RICHIE FELLE, professional mountain biker, on the skills needed to compete in the high-octane sport
What is competitive mountain biking?There are two types. Downhill biking is high octane. It's very fast, it's high energy and it's difficult as hell. What I do is called cross-country cycling. It's uphill, it's downhill and it involves some incredibly difficult technical ascents. A downhill race lasts three to four minutes, whereas a cross-country race lasts about one and a half to two hours. So a high level of fitness is required.
How did you get involved?In my Leaving Cert year, I needed to take my mind off studying. So I sold my guitar, bought a mountain bike and began to take five- and six-hour rides into the wilderness. I grew up in Ranelagh, so this was a world I'd rarely seen before. I've been addicted to the sport ever since.
Is a bicycle actually useful for getting up a mountain?Would it be easier just to sling it over your shoulder and climb? Easier maybe, but not as fast. Cross-country is all about momentum. It's about learning to use your balance and mastering a complex set of skills. Sometimes you'll come to a specific obstacle, a river or a stream maybe, and you'll have to throw the bike over your shoulder then. But that's very rare.
Going downhill at high speed, how can you be sure you won't hit anyone?There are dozens of competitors in a race, so sometimes you do end up lapping someone. When this happens, you shout "rider up" in as friendly a voice as possible, and they'll usually get out of your way.
No, I'm talking about hikers or families out walking.If it's a competitive race, there's a taped-off track. Otherwise, I suppose, you just keep your wits about you.
On a sliding scale, from badminton to ultimate fighting, how dangerous a sport is mountain biking?I'd give it a six or a seven. I've broken my arm in a few places. I landed on my neck once, damaged my spine and have had a few concussions. But it's not as dangerous as road racing in my opinion. In cross-country, you're often not going that fast, and when you do fall it's usually in mud.
My friend is a road cyclist. He wants to know how much does your bike cost and will you sell it to him at a knock-down price at the end of the season?My bike is a Trek 9.9: that's a very high-end, carbon-fibre racing mountain bike. They retail at €6,500, so I'm very lucky that mine is sponsored by Trek Ireland and ThinkBike. And, absolutely, I will sell it to him at the end of the season. Because I tend to trash them pretty badly.
You're not a born salesman, Richie. I'm also told that mountain bikers have their own lingo that other cyclists make fun of behind their backs. Yes, that's true. We tend to say things like "epic" and "rad" a lot. "Gnarly" means rocky, heavy terrain. "Shredding" means going very fast through rough terrain.
These are all just fancy ways to say "I'm cycling in a field" then. It's similar to surfer lingo. But that's probably because they're both sport that attract thrill-seekers. There's a euphoric rush you get from mountain biking that is like a drug and just as addictive. I often give beginner lessons to groups of middle-aged men. You'd be amazed how quickly they become addicted. In some cases, they'll actually leave their . . .
Wives and families?No. But in a lot of cases they'll leave behind whatever other sports they're into – surfing, skiing, motorbiking – to concentrate on this.
What about actual drugs?Doping in top-level mountain biking is certainly there. People have been caught with the same substances other endurance athletes tend to be caught for – clenbuterol, EPO. The old-fashioned omerta is still there. People don't talk about doping. They stay quiet. So it's hard to tell if things are changing, but I really do hope it's getting cleaner.
Finally, where is the best mountain biking in Ireland?Well, I shouldn't say this, but the Wicklow Way is amazing. The walking trails in and around Glendalough are probably the best in the world. You're not really supposed to cycle there, of course. Once, a friend and I went through Powerscourt on a training spin and ran into one of the rangers. She said we owed €10 each for being on the premises and she wasn't very friendly about it. So we got back on the bikes and she gave us a chase!
Did she catch you? She was driving. We were on our bikes . . . So no, of course she didn't catch us.
