The Jono Jones Interview

Photos by Szymon Nieborak / Interview by Jamie Edwards

Intro:

I first really saw Jono Jones ride at the DMR Ex Enduro in 2017. I’d half-expected him to struggle round the leg burning, lung popping 4 day race and had him pegged as a dirt jumper and video-rider, rather than a fit and fast enduro racer.

Jono won the event hands down. He smoked the field and was utterly flat out, smooth and stylish on every stage. More to the point he spent the whole race buzzing with enthusiasm and laughed his way up, along and down every stage through some properly horrible conditions. One particular scandie-flick through a chicane might well have been the best piece of riding I saw all year.

Fresh out of uni and working hard to make his own particular life on two wheels work, Jono met us in Leeds for a snowy ride and a proper chat.

So Jono. How’s 2018 going for you so far?

2018! They don’t half come round quick eh?!

This year has been pretty steady so far for me. I’ve never been a fan of cold, short days but I’m loving being out on the bike as much as possible regardless and I’m excited for the year ahead.

How are you enjoying our shoot?

Yeah, awesome man. It’s really cool to pack up and head somewhere to shoot that I’ve not been before.

It’s so common to shoot your local or somewhere you know well and so you kinda know what you’ll be doing before you get there.

For this though it’s a blank canvas so we’re riding and searching for new spots and I’m really enjoying it. Even if it is covered in snow!

What’s getting you most excited at the moment with your riding? Where’s your energy focussed at these days?

Since moving away from 4X as a junior to downhill, all my riding has been focused towards racing downhill.

Now though, I’m really loving enduro riding (queue opinions!). You get to ride more or less the same stuff, but on a more exciting bike that will give you smiles on the stuff that’d be slow on the rig.

As for racing, it’s so sociable and for someone who tends to crash in race runs, it’s awesome to not pin your results on a mistake when there’s so much racing to do throughout the day.

So to answer your question, I’ve excited about what’s new right now!

So I guess racing is getting you pretty fired up at the moment?

Racing will always be a huge part of my riding.

Growing up with a twin brother has made me pretty competitive but I like to challenge myself a lot too. The DMR Ex Enduro was amazing as it was the first race I’ve done where everything was completely blind. There was no practice at all – just 3 days of riding stuff I’d never seen before.

The level of alertness when you don’t know what’s coming up is insane and something I can’t wait to do more of.

A lot of riders seem to be moving away from racing and focussing more on shooting content and learning tricks or style… rather than racing.

How do you feel about that? Do you feel it’s good for the sport?

There’s definitely people moving away from the competitive side of it.

When things aren’t going your way at races it’s easy to look elsewhere for the next avenue. I think people will always choose whatever allows progression as that’s what gets you hooked.

To be honest I think that’s what I was searching for in moving away from downhill. If people are putting out good content then people are going to watch it, not just those already on the scene and so yeah I do think its good for the sport.

“When things aren’t going your way at races it’s easy to look elsewhere for the next avenue”

Olly Wilkins recently told us that he’s going to start a campaign against Vloggers.

As someone who does a bit of vlogging yourself, what’s your feeling on video content these days?

Haha. Olly is the man! He’s just trying to advertise his up and coming vlog against the vloggers!

I’ve never made one myself but have been in a few on other people’s channels and to be honest they’re a laugh.

It often seems like people are scraping the barrel but apparently that’s what a lot of kids nowadays like to see… people doing normal stuff. I don’t really get it but if it aint broke, don’t fix it.

Unless it’s an Apollo Creed bike. I never fixed mine.

Let’s talk about how you got into riding. Where did it all start for you?

It all started with a rusty old bike I shared with my Twin brother Matt.

From there it was BMX and we did a couple of races but then we discovered Woburn bike park. Back then it was just a couple of jumps and a bunch of legends that took us in and taught us to ride.

With that place so close the BMXs didn’t last long so off to Halfords we went to get conned out of our money! Sorry Mum!

We spent so much time in those woods growing up and we owe a lot to the guys that helped us along and built jumps for us.

“So off to Halfords we went to get conned out of our money!
Sorry Mum!”

Your brother is obviously a huge part of your riding story. What’s the two of your relationship like?

Haha – yeah, we get on really well. He’s smashing it and I’m stoked that his hard work is paying off.

We ride together as much as possible but we’re both on busy schedules nowadays but when they match up it’s always a good session.

Have you guys always got on well? Got any of those classic brotherly scraps stories?!

It’s 2004. I’ve just used a whole tub of gel to put liberty spikes in my hair and I’ve dyed the tips red. For some peculiar reason, Matt is taking taking the piss out of it and so is our bigger bro.

I’ve pinned him down to rub all the gel on his face. Two minutes later I’m walking out of my bedroom and I’m smug after winning the feud. What I don’t see is a coat hanger travelling 30mph down the landing which hits me in the eye.

My eye filled with blood and I almost lost my sight.

While I was rushed off to hospital, Matt had to do the washing up. I guess he won that one!

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So what’s on the cards for 2018? What are your big plans on your bike?

More enduro races, a couple of downhill races and lots of riding with mates!

But most importantly, helping Olly Wilkins with his new Vlog.

I know you were at uni and studying engineering – how did you enjoy that and the uni vibe?

Yeah I graduated last summer with a 1st class Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Nottingham.

Before that, outside of school, riding was always my focus but as I moved from GCSE’s to A levels the next step the school guided me towards was university and so I applied without taking it too seriously.

My best subjects at school were maths, physics and design and that pointed me towards engineering. I remember going to look round a few universities with my parents and not really ever thinking I’d end up there. My application was a deferred entry which is basically a gap year before starting; a year that was filled with racing World Cups and I desperately didn’t want to leave that behind so I deferred the entry for a second year.

“Racing didn’t go as well in the second year
I struggled with race-run pressure and had a frustrating number of crashes”

Racing didn’t go as well in the second year, I struggled with race-run pressure and had a frustrating number of crashes in them which knocked my confidence with racing to be honest.

After a couple of injuries I knew I wouldn’t try and defer again so off to Nottingham I went, not really knowing what to expect. I absolutely loved uni, it was completely different to anything I’d been doing before and I made a lot of new mates that had nothing to do with riding.

The vibe there is wicked, everyone is working towards getting their degree but if you can buckle down when you need to, theres a lot of fun to be had.

Coming out the other side, I really wouldn’t change my decision – I still can’t down a pint though!

Did you feel pressure about which route to take as you looked at going to uni?

I think if I hadn’t left school with my Uni place secured then I’d have felt more pressure as to where I was heading down the line.

Even if racing really took off, there’s not many guys that can make a living from it and so it felt good to know I had another option I could take when I needed it.

Without that I think the pressure of racing and getting results would have felt even higher which could have ruined it for me.

“The pressure of racing and getting results would have felt even higher which could have ruined it for me”

Some riders get the mega-deals and can just focus on riding. Others have to graft away to fund the dream.

How’s it working out for you now you’ve graduated?

Some riders do live the dream… But the grass is always greener.

I wasn’t even close to the top but you have to remember that for those guys and girls, the teams around them are built from their results. That must be a huge weight to carry, knowing that a bad season will effect your mechanic, your team manager and your place on a team for the following season.

Media riders on the other hand do live the dream! Fly somewhere sunny with your mates and stack video clips? That grass really is greener! Which is probably why more and more athletes are heading down that road.. you can’t blame them!

I’m now working full-time at a bank. Engineering at university is basically just applied maths and so banks rate it pretty highly and it’s something I’ve always considering going in to. I definitely get jealous seeing the other riders out in the week but I’m happy with where things are heading and the balance I’m managing to keep.

I’m really lucky to be riding for brands that have given me the freedom to race and produce content for them but have understood that my studies and now work have often had to come first.

I owe a huge thank you to DMR bikes for that, and for producing an unreal Enduro bike.

And how are you finding working a 9 – 5 these days?

What effect does it have on your passion for riding?

It definitely makes you hungry to ride when you’re submerged in a completely different environment during the week and that’s a good thing.

I can sit and think about the weekend while at work and what I want to jump or ride or attempt and when the weekend arrives I’m frothing to get out and do it, as I’m sure is the case for the majority of people.

Yeah, there’s less time to ride, but the quality and the enjoyment is probably even better as every second counts when you’re back into work on Monday morning.

“When the weekend arrives I’m frothing to get out and do it”

Are you someone that has a clear plan of what you want to achieve with your riding career?

Right now I’m really happy with the balance I have.

Sure there’s times I wish I’d given full time racing another proper go, but I’m really enjoying the hunger I have to race, the fun of producing videos with other riders/friend and my long term goals for a career outside of riding, providing I can keep that balance!

We better talk about your mate Ben Deakin. You guys are team mates – what’s your plans for 2018?

He’s the best teammate ever! Always up for a good time, says it how it is and somehow gets the best footage of anything anywhere ever!

I’m chuffed to be spending another year on DMR Bikes with him! We’re gonna do a few races together like the Megavalanche and some DH races, and then hit some big events like Crankworx.

Fingers crossed he keeps his clothes on and doesn’t end up in front of a jury, but that’s a story for next time!

And that’s it. Thanks Jono, good luck for 2018!

Cheers guys!

Making it happen | The JONO JONES Interview