Wise Words is our 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 from Mikayla Parton.
You will no doubt have become aware of Mikayla Parton on her stellar run from the Leogang World Championships in 2020. The Fort William native is currently on track to break into the big time of the Elite World Cup ranks. Keep your eyes peeled for some big results in 2022.
How would your closest riding buddies describe you to someone who has never met you?
Probably that I’m the one that would still be up for a ride even when the weather is terrible! Although I don’t enjoy going out in these conditions too much, I live in Fort William so waiting for the sun to come out is like waiting for COVID to be over.
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?
In November I went down to Wales and had a 1-1 coaching day at Revolution Bike Park with my coach Alan Milway. Previous to this I’ve not had much ‘on the bike’ coaching and I really took a lot from it. It’s quite easy to keep going for mountain bike rides and training but not actually thinking about aspects like body position. We worked a lot on this and found it very beneficial.
What unusual habits do you have as a bike rider?
I eat chocolate every day. Every single day.
What piece of advice do you think every mountain bike rider should hear? And what piece should they ignore?
My advice for anyone who is trying to break into racing but also still working another job; avoid trying to do as much training as a full-time professional. I unfortunately fell into this trap for a long time and the saying ‘less is more’ fits nicely. It’s really hard to try break into world-level racing whilst maintaining another job but burning the candle from both ends won’t help. Be realistic with your spare time and focus on having quality sessions on the bike or in the gym.
Strava would be something I personally choose to ignore and I don’t use. I think using Strava for tracking distance and your own progression is fine but once you start using it as a means of timing that’s when it starts to be an issue. I think timing is great but it can be done much more accurately with a stopwatch strapped to the bars…
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 to start with I’d go back to Lousa World Cup round 2 and not eject myself over the bars and land directly on my head. Still managing an injury from that. Helmets are very important.
On a lighter note, in summer 2020 I travelled around Europe (not racing) for three weeks and had the time of my life. Miles and I didn’t have a plan so we ended up visiting a lot of places we had never even heard of. Les Houches really stood out for me, we luckily met two lovely Scots who lived there and showed us all the hidden tracks, it was a good day. I also had a lot of Nutella crepes.
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?
Probably an answer you’ve had many times but comparing myself to others. I think watching/learning from others is great and is important but there’s a line; for example it’s good to look at others and aspire to do a certain skill etc but it’s not healthy to look at others and to be negative about your skill level in comparison.
How do you motivate yourself when you’re struggling or lacking inspiration?
You’d probably assume that I would battle through and go for that ride or gym session but honestly, not the case. Obviously I sometimes don’t want to go ride in the freezing rain or get up early for a gym session but I make myself go because I know I’ll be happy once I’m out (or on the type 2 fun weather days once I’ve finished the ride).
Although, if I’m genuinely really unmotivated and dreading a ride I’ll simply just don’t go. Forcing myself out on days I really didn’t want to go only would result in the ‘quality’ part of my training not being there and all I will have achieved is more fatigue (speaking from experience). It’s not often that I feel that unmotivated and maybe having this mindset has unintentionally helped with that.
What single and specific thing about riding bicycles do you gain the most happiness from?
That kind of day when you’re riding blind on some amazing tracks, no idea what’s around the next corner, you’re fully focused and not thinking about anything else apart from riding your bike… that is where the most happiness is gained. Nothing I love more than being so focused on a trail and cheese warning, ‘in the moment’. Personally I struggle to find this type of focus on my home tracks when you know every rock and root in front of you and you’re thinking about what you might make for dinner.
What single thing would you like to erase from cycling history from the last year?
Controversial topic but the 90 day Brexit rule is a nightmare and along side COVID travel rules, has made planning travel logistics all the more fun… pause… not.
What single thing would you like to make happen in the cycling world in the next year?
I’d love to inspire more young girls and boys from my local area to start mountain biking. Fort William has a lot on the doorstep if you’re willing to get a bit mucky.
Who else should we ask these questions to?
Local legend Alastair Maclennan and/or the pink-haired, crazy lady Monika Mixova.
