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!
Wise Words this week is World Cup veteran and Insync Racing’s manager, Harry Molloy.
Harry Molloy has been around for donkey’s years, having racing his first World Cup one whole decade ago and has been at the sharp end of British Elite racing, and is a regular feature in the not inconsiderable talent of the World Cup top 30. In recent years, he’s helped the likes of Chris Cumming and Vero Widmann onto the World Stage.
How would your closest riding buddies describe you to someone who has never met you?
The closest ones would not be the ones to get or give an accurate description. No doubt I’d get what I deserve in retaliation to something I’ve put them in the deep end for. I’m sure they’d come around and say a few ‘wise words’ about me though.
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?
Fortunately Maxxis hooked me up with a good pressure gauge. Walkie talkies were a really handy purchase for race communication, down to the pits or to our videographer on the hill to let him know the plan.
What unusual habits do you have as a bike rider?
Nothing too unusual here, just the classics like putting my shoes on before my knee pads or my tyre on back to front.
Photo by Moonhead Media.
What piece of advice do you think every mountain bike rider should hear? And what piece should they ignore?
Always wear a helmet, I still see some nutters without one from time to time. Maybe ignore the ‘advice’ from your friend in your ear saying ‘just send it’.
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?
There was one day that sticks out when I was probably about 15. There was a lot of us at a local track that is covered in bracken and it can get really loamy there. We were just riding 3 corners and it had just stopped raining, everything was slick and the sun was out again and roasting. Wouldn’t change anything about it, it was awesome to take it in turns to rip down and watch each other.
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?
It’s not wasted as it’s obligatory these days but lets face it, flicking through ‘the gram’ is a killer waist of time that almost everyone spends more of it looking through than posting.
Photo by Moonhead Media.
How do you motivate yourself when you’re struggling or lacking inspiration?
Got a playlist for that’s not failed me yet. I think I’m generally quite a positive thinker in how to achieve a goal but at the end of the day, there’s a lot of people in this world to ask and learn from, 2 or more heads are better than 1.
What single and specific thing about riding bicycles do you gain the most happiness from?
Nothing quite beats the feeling of a good race run knowing that all the work behind you came together for that short time. It doesn’t have to be me but watching anyone in Insync Racing achieve and be stoked on giving it their best makes me very happy.
What single thing would you like to erase from cycling history from the last year?
When it poured it down half way through the Val Di Sole World Cup qualifying this year, that wasn’t a highlight for me at all as I was just the wrong side of the storm.
What single thing would you like to make happen in the cycling world in the next year?
I would like to introduce more commonly known, global brands into the marketing of World Cup Downhill racing. More and more companies are becoming aware of our growing sport and how effective the marketing is.
Who else should we ask these questions to?
I think Boris Johnson likes his bikes.
