|Under the influence|
|Around the Academy:
My brother was the biggest influence on me initially because he was the one that first got me into racing.
He still races now so he's certainly helped me a lot all along with my riding.
My parents have been very supportive too.
They helped me financially until I got a sponsor.
They've loved it - they've seen some amazing places and met some great people.
There is so many amazing people that I've met through the sport.
I've made some really really good friends from racing with them all over the world - they are friends for life.
Having sponsors is really helpful.
This is my fourth year with Kona - I rode with Cannondale for four years too - and you get to know the people.
They help you out, not just with the riding side of things but with all aspects of your life.
They become like an extended family.
Mountain biking is a very sociable sport.
Everyone knows each other and everyone looks out for each other and has a good time after races.
The thing about downhill is that you are racing against the clock.
So you are racing against someone else but it's not a personal thing.
This means that you tend to have better friendships with the other riders than if you were doing, say, 4X.
In 4X you've got the chance to take someone out and if you do it deliberately then the other person will think, 'They look me out!'
There's more room for bitter rivalry there!
In downhill it's you against the clock and you can't blame anyone else but yourself.