We are bloody stoked to welcome Veronique Sandler to the Wideopen family.
Vero joins us for 2017 as one of our new-school of content creators, video presenters and road-trippers. It’ll be her job to hit the road and report back to you on where you should be riding your bike in the UK in 2017. She’ll spend some time in front of the lens, some time behind the lens, loads of time on Instagram and – most importantly – on her bike.
Alongside creating stories for us, she’ll be racing as many events as she can – mainly the British Downhill Series and a few World Cups.
Hey Vero, awesome video. How was your day filming with Callum?
The day filming with Callum was sick! We had lots of fun laughing at me getting sketchy and he knew where all the good spots to ride were which made my life easy!
Can you give us a bit of a back ground to who you are?
Sure, I’m a Kiwi who has been living in the UK for just over a year now.
I started riding back in NZ when I was about 14 and got hyped on the downhill scene pretty quickly after I started. I spent a few years racing some national rounds before coming over to Europe to have a crack at World Cups.
I’ve been coming over every year now since 2012 and decided to relocate over here because it’s the place to be! Everything is so close together, it’s amazing!
You’ve been pretty big into your racing for the last few years … Can you tell us a bit more about that?
Back when I started riding, racing seemed like the only thing to do if you wanted to make it as a professional female rider. Social media didn’t exist. I’m stoked I started out with racing as it’s meant I’ve met some amazing girls who share the same passion for bikes.
I’ve been super fortunate to be able to say it’s taken me all over the world! From back home in NZ to all around Europe and North America.
So you’ve changed things up a bit for this year. What brought about the change?
I have a massive passion for media and have always been stoked on shooting photos and videos so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get a little more into that side of the sport.
I still plan to do a few World Cups but I would be lying if I said the UCI changes to the women’s field haven’t knocked my confidence slightly.
And what are your plans for 2017?
I’d like to do as much media related stuff as possible really. Documenting trips to different riding locations and just generally having a sick time riding! A couple of BDS races and World Cups are also on the agenda.
Where are you most keen to get out and ride and tell some stories about?
It’s amazing how many awesome places there are to ride in this country, half of which I probably don’t even know about! I’ll always be excited to go and check out a spot I’ve never been to before. I’m still getting shown new places in South Wales every ride and I live right by it! So there answer to the question is literally anywhere ha!
Where are you riding at the moment?
I normally cruise over the bridge into Wales and love riding all the steep, natural stuff there. Definitely the best tracks I’ve ridden!
We’ve teamed you up with a Marin Attack Trail 7 – how are you finding that so far?
I love the Marin so much! I’ve always found it tricky to find a trail bike small enough for me that still feels sick, and this one genuinely is the perfect combo.
Where can people hear more from you?
My Instagram (@veroniquesandler) is the best place for sure! Check it out if ya want!
Look out for more from Vero on Wideopen and on our Instagram.
Thanks to Callum Philpott and Jed Leach for the video and photos.
