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 comes to you via Mr Sam Bowell.
Sam Bowell is the manager of Rogate Bike Park and one of the founders of the B1KE organisation, made up of bike parks across the south of England. He also isn’t shy of a bit of spadework either. Owner of impressive beards on occasion and handy on a push iron.
Photos by Tom B Photography (Unless stated)
How would your closest riding buddies describe you to someone who has never met you?
Wow, straight for the jugular eh. I mean I have very little in the way of flare or standout riding traits, so I guess I’d hope for something along the lines of “Old School and confident”, but I’m sure that “painfully honest”, “rough around the edges” and “probably late” could easily come up.
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?
On a practical level it would have to be the Worx Hydroshot portable jet-wash. We live in a 19th century mid-terrace, with no access to our back garden except through the house and dreadful water pressure when you get there. Being able to fill a bucket from the water butt and easily washing dirty kit before pirouetting our way through the kitchen is a life-changer.
I’ve also taken more time to use the dead space (which 2020 has generously provided plenty of) to be more mindful. I’ve been really fortunate to have worked with some super interesting coaching clients this year, who along with influence from some great podcasters, thinkers and talkers such as Davi from HKT, Malcolm Gladwell and Matt Macduff, have really opened my eyes to new (to me) concepts and lifestyle adjustments. I bought the book Breath by James Nestor directly off the back of these influences and have at the very least learned a whole heap of new information; at best improving my health, wellbeing and performance.
What unusual habits do you have as a bike rider?
I either have none or loads depending on how you look at it/how much you notice. I guess I fidget a lot and can get a bit caught up with OCD rituals; adjusting sleeves, helmet dials, glasses, gloves etc relentlessly at the trailhead. It’s all pointless and forgotten as soon as the wheels are turning, but at the time it feels critical. According to GoPro footage I also sniff and clear my throat a lot when riding. Maybe not particularly unusual but definitely kinda gross, so sorry about that.
What piece of advice do you think every mountain bike rider should hear? And what piece should they ignore?
I hate the saying “If you’re not crashing, you’re not trying hard enough”. In my experience, more often than not, if you’re crashing lots then you’re trying too hard. Relax. Have fun and don’t lose sight of why you’re out on your bike in the first place. If you’re struggling with something or finding your improvement is starting to plateau, then get some assistance from a reputable coach. You’ll gain new skills and confidence, but also valuable insight into the depths of your riding and hopefully increase your enjoyment too. And don’t forget: be nice, say ‘hi’.
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?
Last summer we took a solid crew over to Whistler, including my brother Tom, (Tomb Photography, check his work from various Fest and Rampage events amongst others) who’d never ridden in the mountains before, as well my wife and some of our best riding buds. The 9 of us took the opportunity to do a helidrop on Rainbow Mountain, taking in some frickin’ sweet trail, multiple terrain types and mad weather.
My wife, Jenna, had a disgusting crash in a boulder field, but completely got away with it and I think it’s fair to say that we all tested our abilities at some point. We’d left our truck at the heliport up the highway North of Whistler village, so once we were off the mountain my compadre Mike and I hit the Valley Trail around Green Lake to go pick it up. Whilst far more chill than our morning’s mission the scenery doesn’t get old, and a stop off at the ghost town of Parkhurst rounded it off. I would do that all day, every day if I could.
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 been said before but I have to agree that the rise of social media has been a massive drain and source of many a restless night.
I’m as guilty as anyone of getting sucked in and allowing it to become such an integral part of life, but I’m definitely trying to reduce my time surfing the toxic waves of news feeds. From a professional standpoint it is an increasingly difficult thing to handle; with people expecting availability 24/7 and often with an unwillingness to look for information beyond the most fleeting of initial glances. There is also no doubting the increased pressure on athletes to put out regular material, with that pressure trickling down to the younger generations who feel that is their way of staying in touch and making their mark.
This in turn has changed the way riders interact with and use trail, often causing increased/unintended wear and conflict. It’s a complex and never-ending circumstance which we’ve never really dealt with before. There are so many advantages and strengths to it but we definitely need to be wary of its weaknesses and not forget what’s real.
How do you motivate yourself when you’re struggling or lacking inspiration?
Honestly I don’t have any real pressure to get out and ride, so in that respect I’m quite lucky. Working day-to-day in a bikepark does definitely sap some of the desire to continuously shred laps, but when the mood strikes it still ticks the boxes, sometimes it’s the right people around, sometimes the weather, sometimes there’s just something in the air. In reality though, if I’m not feeling it I’ll just do something else instead.
There’s no point in forcing it, so I’ll hit a river or the sea for a paddle and a swim, or just sit in my pants and play some Xbox if I feel like it. The situation I find far more frustrating is when I’m itching to ride but there’s no way to scratch the itch, those days can do one.
What single and specific thing about riding bicycles do you gain the most happiness from?
For me it’s the connectivity between me, the bike and the environment. It’s calming and quieting mentally but also gives you the truest sense of being integral to what you are doing physically. What you put in is exactly what you’ll get back. Increasing my understanding of my relationship with the trails/environment and equipment has really helped boost my creativity and flow, and ultimately my enjoyment. It works on any bike, on any ride, and if it isn’t working then I know I’m in the wrong headspace at that moment (pants and Xbox time) I guess you could call it ‘Pure Involvement’ or something else suitably floaty and vague… but maybe don’t…
What single thing would you like to erase from cycling history from the last year?
Let’s be honest, we could all have done without the dramas of COVID-19 this year. On a personal and entirely selfish level it has trashed a year of potential riding trips and social interaction with some of my more distant pals. Otherwise I’ve escaped relatively unscathed thankfully.
However, we’ve had to close down the park for 4 months of the year which financially has a huge impact on us as a business, but has also added further pressures by way of operational restrictions/necessities and increased staffing. Whilst bike sales have boomed we are now left with a distinct lack of product and in many cases huge lead times whilst production catches up (something that doesn’t affect me too much, bar the fact that my wife is eagerly awaiting the delivery of her new bike which has already been pushed back 2 months).
Then we’ve got the undeniable increase in traffic that our trails and the whole outdoors world has seen whilst regular activities have been suspended. This has led to way more conflict and incident from all sides than we would have seen a year ago. The world is a pretty tense and uncertain place right now, and whilst certainly not entirely due to the COVID situation, it has definitely shone a light on things and forced many issues all at once.
Heavy.
What single thing would you like to make happen in the cycling world in the next year?
A far better understanding, respect and responsibility for the trails we ride and the people who make them possible. It’s a huge topic with rabbit holes to tumble down at every turn, but one which as riders we should all have an active interest in in some way. Greater industry support and finding new platforms to invite and maintain conversation between riders, builders and land owners is absolutely vital to the furtherance of the sport as a whole, so I’d love to see and be a part of that over the coming years.
Who else should we ask these questions to?
Andy Dodds, Senior Product Promoter at Madison I met Andy about 8yrs ago whilst on a Cytech course just outside of Milton Keynes. He was working for Trek at the time, and on a particularly cold and dark winter’s night showed me around the trails local to the office.
He now lives back in his homeland ‘north of the wall’ so we don’t catch up often, but as a man who loves and lives bikes and the great outdoors, I truly value his thoughts and opinions on both.
Also Russ Pierre of The Trailhead Project is an endlessly fascinating man who I would gladly listen to all day.
