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!
This week’s Wise Words is brought to you by Mr. #4XWednesdays himself, Euan Rossi.
Orthopaedic surgeon by day, consultant to the racers at events like Red Bull Hardline, 4x racer at the weekends and the champion of getting 4X back to where it should be amongst many other amazing causes, Euan Rossi is indeed a busy man of many talents.
Photo by Ben Cathro.
How would your closest riding buddies describe you to someone who has never met you?
That big ginger f&$% who thinks he’s pro as ken. Is probably what my good mates would say when asked.
I’d hope they would actually describe me as considerate, welcoming and encouraging. I do my best to make sure everyone is enjoying riding their bike when we are out. I’ve certainly mellowed over the years and feel less pressure to be the fastest in a group when I ride. It keeps the enjoyment flowing for everyone.
There’s nothing quite like that magic hour of 4X protour practice when everyone has their lines sorted. I’ll be the one whooping on the push up and the ride down.
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 will seem a disingenuous answer here as Transition have been helping us for the last year, but the Throttle hardtail has been a huge addition to my life.
At 6ft 6 (200cm) bikes have only really started to fit me in the past couple of years, and it’s been like rediscovering mountain biking altogether. Hardtails have always been tiny and the pace and terrain I use them on really highlights how small they have been for me.
The first time I raced 4X at Fort William the speed wobble was terrifying, especially coming from DH racing. The throttle sizes up to an XL trail bike with a low standover, and it has given me more fun on a bike and progression with my skills than I could ever have imagined.
Take yourself back to a hardtail every so often and you’ll find out so much about how you ride and what you need to work on. I think the advent of pumptracks has really highlighted this for people and it’s rad to see more people buying 26 inch hardtails and the industry response to it.
What unusual habits do you have as a bike rider?
I’m unsure if I really have too many “habits” unless you count 4X racing… I reckon I have a bad habit of overdoing it sometimes. I get stoked on one thing and overdo it, burn out on it then forget about if for ages. I also have a horrendous coffee habit. Coming from full time surgery as a career leaves you with a stinking caffeine dependency.
Photo by Jan Kasl.
What piece of advice do you think every mountain bike rider should hear? And what piece should they ignore
That much like happiness, you can’t buy speed. I used to think as a consumer that buying a better product was like looking further down the wine list, but unless you are riding to the edge of your physical and mechanical performance it has very little impact on how fast you go and how much fun you have.
I’m not saying that supermarket bikes are the way to go, just that second cheapest is a rule for a reason. Find the product that has the level of functionality you need, and earn some skills on it. If a product costs an extra £500, and it takes you two whole weeks of work to earn that, you would probably have been better with the cheaper one and simply riding your bike for two weeks.
To give you an example, there are riders at top level who know what air pressure and how many volume spacers are in their forks by a couple of presses, who know how many mls of sealant are in their tyres just by riding them. These are the people who benefit from top line products, and they probably don’t even pay for them. The second cheapest is the goldilocks for the rest of us mere mortals. I’ll bathe in my hypocrisy here though as I too like shiny things.
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?
To give you some context, I had my first trip to Queenstown in February 2017. It was scary as I’d never ridden outside of Europe and it was a solo trip out to meet a mate in Christchurch. It felt a bit like a MTB “coming of age” for me and was right at the start of when I was taking riding a bit more seriously. Friday nights up Skyline in Queenstown are magical. There will be around 70 folk finished work for the week sitting having a yarn, and one person will drop in.
They become the leader of a 70 man train through some of Kep’s (master trailbuilder) best work. Perfect jumps and endless flow. It’s luck of the draw where you fit in, but I dropped in between Bas van Steenbergen and Ryan Howard (two of the coolest guys you’ll ever meet) and that lap will be a deathbed memory for me I reckon. Big thanks to Justin and Kep from Skyline. The energy out there is incredible. I wouldn’t change a thing.
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?
Instagram.
Photo: Charles A Robertson
How do you motivate yourself when you’re struggling or lacking inspiration?
It depends what I’m lacking motivation for, but it’s always good to get back to basics. Find some friends, go for a ride, have a laugh and a catchup. You’ll remember why we all love the sport we do. The return of the “proper” MTB films like Gamble has really helped too. I’m never lacking inspiration to stay off the brakes after watching that.
What single and specific thing about riding bicycles do you gain the most happiness from?
Seeing other people enjoying what I do. The #4XWEDNESDAYS evening we did last year at Nevis Range was amazing, as we had close to 100 or so people out hitting the 4X track in a mammoth session that lasted til dark.
The biggest group involved were kids, and it’s amazing when a 14 year old on a second hand 26 inch bike from 2008 gives everyone a good showing up. It reminds me to stop getting hung up on the ‘big issues’ and just ride.
Photo by Sven Martin.
What single thing would you like to erase from cycling history from the last year?
I’ll cheat and have a few cracks at this one. On a personal level I’d love to erase when my chain snapped out the gate at my first race of the season. I flipped onto my head, separated my AC joint and had horrendous concussion symptoms for months afterwards.
On the race scene, I’d happily erase the new DH start order. I get why it came into fruition but it was poorly executed. I want to see guys like Greg Williamson, Reece Wilson and other unprotected riders put in the effort in qualifying and be rewarded with being near to last down the hill and all the anticipation that brings. I think we have to be careful with TV just now though, as for the sake of popularity we may lose the identity of our sport all together.
What single thing would you like to make happen in the cycling world in the next year?
I’m taking the healthcare of riders very seriously just now. I’ve been called in a few times now for various world cup DH riders and I’m fortunate to be teaming up with some very talented and passionate physios to deliver something a bit more definitive and ensure racers are fully looked after.
Concussion and C-spine injury are my big worries as the sport grows and approaches moto levels of speed and necessity to win, and I’m happy to say our new company is backed by the top riders. Watch this space.
Who else should we ask these questions to?
Definitely Callum McCubbing from Ae Forest. He has seen every aspect of our industry as a racer and now a local bike shop owner.
Scott Beaumont has more experience in almost every field of bike riding than 99% of us and I’m sure would have some very interesting insights.
Luke Cryer may also give you some good sound bites as an awesomely talented 4X racer who has moved into Crankworx events which is something I see happening more given its popularity.
