Part two of the top Western Cape downhill rider’s profiles features Johann Potgieter. We catch up with him on a small practice track at the foot of Table Mountain.

Hometown: Bellville, South Africa
Age: 25
Team: Canfield Factory (as of 2012)

Background:
During high school, Johann was introduced to the Downhill racing scene by one of his friends’ brothers and in 2003 got his first proper Downhill bike, an Xtension, which lead to him winning his first Downhill race at Magic Forest in 2004. After finishing school the next year, Johann worked at his local bikeshop where he got his first sponsorship in the form of a Kona, kick starting a very successful racing career.

Racing career:
Backtracking to 2004, Johann went overseas to take part in the World Champs and learned a thing or two about how the real Downhill racing world works. Several years of racing in the local DH series passed when Mongoose stepped onto the scene in 2010, providing a two year sponsorship and in 2011 Johann made his first real impact overseas. He took a win in an Austrian and German cup, and got a 5th and 3rd in two European cup races. It was during this time that the Canfield Brothers team took note of him (and Stefan Garlicki) and offered them a spot on the team for 2012.

From here:
This year Johann will be riding for the Canfield Brothers Factory team, taking part in the World Cup races as well as the European cup races.

“I would like to thank Redbull, Von Zipper and Mongoose for their support. Without you it would not have been possible”.

The first in a three part rider profile series, local Cape Town downhiller turned pro, Stefan Garlicki recently caught up with the esphotograpy crew. Giving you the inside scoop on what makes this young rider tick, and what lays ahead for the future…

Hometown: Paarl, South Africa
Age: 21
Team: Canfield Factory (as of 2012)

Background:
Stefan raced motocross from 1999 until 2009 and has always been obsessed
with anything that has 2 wheels. His achievements in motocross include a WP
championship title in his division in 2006 as well as a couple of runner-up
finishes. Unfortunately, due to the very high costs involved, he was not
able to compete at National level. After finishing high school in 2008, he
went to Europe to work and travel. During his stay in the UK, he started
racing 4X and ended 6th overall in the UK rankings. Pleased with this
result, he wanted to carry on when he got home to SA but there was no real
4X racing scene, so he decided to try BMX and downhill racing instead. His
BMX season produced a 9th spot in the 17 and over expert class for that
year. However after purchasing his first downhill bike in December 2009,
and finishing 5th overall in the SA DH champs, everything changed.

Racing Career:
In 2011 Stefan decided to focus on riding and finished 2nd in the first
provincial series race, where he beat Andrew Neethling (current world
number 9), into third. The winner was Johann Potgieter, 3 times SA Downhill
champion, who was only 0.6s faster than Stefan. Johann and Stefan were the
only 2 riders to beat Neethling on home soil in 4 years. He went on to
finish 4th in the African Continental Championships and then 3rd in the
South African Championships. On both occasions he was only 3s off the
winner, Andrew Neethling. His plan was to head to Europe between May and
September to race for a season over there to gain more experience. However,
the first UCI world cup was in Pietermaritzburg so he decided to do that
before heading to Europe. Unfortunately he dislocated his shoulder during
practice and wasn?t able to race. After completing physio treatment, Stefan
traveled to Europe and experienced racing on a different level. He had no
idea what to expect as it was his first time racing overseas, but was happy
with his results, the highlight of which was definitely getting 2nd place
at a German IXS Cup in Illmenau, against 500+ riders.

From here:
For 2012, Stefan was lucky enough to get a spot on the Canfield Factory
team, which will be based in Schladming, Austria. The team will be focused
on all the European races eg, World cups, IXS cups etc.

“I am so grateful that I have this opportunity and can’t thank them enough!
I would also like to thank all my sponsors who gave me a chance in 2011 -
Red Bull SA, Adidas eyewear, Giant Bicycles, Leatt, Csixx, Cycles Africa
and Titanium Designs, things would’ve been very difficult without you guys.
I would also like to thank everyone who has helped me along the way, my
parents, the VD Merwe family, Chris Nixon, Mark Hopkins, Myles Kelsey,
Johann Potgieter and many more, sorry I cant remember everyone. Also a big
thanks to Ewald Sadie. I can?t wait to go racing this year, its going to be
a ripper!”

Conrad “C-Rad” Davies is a name you have heard plenty times before on the local DH scene. A lover of all things mud, sweat and gears, gave us the lowdown the new bike, sponsors and baby…

So C-Rad, you’ve been around for as long as I know and you’re one of the die hard downhillers, what do you do for a living?

I basically manage a bike shop now. Not to spectacular, but I have a history in graphic design and suspension technology, so I do a bit of design on the side and have built a name for myself as a good suspension guy. I really enjoy just working on bikes and setting them up really well for different people, so I hope to keep doing that – maybe go out on my own – for a long time still to come.

Some big changes for this year, tell us about them.

From a bike point of view, yeah I changed frame for 2011, still staying on a Morewood though. Then I put some cool new bits on and made some huge changes to the suspension. I was also blessed with a whole bunch of great sponsors for 2011, so that brought together a whole new package and look for 2011.

Why the Makulu rather than just a new Izimu?

I had been riding the same Morewood Izimu for 5 years and just really wanted a new bike. The 2011 Izimu is brilliant, right up to date with the new trends, and very tuneable, but I wanted to try new things. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow Pat’s own Makulu towards the end of last year. It rode well, was very forgiving and still jumped well, so when the option to buy a proto-type Kalula from the factory, I jumped at it.

My frame is a Makulu with the linkage to make it a 7 inch travel bike, like the Kalula, but with the rest of the bike being exactly like a Makulu. A “Makalula” if you like. The advantage is that I have a bike that rides like, and is as forgiving as a Makulu, but still jumps like and Izimu. I battle to jump well and to keep progressing I felt I needed a bike that would still be responsive on the jumps.

Your fork and shock look like the stuff that was on your Izimu. What’s changed?

First the shock:  The Fox Racing Shocks DHX RC4 was tuned for a higher leverage ratio bike like the Commencal DH or a Kona Stab, so the damping was to fast for my new Makalula. At the same time the original RC4s had a weak body, and the 2011 version has a re-designed circuit. I basically replaces the body and while I was at it, re-valved the damping circuit to have slower rebound. The Morewood has such good damping characteristics that you don’t want to use the shock for much of that, so I tuned out the compression a but, so it wouldn’t be to harsh.

The fork had a lot of changes done at the World Cup in PMB. 2012 Kashima stanchions, 2012 dust wipers and a 2011 new FIT cartridge. The new stanchions and dust wiper are just super smooth. The new FIT cartridge is lighter, but the main advantage is that I can now run a softer spring and the fork still stays up in it’s travel. The softer spring allows for better small bump compliance and an over all smoother ride.

Briefly what else is new?

The rims and front hub, built up to make pretty bomb proof wheels. New TLD ODI grips are very comfortable. The new bike has an 83mm BB shell, so I treated myself to some new Shimano Saint crank. They are 175mm long to work well my long legs. Everything else was moved over from the Izimu.

Tell us about the new sponsors.

The obvious and more visible change is Dakine. Everyone is used to seeing me wearing TLD kit. VZ and Dakine are distributed by the same people in South Africa and VZ agreed to continue to support me for 2011, but it was a great honour when the offered to supply me with Dakine kit. I had used their gloves and a hydration pack before, so I knew Dakine was good stuff. The new Descent down hill kit is brilliant and very strong. To complete the apparel package, Nixon (also distributed by GSM) hooked me up with watches, head phones, and clothing for 2011.

I always like to promote brands that I believe in, and so I approached Cycles Africa to represent Race Face, Intense Tire Systems and Motorex, And they very graciously hooked me up with all of the above. It’s so great to not have to worry about tires for each event and bike cleaner and lube. Motorex really is an awesome product and Intense make a tire for every track. A huge blessing.

The least visible, but most important sponsor to back me in 2011 is One2Backup. Their belief in me materialized with them backing me up financially for the year. One2Backup, paid for entries for the year and with out them I really would not have been able to race. It makes such a huge difference when people believe in you.

Sounds like 2011 has been good to you. What stands out for you?

Well obviously the cool bike and awesome sponsors are huge for me. I knocked myself out at Contermanskloof, which leaves a lasting impression and had a good year racing, with a second in the national cup series and a Sani2C finish. I guess the most awesome thing to happen this year is that Steph and I are going to become parents at the end of the year. It’s been a good year. It’s been a big year.

Congratulations. How will this new addition to your life affect your riding?

I hope, in a good way. I know that it’s going to be a big adjustment and that Steph will need me around a lot more, but I still want to get out and train as much as I can. That is why living where I do is so awesome: I have the DH track in the back garden and there are full on XC trails, just ten minutes ride from my house. Just hope the little one likes bikes.

And in the off season?

Other than all the preparation that goes with expecting a baby, ride lots of technical XC trails in my town and work on and ride the DH track in the back garden, loads of exciting stuff.

Patrick is moving on to new opportunities according the media lately, do you have any kind of inside scoop as to what we could expect from Mr. Morewood in the future?

I don’t know too much, but he will be working with some new people to bring out some cool new bike products. I’ve seen some cool bits, like pedals and seat clamps at the factory when I’ve been there visiting and Pat went over seas just after his split from Morewood Bikes on business, so he’s up to something, and knowing Pat it’s going to be awesome.

Any last words?

Just want to thank my sponsors One2Backup, VZ, Raceface, Dakine, ITS, Nixon, and Motorex for their support, Des Purchase for all the help he’s given me, my wife Steph for her un-wavering love; and most of all God for all He has given me. Oh and NSRMTB for publishing my ramblings. Thanks everyone.

This week’s readers rides focus is on team Maverick Cycles rider Kelvin Purchase. A Pietermaritzburg local who has been a dominant force on the local South African Downhill circuit over the last few years…

How is your year going so far, on and off the track?

Its going really good, on the track I feel like I’ve been riding good with the time I have having to work and such but I definitely have a whole lot of fun riding my Kona Supreme Operator and Kona One20. Off the bike I’ve been working hard, putting in some extra hours to get all the things done that I need to do to get qualified, which should be happening really soon. I also recently got engaged to Macheila which is really awesome so we’ve started to get some wedding prep going as well.

Did you reach your goals at the World Cup in PMB?

After crashing in the qualifying run in 09 and missing out by only 3 places, my main goal was to qualify and have a clean race run. I was really stoked to qualify and I had a good race run, I even got to sit on the hot seat for a bit which was awesome. So I’d say that I reached my goals. The whole experience was really cool and I can’t wait for the World Cup next year and World Champs in 2013.

Why Kona?

I’ve been riding for Maverick Cycles for the 3rd year now and they bring in Kona so it’s part of the deal I ride Kona. The Konas are really awesome though I have the Supreme Operator which is my DH bike and a One20 Deluxe which I use for XC and any other riding. Both ride super good and if I had a choice of any DH bike I’d still choose my Supreme Operator.

Has the Supreme Operator made a big difference for you?

It definitely has I feel a lot more confident on it and feel like I can go way faster, the Supreme Operator can handle anything you throw at it. Everyone that has take. It for a ride will tell you how good it feels.

What are the big differences from the Kona Stab from last year?

The whole bike has changed thats why the are no longer called Stabs. The head angle is slacker, BB lower, chain stay shorter, the whole bike is lighter and all the weight on the bike is all low down so it feels super stable and light to move around. It’s also really smooth and quiet. It’s easily one of the smoothest bikes out and the best to ride.

What have you changed from the box stock bike?

The Supreme Operator comes with really awesome specs so there isn’t really any reason to change anything. The only changes I’ve made are changing the pedals to clips, I put a direct mount stem on as well as other bars and I now ride a Fox 40 fork also.

Why did you make the changes?

The Operator comes with flat pedals and I like to ride clipped in mostly so that’s why I put clips on. The direct mount stem gives a stiffer feel so that’s why I put one on and I changed the bars because my Operator had 750mm wide bars and I like wider bars so I now have 785mm bars. There is quite a long story behind the Fox 40, so here’s the shorter version. The Supreme Operator comes with a Boxxer World Cup which is a great fork and I rode with the Boxxer until one day I crashed and snapped the lowers and there where none in stock, with a national being only a few days away Conrad made a plan for me and managed to build up a Fox 40 so that I could ride. I really like the feel of the 40 so decided to keep it on my bike. Thats basically the story. Ha ha.

What training do you do for DH?

Training is tough after working longer hours especially now in winter because it gets dark so early, but if I don’t work late I ride XC after work or if there is someone to shuttle (usually my dad) I ride some DH. Otherwise if it’s dark I hit the Gym or do sprints in my street where there are street lights. It pretty much depends on what the circumstances are that day.

What are your plans for the future?

I plan on always riding my bikes and want to race in the World Cup next year and also would really like to race World Champs in 2013. I’m also getting Married in January and plan on qualifying in the next two months. Macheila and I both really want to travel around the world at some stage as well so I’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds.

Is there any one you want to thank?

First of all the Lord Jesus Christ for all He has done for me in my life making all my dreams possible and blessing me so much.

My dad for all his time and effort he has put into my riding, coaching me, traveling to races, paying for most of the bills, shuttling up hills etc.

Maverick Cycles and everyone involved, they really have made my season even more enjoyable.

Sean Madden from Addidas for hooking me up with some sweet Addidas goggles, the best goggles I’ve ever ridden with.

Macheila for all her support, she always comes to the races and helps me out with a lot.

And my the rest of my family for all their support also. My mom, sister and gran come to most of the local races and are always so supportive.

Without all these people my life and riding would not be the same. Thanks guys.

A super sleek Mongoose BootR with an inverted MotoX inspired Manitou Dorado seems to be the perfect setup for Matt who is known to hammer the cranks and make full use of the BootR ’s propedal design. Well it sure shows the performance of both bike and rider, with Matt’s power to the ground approach the bike and rider fully compliment each other and you have a winning combination. The BootR is by far the most versatile and best value for money DH bike currently in the market and the fact that you can be guaranteed there has been one on every podium throughout the last three years of which Matt has contributed a substantial amount of those podiums.

A local commentator on all things fast and all round good bike rider is what you could call Matt Smith. Matt took some time out of his busy schedule to give us some more info on the man on the machine.

The obligatory how did you get involved in DH?

Well I suppose we have to go all the way back to the beginning for that one! I first started riding Mountain bikes in the UK in about 1989/90 time. My Dad bought me a Raleigh Montage in Peppermint green for a Christmas/Birthday present and it was a size 23’ frame. I think he was basing it on road sizing and thought I would grow into it…if I was Michael Jordan it might have actually fitted me one day…haha!! That ended up being sold and replaced for a 21’…the Old Man was still airing on the side of caution.

When I showed an interest in proper riding and started to ride in places like Hamsterly Forrest and the Yorkshire Moors it became obvious that I needed a proper bike. Weardale Cycles was the establishment that provided, in my opinion, my first proper Mountain bike. It was an 18’ Off-road Sport made by the same guys that also made the proflex bikes at the time. The year was 1991 and it had suspension…a flexi stem! Oh how times have changed. Not long after that we emigrated here again and I met a guy at school called Owen Howell who knew I was into Mountain bikes and took me along to a race.

I was all Cross Country, Downhill, Dual Slalom and foot-ups in the same day back then so we were all pretty good at all things to a certain degree. My inspiration was always from MX and Mountain biking was the closest I could come to copying the speed and style of those riders like McGrath and Damon Bradshaw and the like.

I was always a very average cross country rider and would just race that to keep the sponsors happy but Downhill was where the passion was for me. Speed was what it was all about and I got a rep pretty early on as a pinner but a crasher too. I was the ‘Win it or Bin it’ guy.

I raced on the National circuit in SA from the beginning of 1993 till the end of 1994 when I moved up to Pro Elites. In my last year as a Junior I made the Springbok team and represented SA at the World Champs in Vail Colorado. I think I finished in the 70s somewhere on a hardtail with 2 inches of travel and bleeding hands from the beating I took through practise and the race. Great experience and a real eye-opener. The rest I guess is history.

You have an unmistakeably British accent, where do you hail from?

I’m from England. Was born there in 1976 and we first came to SA in ’81 when my Dad got a contract with the mines. We moved back to the UK in 86 then returned again in ’91. I left here in ’98 to race the World Cup Circuit then again in ’99 to live and work there. I got here this time five years ago in 2006. I’ve done a few laps of the world for sure and I wouldn’t change a thing. My accent is a bit crazy now from the split Nationality thing but it works for me. In some ways I think it makes me as I picked up Commentary work partly because of it.

Besides being pretty unstoppable on your DH bike the last few years, what other forms of bike riding do you take part in?

I’m very lucky in the work that I do for TV on the Motorsport side of things that I get to try out a lot of the sports that I am involved in. In the last five years I’ve done a season and a half of Super Moto racing, had several guest rides in the Kawasaki ZX-10R Masters cup, Raced a Porsche 924 in The Porsche Club Challenge, been a driver trainer on the WesBank Challenge (Greg Minnaar went on the post the fastest lap). In more recent times I’ve got more into Motor Cross and off-road racing too as well as getting better at Superbikes and track riding. It’s all amazing and I count my blessing every day believe me.

Does your Super Noto and track bike experience help with your DH performance and how?

Yes I really believe it does. The Superbikes racing gets yours eyes and reactions used to the speed that everything is happening and you use different muscles. That and the Super moto taught me to really relax on the bike and not freak out when it starts drifting around. The MX is a new deal and I started with that in this past off season. I’ve never been able to afford a bike and the time came where everything fell into place. All the Pros swear by it and I can see why. MX riding uses everything you’ve got. All muscle areas, concentration, reactions, skills, cardio. They’re all pushed to the limit. Along with my regular training programme, adding MX to it in the build up to the first races made me more aggressive in the corners and jumps and stepped me up for sure.

Your riding style is pretty much the same as Peaty’s, keeping the wheels and power to the ground. Was this a factor in choosing to ride a Mongoose (because of the pro pedal design)?

My riding and racing style has always been ‘pedally’. It comes from the old tracks we used to race being far less technical than the tracks we race on today. National tracks used to be 5-6 minutes long so fitness was a major factor and skills were almost secondary but bravery was key. I’ve developed along with how the bikes and tracks have changed and found set-ups that work well for me. For the last four seasons I’ve been on Mongoose, starting with the old ECD and moving to the Boot’R when it was launched. In the last three years I’ve also moved onto the large bike which gives me much more room to move around on the bike, the medium was a little cramped for my six foot one body.

I work a lot on my leg speed and in the past have had to rely on that to gas out of the corners but have dialled in my cornering much more due to the cross training I’ve done. The Mongoose is definitely one of, if not the best pedalling bike out there and the suspension works well on the rougher tracks too.

I appreciate the comparison to Peaty and I know what you mean about the keeping the wheels down thing. I feel in most sections I am able to keep the cranks and wheels spinning rather than airing out then I’ll do it. I do get caught out sometimes when I bottom a pedal or a cranks but they’re rare thank goodness. Stonehouse regional earlier in the year was a good example of me trying to pedal where I shouldn’t have and ate it hard there.

I don’t see myself changing wagons any time soon. Me and the Goose are tight.

You are one of very few riders who runs an invert fork, any issues with delayed response due to it not having three crowns?

In my career I have run just about every fork out there. In the last three seasons I’ve gone from Fox 40s to Rock Shox Boxxer then to the Manitou Dorado this season. I was sceptical of going back to inverted. In 1997 I ran the RST XXLs and they were like spaghetti…lots of flex but the longest travel of the time so I rode around the problems. I later went on the race my 1998 World Cup season on White Brothers UD150s which were better but still nearly ripped the bars out of my hands in the rough stuff. I have faith in technology and the development of suspension over everything else in the industry continues to impress me.

The Manitou Dorados have worked faultlessly the whole season, even when the conditions have been at their worst. I haven’t suffered anywhere near the flex I was expecting and the small bump activity has allowed me to carry much more entry speed into corners. The weight of the fork is comparable to the Rock Shox Boxxer team so they aren’t holding me back on the weight front.

No indication as to what the 2012 bikes will come with but I’m happy to ride the Manitou another season.

When was the last time someone beat you on the nationals circuit and who was it, because the last few years you seem unstoppable?

The last few seasons it’s been a close battle with myself and Mark Hopkins from Cape Town trading paint. He pushed me hard to step my game up and train hard to be in peak condition where as I used to goof a bit and rely on my skills.

James (Morland) used to give me a good run at the regionals until he moved up to Vets this season. Last years Nationals were pretty tough with Dirk Lourence and Robin Rumbelow dusting off their rides to come play. Competition was close but I had an off year with injuries and lack of form. That’s why I was so fired up for 2012. Shame there wasn’t that much competition this time around but there’s always guys moving up so I’m looking forward to the challenge of retaining my titles in 2012.

As a Sub Vet rider, do you aim to take part in the masters world cup?

I did make the team last year and was selected to go to the Masters World Champs in Brazil. The selection Committee only gave us two months notice so it wasn’t possible to attend due to short notice and funds etc.

It’s definitely on my list of things to do either next year or the year after. I’m in good shape and want to represent SA again while my form and pace are as good as they can be. I’m clicking up to the 35-40 class next season as far as that race goes and I know it’ll be good racing, I feel I have the pace and big match temperament that I can do something there and need to just work hard next year to be selected and work with my sponsors to find budget.

What are your future riding plans, DH and other wise?

Next Season is a big one for me. I’m going to be running a three rider team in a Steve Peat Syndicate style deal. There are a lot of strong riders coming up through the ranks and it’s time for me to pass on my knowledge and experience to the next generation. I promise I wont quit racing while my body is working but I am ideally placed with the relationships I’ve built through my career to guide the next stars on their journey. Team planning is still in the early stages but watch this space…. I can promise that it’ll be even more “Hollywood” than before.

What suggestions do you have for the powers that be to ensure the growth and longevity of DH in SA?

Hhmmmmmm. Now there’s a question. It’s hard to say what and where things went wrong this season but there most certainly did. CSA I feel have always viewed Downhill and Downhill riders as an annoyance and nuisance rather than a part of the whole. We are all Mountain Bikers, be it XC, DH, 4 Cross, Trails, whatever and we all deserve support and recognition in equal measure. What I can observe has happened over the ten years or so is a steady fade across to favour XC and endurance racing. This is obvious when you see where the support and sponsorship lies. You only have to look at Super Cycling on MNET to outline this fact. For goodness sake BMX gets more press than Downhill and you can’t move for inserts on long boring endurance races. I’m not knocking these races but why do we have to see so much of it and why couldn’t some of that budget have been used to cover a regional DH of a few more than 5 minutes coverage of  NATIONAL DH. Let’s remind ourselves that we have truly World Class riders attending these events.

I recently had a meeting with a potential sponsor and was embarrassed when they asked how they would get exposure if they get involved. How do we as sponsored or potentially sponsored athletes answer that? We can’t. Maybe a little bit of Magazine print if we’re lucky, a 1 second shot on Super Cycling maybe, definitely NSRMTB on the web…but where else?

It’s a huge problem. Outside partners need to be found to drive the movement forward with money and to put pressure on the powers.

In the UK, USA and Europe the Cross Country and Downhill Series are run as completely separate entities and I feel this is the only real answer. For too long has it been the case that XC and DH each had to suffer the others payload at a venue that suites one but not the other and we are told that this is how it must be. This is not how it must be. Downhill MUST run a separate entity, reporting too and taking guidance from CSA but essentially running its own show. In that way it will be free to seek out fitting partnerships and drive Downhill forward as a potential stepping stone to being a pro. I’ve seen so many talents fall by the wayside through the years through lack of support when their XC counterpart has gone on to make a good livin gout of being a pro athlete.

I think I’ll end on a positive note. We will once again host the opening round of the UCI World Cup next season which is an amazing achievement for all involved. The spotlight will be on us and hopefully DH will start becoming more recognised and benefit from the leverage that a big International Event can encourage. Then in 2013 we get the big show and host the World Champs. The time for Change is now.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thanks all my sponsors and partnerships that have helped my achieve my goals:

Mongoose Bicycles

Omnico

Thor MX

Von Zipper

Liqui Moly

Match Insurance

DC Shoes

KTM Motorbikes

Leatt

Frerichs Customs

Cycles Africa

Mikes Bikes Greenside

Special Thanks to François, NSRMTB and the GAS crew for making the events and exposure happen.

A lover of all things fast, Downhill champion and a modest man who knows what he’s talking about, thanks for your time Matt, we look forward to seeing on the podium for many more years to come.

Pretty unique bike you got there James, how many similar ones have you come across?

I am the first person to start racing the KTM brand on the DH circuit in South Africa. As far as I am aware there is one other currently racing in Cape Town, but  it is its first year racing here, so hopefully we will see more Austrian rigs on the hill soon. There are hundreds of KTM XC bikes at the various events country wide, but as you know the DH scene is a smaller one, but growing from race to race.

Why the choice to go with a new brand in DH like KTM, versus choosing from one of the more popular brands currently on the circuit?

KTM have a very proud racing heritage, and while the push bikes and motorbikes are two separate companies I was very intrigued by the brand. The Aphex is incredibly well spec’d, so much so that all I needed to change were the Bars, for a wider pair. Coming from an enduro back round, the name KTM already has a place in my heart and when given the opportunity to ride the APHEX for 2011,  I jumped at it. Being part of the brand since its launch is exciting, and I am inspired to continue the growth of KTM in the MTB scene.

You are currently the log leader in the national Veterans class, how long have you been doing DH?

That’s right, I am currently leading the National and Gauteng Vets class in Downhill with one race to go in each series. The first time I ever threw a leg over a Downhill bike was in June 2007 at Whistler bike park in Canada and fell in love immediately. On my return I purchased a Heavy 10 inch travel bike and started to race in 2008, so this is my fourth year racing. Last year I did the Cape Epic, so I hardly rode my DH bike, but I am back with a vengeance this year.

Do you have aspirations to aim towards competing at the master’s world cup?

I would relish the opportunity to compete at the Masters World Cup, that would be a dream come true! Perhaps with the right backing it could be done in the near future.

What is it you would like to see happen with DH in SA for the coming years?

This is a hotly debated topic at the moment. I think to put it simply, I would like to see the sport grow. Grow in terms of participants, coverage and support from the local commissions. In order for Downhill in South Africa to grow we need to get much more coverage, in all forms of media, TV, online, press and print. It would be good to see our National races getting more than 3 minutes coverage on a TV slot, in this short period you cannot do the sport any justice. You guys at NSRMTB are phenomenal at creating awareness for our sport, thank-you!  A big thank you must also go out to the people who are prepared to put their money back into DH including my sponsors  KTM Bike Industries; Titanium Designs; Adidas Eyewear; Motorex and Maxxis.

For detailed specs on the standard KTM APHEX click here.

There you have it folks, a one of a kind bike ridden by a one of a kind rider. If you would like to see your ride featured in the READERS RIDES section, go to the NSRMTB contact page and send me a mail ( subject: READERS RIDES ) with some pictures of you and your bike and i will reply with some questions to beef up the article.