With a blessing from Sam Hill, Maydena Bike Park’s fastest employee joins the Nukeproof family for 2021.
Dan Booker joins the Nukeproof setup and looks to bag himself yet more top Enduro World Series and World Cup downhill results, while maintaining his title as Head Trail Builder at Tasmania’s Maydena Bike Park.
Read the full story of how Dan joined the gang below.
Images by Ryan Finlay.
Recommendations to us don’t come higher.
Whilst away with SRAM Australia in Maydena, Tasmania in 2019, Nukeproof ace Sam Hill gave us a call. He was waxing lyrical about the kid he was shooting an edit with and saying to hook him up. One global pandemic and a bike-buying frenzy later, we’ve managed to carry out that deal. We’re stoked to introduce and welcome to the team Dan Booker.
The 23-year-old Australian hails from Hobart, Tasmania, but now is working and living “up the road” in the legendary Maydena Bike Park.
Dan’s life between the tapes started pretty early on as 8 years old. He worked his way through the Downhill ranks, getting selected for the Australian team and racing select world cups as a junior. However, a few big crashes overseas and that “burnout” feeling crept in, taking the shine of racing and he made the decision to take a bit of time off racing.
However, he wasn’t far form bikes though working as a trail builder, helping sculpture the Maydena Bike Park Project in Tasmania. Living and working at a bike park with decent amount of elevation, plus a park that attracts Australia’s top riders got the stoke kettle fully fired up again and has helped take his riding up a level. This has reignited his desire to race again.
Back having fun between the tapes he’s racing both Downhill and Enduro.
“My first enduro race was an EWS qualifier up in Derby, Tas which felt like just a day out riding with my mates and after having such a good time I booked some flights to Rotorua to give the EWS a crack over there. I was just planning on racing Rotorua and Derby but got fully hooked on racing again and ended up making my way over to Madeira, Whistler and Northstar as well.”
For those wondering how his results have stacked up so far in Enduro:
2nd 2019 Aus Enduro National Championships
1st 2020 Asia Pacific Enduro Series rd2
29th 2019 EWS Madeira
25th 2019 EWS Whistler
28th 2019 EWS Northstar
For those that don’t know Maydena, Dan explains a bit about the layout:
“We started with a mountain and a road that climbs 820m vertical to the peak. At the base is an old primary school which we turned in to our base building, bike shop and cafe. It is pretty much every trail builders dream having a mountain that is a completely blank canvas with amazing dirt and epic forest. We have put in close to 100km of trail with 64 different tracks, a dirt jump park at the bottom and a big asphalt pump track. It’s been amazing to be apart of it and see how it’s grown from the start!”
When not working as the Head Trail Builder at Maydena or riding, he’s living life spending time outdoors, recently discovering surfing to help balance his riding habit. Race plans for 2021 are still a little up in the air for international travel but Dan’s well on the way to getting on racing the Australian Enduro, EWS qualifiers and National Downhill races, as well as putting in a bit of time with video projects.
The two bikes Dan will use this year are the Dissent 297 and the Mega 290C. Both frames will be custom builds with the support from Sram & Rockshox Australia and Nukeproof Components.
For those that want to follow Dan on Social media, sorry you can’t, in a welcome break form the “norm”, he’s not on social platforms. We will feature Dan’s races and footage on our social media channels and our YouTube.
Keep an eye on Nukeproof’s Youtube channel for more of Dan Booker.
