Kye Forte has grown up on two wheels. He spent his teenage years and 20’s riding BMX at a pro level, as well as designing and building jumps for events like the Empire of Dirt. In his 30’s, Kye moved on to race mountain bikes with great results at the British Downhill Series, earning himself a place as an elite racer.
The last couple of years though, have seen Kye’s biggest challenge to date. Kye and his wife Gemma now have two kids and are learning how to keep those two, also two-wheeled lunatics, in check.
For anyone that hasn’t heard of you, who are you?
I’m Kye Forte, I’m 36 years old and a former pro BMX rider, MTB rider and bike guy really. I’m also now a business owner and a dad of two boys.
How has life changed for you in the last couple of years?
My life’s changed quite dramatically in the last 4 or 5 years, yeah.
I went from riding bikes being my primary source of income and from travelling and competing. It was hard work but a lot of people would say it was living the dream!
Now I’ve wound my career down a bit and focussed on my business. I’ve re-trained as a tree surgeon and I’ve become a dad.
And right now, what’s taking up the most time and energy in your life?
The boys are taking up most of my energy! My wife Gemma works and we’re both fighting the fire! We’re both having a good time but the boys are full on and they demand a lot of our time. I’m now trying to fit my riding around the family and running a business.
Now life has changed a bit, how do you feel about the time you get to ride and about MTB in general?
When I ride now it’s amazing. It’s a release as much as anything.
You get to be your own person on your bike. When you’re a dad, you’re always looking after someone and you’ve got something else on your mind. When you ride you can just be your own person and concentrate on the next jump or the next trick. It means a bit more now I guess.
The time’s more limited now. I’ve always been a bit late getting home but now I’ve got a 3 hour window rather than a whole day. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just a different way of approaching it.
What’s it like having two young uns in your life?
It’s bloody hectic and for the most part it’s fun and super rewarding.
It’s excellent teaching them to ride and they’re like little sponges. They love riding. It’s non stop though – if they’re not falling out with each other it’s something else!
You only get a couple of hours at the end of each day to chill out! It makes my old life seem far away at the moment, it’s very different.
You seem to also be putting a lot of time into your moto, can you tell us a bit about that?
I’ve always ridden motorbikes, that was always our staring point. Of and on I’ve put down and picked up MX and now I’ve gotten into flat track which is more or less speedway.
It’s a new challenge and it’s something I can do with my eldest and he’s starting that this year.
It’s just fun and allows an old boy to keep his hand in at racing!
You can see more from Kye here on Wideopenmag.
