Wise Words is our new interview series talking to some of mountain biking’s most switched on people.
We’ll ask our short list of questions to a heap of influential, inspiring and outspoken people that we feel are driving the direction of mountain biking today. Some will make you think, some will make you laugh, some will be plain dumb, some will inspire you to better yourself and your riding. We hope!
Emily Horridge is taking on this week’s Wise Words.
If you haven’t heard of Emily Horridge, then you have definitely been living under a rock. Emily has been racing in the UK since the start of the naughties, heading into the Elite ranks from 2001 until her last World Cup in 2011. Emily now runs The Inside Line, offering guiding in the Alps.
How would your closest riding buddies describe you to someone who has never met you?
Oof, that’s a difficult one. I asked, this was the response: mildly opinionated but luckily I let my riding do most of the talking.
What thing or things have you bought in the last year that had the biggest effect on your life as a mountain biker / cyclist / person that works in the bike industry?
It’s got to be the Olympus EM-1 camera. I’m no pro, but I do love messing around with a camera, and it is so great to have something so capable yet relatively small and compact to take out on big adventures with us. Capturing one banging shot of a wicked day out is really satisfying and I am so happy we got it.
Also the Peak Design clip which allows super quick access so you can grab a shot without a massive bag rummage.
What unusual habits do you have as a bike rider?
I carry a digital tyre pressure gauge with me on every ride. I might need to check it at any time, and it’s gotta 22 front, 24 rear. A nice compromise of grip and not denting my wheels.
What piece of advice do you think every mountain bike rider should hear? And what piece should they ignore?
Look ahead, heels down, knees out. Usually spoken to my chalet guests when I’m guiding them around Les Arcs.
Ignore anyone who suggests you shouldn’t use the front brake, a suggestion which seems to have been made to the majority of female riders that I meet and/or guide. Boys, please stop telling girls not to use their front brakes.
If you could go back and re-ride one day from your life so far, where/what/when/who would it be? Would you change anything?
Well, I was gonna go back to Fort William World Cup qualifiers 2012 but actually it’s the day we rode a 12km descent from the Col d’Agnel on the edge of the Queyras Regional Park in the Hautes-Alpes of France. We were scouting trails for a new The Inside Line MTB holiday week, and this was the final day, last June.
All I remember is me and three mates absolutely rinsing down the middle section flat out, yelling and whooping all the way down. Just thinking about it now puts a massive smile on my face. We’ll be back of course, but I don’t know if it’ll still hold that first-run, blind-riding awesomeness next time. All I’d change is that Pease wouldn’t have had a puncture part way down.
What have you wasted the most time on in your life as a rider or bike industry career that you wished you’d given up years ago?
I wish I’d not wasted time each winter not training properly. I never really knew how to train for downhill racing, and I guess I didn’t know who to ask so I just muddled along riding loads of road and trying to be fit. I think part of that was because when I started racing downhill (1997) no one did any training.
I finally got an opportunity to work with a great trainer during winter 2011/2012 so I spent lots of time in the gym which really paid off. I was so stoked that I could do a full practice run without having to stop at the Deer Gate at Fort William that year, I’d never been able to do that before.
How do you motivate yourself when you’re struggling or lacking inspiration?
Arrange to go riding with others. I don’t like letting people down so having someone to meet up with always gets me out of the door. When I’m really really tired of one activity, then I’ll go do another for a while. It keeps things fresh. In the summer, climbing is a good antidote to biking, and by the end of winter I can’t wait to pick the bike up again after a few months of skiing.
What single and specific thing about riding bicycles do you gain the most happiness from?
The feeling of wonder and awe that being out in the big mountains gives me. The views, layers upon layers of mountains, it’s breathtaking. Sharing that with others, whether friends or my chalet guests is also pretty mega.
What single thing would you like to erase from cycling history from the last year?
The introduction of Super-Boost 157mm rear drop outs from certain manufacturers. Do we really need yet another “standard” that’s not standard. I don’t know about others, but that would put me off buying a bike because my wheels of choice aren’t available in that fitting. Maybe we could get rid of boost on the front. The only thing that’s changed is that I scrape the bottom of my fork lowers on more trail obstacles than I did before. I’ve not noticed a performance benefit.
What single thing would you like to make happen in the cycling world in the next year?
Everyone should try an e-bike. You can’t knock it til you try it after all. I had my first go the other week, and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face (or stop laughing).
Who else should we ask these questions to?
Saskia Samantha Dugon.
