I remember the first time I met Sean. It was at Foel Gasnach and we were digging the rock garden at the top of Track One (the steep one). Sean got dropped off by his mum and asked us “Reckon I’ll be ok to ride this?”. This was about 10 years ago, Sean was about 11 and his bike was a piece of shit. He was riding the scariest looking, going-to-fall-apart any second, straight out of a catalogue ‘full suspension’ that I’ve ever seen. Needless to say we told him to crack on and to have a go and … ride it he did!
As the years rolled on Sean’s shitty bike didn’t seem to discourage him and he gradually got faster and gradually upgraded his bike till suddenly he went from being slow and terrifying to watch to being scary fast and whooping a lot of our arses! One day I was overtaking him mid-run at the Foel Bank Holiday races … the next he was teaching me lines and completely kicking my arse!
So basically – I’m taking a partial responsibility for Sean now being fast, talented and celebrating his step up to Expert. Oh – and congrats on being a new dad mate! I’ve got no claim to that one though!
