Ironman and few half Ironmans later, she recalls her nervousness vividly.
“I joined Revolve to learn how to ride a road bike and meet some new people. I looked around at quite a few riding groups but was pretty intimidated by the sound of most of them, while Revolve seemed so welcoming and forgiving of out-of-their depth rookies like me. My first ride was led by Leonie and despite the fact we had to stop half way up the hill to pump up my tyres (I didn't know you needed more than 40psi in them....) she was so friendly and encouraging - after that I was hooked!”
Words: Meagan Robertson
Images: Dan Sharpe
Story: E-Zing Back Into it Pt. 2
Yeah, yeah - I've been going on about how bloody brilliant e-mtbs are for a few issues now. I even evangelized before actually buying one; extolling their virtues as the saviour––or perhaps even death––of mountain biking as we've come to know it. In the ensuing months, riding almost exclusively off-road with added electric assistance, I can now tell you I was wrong. So wrong. You definitely shouldn't buy an e-mtb.
For a start, good luck even finding one to purchase. The worldwide shortage of eMTBs (due to the death of Sean Connery - which we covered in the last issue) is the result of every person over 60, on the planet, recklessly flaunting their Boomer wealth and privilege to shut out anyone else who might not be old and rich. I know this to be true, because I'm constantly told that eMTBs are only to be ridden when one becomes that magical age called “old”, which is approximately 10 to 20 years older than the vintage of the complainant. Even guys who are further advanced in years than my already post-middle-age tell me they're too young, which leads me to believe the optimal time to buy an eMTB is somewhere north of 80. I'm much too young, in that case, and obviously too stupid to realise the error of my ways.
eMTBs are cheating. Not like jamming a vial of EPO into your arm or shuttling, no, these are much worse. You don't get any form of physical workout - in fact you don't have to do anything at all, just sit there and let the bike do the rest! I know this to be true because I'm constantly told by these gurus of fitness that they want a physical challenge, and that can only be attained by pedalling squares at walking pace up a 2km climb for half an hour or more. If, after a climb, your lungs aren't about to jump out of your ribcage and you're not in peril of a stroke, then you're obviously a “pussy” and have no right to call yourself a mountain biker. No, I don't care if the eMTB gets you three ascents to one and adds speed and handling challenges to the climb, if you're not starting the descent with shot legs and barely enough strength to keep the bike upright and at speed, you're basically Lance Armstrong with knee pads.
OK, so perhaps you've cheated your way up the climb with no effort at all, passing real riders and rightly earning their contempt, and now you're at the start of what can only be defined as the real reason to ride mountain bikes: the descent. There's no way you're going to enjoy this on an eMTB. I know this to be true because I'm constantly told that real bikes are lighter and also something called 'flickable', therefore they are much faster when pointed downhill. If there are real riders waiting to descend the same trail, let them go ahead, because there's no chance you will catch them with all that extra weight, low centre of gravity and bursts of power out of corners and over rises holding you back. I'm sure the electrics interfere with GPS signals too, as my Strava consistently and falsely claims that I'm faster on every descent on the eMTB, which I know to be a falsehood because real riders who only ride 'flickables' tell me so. And I'd trust them over digital data tracking any day.
I guess one of the most important and sobering things riding an eMTB has taught me, is that I don't actually like mountain biking. I know this to be true because if I did, I wouldn't be riding off-road most days of the week; I wouldn't be doing more distance per hour of riding; and I certainly wouldn't be climbing more metres per ride. And, some of the trails I ride now (which I haven't for years) well, no real rider would go near them either…. Because, there's no shuttles to get them back to the top, so obviously that track sucks. Scrambling up goat tracks, riding over rocky outcrops, picking a point on a steep hill where there is no hand-built trail and seeing if you can even get halfway up it – this isn’t real mountain biking because there's no way you can do this on a *real* mountain bike. Sheesh, when will you get it?
Maybe, just maybe, there will be a real eMTB for real riders one day because, right now, the technology is prehistoric and used by Neanderthals. I know this to be true because I'm constantly told by real riders that they are waiting for the tech to advance and bikes to become the size of an iPhone64 before they make any decision that could hinder their real rider status. Bosch and Shimano, etc have no clue and aren't making any advances in motor or battery tech at all, and the bikes don't ride - or even look! - like mountain bikes (despite looking exactly like mountain bikes). Yes, they do ride differently to real bikes - if you call faster, more stable and more fun different rather than better.
If you're still confused about whether to get an eMTB or not, I suggest talking to those who know best on the subject: someone who's never ridden one. They know what's up, and should be listened to. Personally, I wouldn’t do it. I don't want to see packs of fit, happy riders getting in multiple runs of their favourite trails, or heading into hills they've never been into before - and I certainly don't want to see newcomers being drawn into the sport we love and guard so rabidly from outsiders (like roadies). In fact, I'm calling for a stop to all eMTB access on anything other than fire-roads; a minimum purchasing age of 70 for new bike sales; and no new bikes to be released until technology comes up with a way for the bikes to be activated by pedalling, as I'm told that currently it's not actually required on these abominations. And, won't someone think of the shuttle companies?! I never thought I'd see the day when mountain bikers would get to the top of the hill with motorised assistance, or indeed pedalling - and you should not contribute to the inevitable rapid downfall of the sport! I'll be getting rid of mine pronto, buying a diesel Hilux and a 20kg DH bike and saying “e-bikes suck” at every opportunity. That's real.
Words: Brett Kennedy
Images: Cameron Mackenzie
Story: E-Zing Back Into it Pt. 1
You don't need me to tell you that 2020 has been a shit year. Most say it's “strange” - but that's an understatement, and a deflection of the way the world has changed. Few realise the true impact that this significant event will have on all our lives in the future, and that they too will be directly affected by this sudden, unexpected development.
Yes, E-bikes have gone mainstream.
If you'd told me at midnight on December 31st 2019 that I'd be evangelising pedal-assistance for mountain biking, I'd have rightly claimed you were drunk and somehow dizzied by the euphoria and expectations of a bright new year. Well, that all got turned on its head around the middle of the year, when everyone cottoned on that riding bikes was a good way to pass the time. Suddenly, we had a lot more of it on our hands due to the other big event of the year: the death of Sean Connery. The weeks of stay-at-home mourning for the great actor and inspiration to bald men worldwide, opened up a chance to look deeper into our souls and ask: “do I want to ride more?” The collective answer was a resounding ‘yes’.
Apart from Bond dying and electrification of the world in full swing, ‘20 was shit because I spent most of the early part of the year with only nine functioning fingers - one too few for any kind of off-road bicycle action, which had caused the injury in the first place. Forbidden under the Connery lockdown anyway, it wasn't too much of a problem and the now-compulsory, solitary confinement Zwift seminars became a tolerated form of simulated exercise - without all the distractions of 'fun' and 'fresh air' and unneeded peripherals like 'dirt', 'rocks' and 'trees'.
Eventually, we were released back into the wild, Bond was burnt to a crisp and we all got on with our lives, albeit now always carrying that dreaded number with us everywhere: 007. Everyone was thinking the same thing; “gotta get an e-bike”. But, as with all great crises, supply was outstripped by demand and the masses started to gather in larger groups at the local dispensaries, fighting over any remaining stock and trying to get as high up on the lists for the new drug as soon as it was released. The people needed E and, like street junkies, they were prepared to do anything for a fix. I had to use my insider trading knowledge to get ahead of the pack and secure my own hit first, even if there was unsurety as to whether I actually needed it or how it would be of any benefit to my life. Fuck it - what harm can throwing oneself into the deep end of a black, deep, murky pool while hooked up to mains power actually do? The results would be shocking, but not totally unexpected.
“E-bikes are for the lazy!” … “They'll make you fat and unfit!” … “It's cheating!” … These were all warnings that were heeded then dismissed like a true junkie. “This smack has battery acid in it? Meh, can only give it more kick, right?” These doomsayers were no doubt uninformed, biased and had no actual experience in the real world. I'd dabbled in small doses, and have never been afraid to get in at the pointy end when others would take a wait and see approach, looking for safety in numbers and a degree of 'everyone else is doing it now, so I will too' safety-net thinking. I was ready for the backlash and public shaming, but it never really amounted to any level that would cause banishment from society. Maybe I was onto something?
When a commodity is in high demand and short supply, the truly addicted will do whatever it takes to acquire it at any cost. I was prepared to pay more than I ever had for my addiction, and even look beyond my regular dealers. After a lean year when other substances from the same cycling family took over, I wondered if this was really still a habit I wanted to feed. I'd grown tired and bored of the slog uphill for a run back down, and even that aspect didn't deliver the same euphoria as it once did. I was fat, lazy and drunk - the perfect criteria for buying an e-bike, surely. It was time to reopen the gateway that mountain biking offered so long ago, and let in a new beast altogether.
For a so-called drug of choice, the options were more than a little limited with the uptake of new users. My research led me to a list of requirements that were met by the Scott Genius E-Ride. I'd ridden a mate's bike and wanted the Bosch motor and bigger 625wh battery. I couldn't get the first hit quick enough but, like an overeager kid in a candy store, I managed to put myself out of action for another week while heaving the beast into a work stand. Remember kids, some drugs are heavier than others so proceed with caution. Finally, garnished to my liking, we hit the trails.
Spoiler alert: I enjoyed it. I really liked it. I fucking loved it. Being fat, lazy and drunk doesn’t help - but it also wasn't a hindrance either. I finished that ride spent, if not more than I would've been on an old-fashioned bike. I'd ridden further, faster, and had a hell of a good time. Sorry. Sure, I couldn't walk comfortably the next day, but I couldn't wait to do it again. As with any drug, the long-term effects are the most important, but for now the short-term ones are hitting the spot. Whether the good times endure, or there's a massive comedown, will surely be determined in the honeymoon period between now and the next issue.
Words: Brett Kennedy
Images: Fin Lloyd
Story: Young Ones - Cam Beck
There must be downsides to life in a provincial town. Views of countryside and forests in all directions are all very well, but some of the opportunities available to big city kids are simply not there for their country cousins.
That cuts both ways, though, especially if the forest you can see at the edge of town is full of trails. Having a huge and growing trail network on your doorstep goes a long way towards making up for any lack of big-city amenities if your life goal is to be a great mountain biker.
Maybe your life goal gets that way because the trails are there? That’s a chicken and egg kind of discussion which really can’t be solved, but the procession of talented mountain bikers hailing from small town New Zealand is seemingly endless.
Cam Beck took his first ride in the Whakarewarewa Forest when he was eight years old, and he was hooked right then and there. Tagging along with his parents, he quickly caught the bug to test himself in events. Entering cross-country races from the age of ten didn’t result in instant success, but it didn’t put him off racing, either - it just set the hook a little deeper.
For the next few years, he honed his skills, and by his early teens he was well up in the field at any race he signed up for. As enduro events gained momentum, he gradually moved over to the gravity side of life. Each event was a learning opportunity, and small successes led to bigger ones. With every passing season, Cam became more determined to give the sport a real go.
Getting tight with a local bike shop is a key factor for anybody intent on competition. In terms of equipment, bike racing must be among the most complicated athletic endeavours there are - especially at the pointy end of mountain bike racing. So many elements need to be working at their best - besides the obvious one, which is the person on top of the machine. A relationship with a shop that has your back takes a while to establish, but once made it is a symbiotic thing of beauty. The shop gets a customer who will keep coming back, and the rider gets a team behind him to make sure everything runs sweet on race day. Nzo / Ride Central is a locally owned independent store with a comfy lounge-room aesthetic that Cam has called home base since he got started.
Cam’s home is a quarter of an hour southwest of Rotorua, in the heart of an area offering some of the best road riding anywhere, deep in the Waikite Valley. If the forest wasn’t so well-endowed with trails, Rotorua would attract people to ride the roads out there. Plenty of locals do just that; quiet tar seal leads riders through farmland and patches of forest - Cam makes use of the valley roads on a weekly basis. Gym work three days a week, and at least five rides in the forest, rounds out the workload under the watchful eye of coach Mark “Cabin” Leishman.
Mike and Sandra at Hyperformance Hardware gave him good deals on the bikes he rides; an Ibis Ripmo for enduro, and a Santa Cruz V10 for downhill races.
Cam has been able to get some great results under his belt, the best being a win in the Under 17 category of the 2020 edition of the Giant TOA Enduro at Crankworx Rotorua. That result would have put him second in the U21 bracket. He scored a second place in the Downhill in his age group at the same event, with a time that would have put him 13th overall.
Consistently finishing in the top three or four in National level races is a great start, but if you want to find out how good you are at any type of bike racing, you have to go overseas. That is as true for mountain biking as it is for any other facet of the sport.
Dozens of young New Zealanders have cut their teeth at the local, had some success at the races, and followed through with a go at a racing career by taking the trip to Europe. Most of them have what looks like a pretty good time, some of them stick at it for quite a few seasons, and a select half dozen or so “make it”.
This year, Cam had locked in the programme for his first foray offshore.
He is way ahead on his schoolwork, and the outline for this year was to take some time out to travel to Taiwan and Australia. An Asia-Pacific EWS round in Taiwan and an EWS qualifier at Falls Creek in the Victorian Alps would have been a great experience and hopefully provided handy points for future race entries. Some EWS rounds and a downhill World Cup round were the target in 2021, but things did not go to plan.
This year has not turned out like any of us expected it to, and Cam is no exception. The Coronavirus pandemic has made an international race programme difficult, if not impossible. Events have been canned, the risk of travel is much higher than usual and leaving New Zealand for a short racing trip to several countries is out of the question.
For Cam and other young kiwis on the brink of a serious go at a bike racing career, or the people already in the ranks of the professionals, it is a real challenge and a situation with many more unknowns than usual.
Planning a campaign is never easy. The broad outline for Cam still includes a red hot go at international racing after high school is behind him. Results will help him decide whether to put racing on the back burner until after uni or push further study back in favour of more racing.
Whatever the global situation dishes up, we are sure Cam Beck has a bright future in bike racing, when the time is right.
Words: Gary Sullivan
Images: Cameron Mackenzie
Story: Cut From a Different Cloth - Louis Hamilton
How about this for the start of a profile….
When Louis Hamilton was 11 years old, he rode sweeper at the ‘06 World Downhill Championships.
Did that get your attention?
The event was in his hometown of Rotorua and his father, Dave, had raced the course the year before, at the Oceania Championships. Dave Hamilton has been at the centre of most things downhill in Rotorua since the beginning of the century, and racing or organising events and courses have occupied many weekends for the Hamilton household over the last two decades. When Dave lined up at those Oceanias, Louis had watched from a vantage point up in the infamous ‘larches’, a particularly nasty part of the course, and the hook was set deep.
A year on, he owned a second-hand Specialised DH bike, and was already able to get down the course - so he got to be the sweep. A baptism of fire, for sure, but after making as many runs as he could over the week of racing, he ended up getting down the track only a minute slower than Sam Hill, who was World Champion that year.
It was only natural that Louis would take racing seriously after being immersed in an event like that.
Competition became his passion for the next decade; battling it out for the summer in New Zealand, and like so many of his colleagues, taking the trip to Europe and North America during our winter.
Racing the World Cup circuit for five years is a huge undertaking. Louis and his brother Connor visited many places they would never have gone to if not for bike racing. And testing yourself year in and year out, against the best in the world, is an opportunity few people get, and an education that escapes most.
Getting started so early had a nice by-product: when the time came to cut back on the racing life a little, Louis was still a young man and, while he cut his teeth in the construction arena, he started building the life he has now.
During a racing season a few years back, the Rotorua downhill organisation Descend Rotorua decided to run a coaching clinic for young riders. Louis and Connor put their hands up to lead it.
On the day, up in front of a group of hopefuls, they realised that while they both knew how to do the things they needed to be fast down a hill, they didn’t have the skills required to translate that knowledge for somebody else to grasp and execute.
That was a challenge for Louis, and he spent the best part of the next six months diligently analysing his methods - figuring out what he was doing so he could impart that knowledge to another rider. The methods he used to do that are proprietary information, and are to remain undisclosed, but be sure they were thorough and accurate.
Some of the things Louis discovered during this period of self-examination surprised him. They did address the challenges he faced back in that spur-of-the-moment clinic. He now knew what he was doing in a far more precise way.
And, he could break it down and deliver it to others.
By that time, he was ready to quit the day-job and launch his own business: Tuned.
In its second year, Tuned will take riders at any level and take them up a notch - or more.
Louis reports that his customers come from all points on the spectrum - complete beginners who want to get started correctly, old hands who have been doing it wrong for years, and pinners that need that extra one percent to elevate their performances.
All of them can benefit from a professional coach who is still able to mix it with the best in a race situation and has put in the study of his own methods to find out exactly what works.
At the same time as he has been developing his business, Louis has been building a family with his partner. Ashley Bond is a great rider, a handy person to have beside you in a business situation and has her finger on the pulse due to her involvement in another bike based operation. Together, they are kept busy with two-year-old Jayla, their daughter.
Recently, I was headed back to the car park at the end of an after-work pedal. I dropped into a clearing and found myself in the middle of a gang of very young riders, gathered around their mentors. Louis and his off-sider on this occasion, Cam Beck, were leading a Rotorua MTB Club youth coaching session.
Ten or so kids were obviously having a really great time, and enthusiastically following their coach’s instructions.
That Louis (and Cam for that matter) would devote an evening to help youngsters improve is clearly admirable but, in Louis’ case, it would have come after a day doing much the same for other customers. Yet, there he was, still out there, and looking to me as if he was really enjoying himself.
It crossed my mind then, that his charges were about the same age as he was when he rode that sweeper lap - a nice way to tie the whole thing into a neat circle.
Words: Gary Sullivan
Images: Cameron Mackenzie
Story: Fueling the Collective Stoke
Becoming more and more entrenched in helping others improve their riding is just as addictive as improving your own, according to Emma Bawtree, former pro elite XC racer and founder of Wheel Woman and Krankin Kids in Nelson. “It’s all about the rush of seeing someone else discover their own love of a sport you love so much!” she says. Both organisations are committed to helping others improve their riding, with Wheel Women focused mostly on women, and Krankin Kids supporting the shredders of tomorrow. Despite her clear passion for encouraging others, Emma didn’t plan on a life of coaching. She was busy racing, running an adventure travel company and being a mum, when the idea of Wheel Woman was born, prompted by one of her friends.
“It all started in 2012, when a friend asked me to take her and some friends out and give them some tips,” explains Emma. “A few weeks later she said the ride had made such a difference to their confidence that they wanted to do it again. By the end of that second session she had pretty much convinced me to start a proper coaching business.”
Woman 1000
Fast forward eight years and Emma is getting close to an incredibly exciting milestone: coaching her 1000th woman! “It’s been quite the journey since that first conversation,” admits Emma. “I was excited about the idea but also nervous… you know, would I run out of women to coach?” As it turns out, the answer is a resounding “no”. Since Wheel Woman began, Nelson’s reputation as a mountain biking mecca - and the trail network it offers - has only grown and, with it, interest in the sport from women. “In the first few years, I could name every woman I’d coached and recognize her on the street. As we close in on 1000 women, that’s obviously a bit harder, but I suppose that’s a good thing!” says Emma. Not only has it grown in numbers, but also in scope and region – Wheel Woman now runs workshops in Blenheim, Christchurch, Hanmer Springs and even the West Coast, as well as the annual Dirt Queens MTB Weekend.
From the Ground up
Emma says she is still largely focused on the beginner-intermediate segment, and really enjoys seeing the leaps made at that level. She says it’s often mothers getting back into biking or starting for the first time once they have some free time, or others trying to keep up with their partners or kids.
“It’s just so heartwarming to see women who are often timid, sometimes even on the verge of tears, break down those mental barriers and feel so elated because of that,” explains Emma. “I often have a few coaching sessions with the same women, and seeing their confidence grow, both on and off the bike, is incredibly inspiring.”
Apparently, those receiving coaching are equally elated. As regular, Amber Bonny, puts it: “Emma tailors her sessions to each individual. She is patient, encouraging and really gauges where you are at and how best to challenge you. This enables you to build confidence and skill without being pushed way outside of your comfort zone, and you can really feel the benefits from the coaching in every ride thereafter. Whether as an individual or in a group session, she inspires you to keep building your skills and get out there on the trails to have a blast!”
Emma says it’s really rewarding to see her coaching clients years later riding on a completely different level – something she had the chance to see firsthand recently when volunteering as a marshal, at the local Shred Like A Girl enduro. “There were 80 women racing and to turn up and see so many of the women I coached who have come so far, was just awesome.” When asked “why only women?” - Emma says it just seems to work. “In my experience, women seem to learn a lot more when you take away the testosterone,” she explains. “It’s still a very male-dominated sport so it can be intimidating for women, as most (not all!) are not as naturally confident. "They also just seem to have a lot in common, whether they’re moms or young and want to get outside. It’s all about giving them the tools and confidence to continue on their own and ride with whoever they want.”
Emma says feedback on her courses from the women, such as Louise, often reflects this: “Engaging, encouraging, confident and assertive in great balance. I found it really enjoyable, the format was perfect and it was super nice to share some collective stoke with other women in a non-judgmental space.”
The Next Generation
While coaching women is her passion, it garnered a lot of interest from parents who wanted similar coaching for their kids – thus inspiring Krankin Kids. “I got in touch with a teacher friend to work out some concepts and started with four or five coaches, one night a week, for ages 10 to 15. Now we run five days a week and coach 180 kids from ages 7 to 15 per term!” Like Wheel Woman, Krankin Kids is about growing a love for the sport and enhancing skills at the same time. Older kids who want to remain involved can do so through an apprenticeship coaching programme.
What’s Next?
Despite filling her time with coaching, being a mum and running a travel business, Emma practices what she preaches and is always looking to improve her offering. With fewer international visitors and bikepacking gaining popularity, she is looking at leading supported women-only backcountry trips on trails such as Old Ghost Road… and she promises there’s more to come!
Words: Meagan Robertson
Images: Henry Jaine