Spring is here, which means it is time for hero dirt, longer daylight hours, warmer weather and rider development! At The Cycling Co. we are all about year-round mountain bike development, but we see Spring as the ultimate time to put on bike gear, set new goals, put your head down and get to work at building your skills, speed and confidence on the bike.
Our Summer Camps help new and experienced young riders, aged 8-16, push their boundaries and take their riding to new heights. Rider development is a never ending process as there is always room to fine tune techniques and unlock new skills and maneuvers. Youth camps are the start of a lifelong journey into learning, experiencing and growing, not only as a rider, but also as a human.
Bradley Wright, a longtime original member of our DIRT SQUAD Race Team, is a fantastic example of continuous rider growth and development.
Bradley was kind enough to share his riding story with us and we couldn’t be more inspired and proud of this young man, and how far he has come!
From Bradley Wright – OG Dirt Squad Member
“I’ve always ridden bikes, and I first learned to ride a bike at the age of three. Since that day cycling has always been one of my favourite things to do. Most of my early childhood consisted of various sports and riding bikes whenever I could for fun. I even tried bmx racing at age nine or ten.
My first actual mountain bike ride wouldn’t be until I was twelve when a camp I attended had a mountain bike ride as one of the optional activities, and well it was safe to say that was that, and I’ve been riding mountain bikes ever since.
From there I was invited by a friend to go for a ride with his cousin, McKay Vezina. At the time I just stood there in awe, wishing I could do the things he could–not knowing that later I would have the chance to.
My proper introduction to mountain biking would come when I was fourteen.
The middle school that I attended brought in Coach Adam Walker to coach a school bike league. Here I learned the basics of mountain biking and dipped my toes into the racing scene. I would then immediately get my parents to sign me up for a summer mountain bike camp with Adam, and any camp that I could make it to with his company.
Before I knew it I had progressed to the point where Adam proposed the beginning of the Dirt Squad program, and he wanted me to be one of the first riders in the program. All I could think was ‘I’m a kid who gets to ride my bike twice a week with my sights set on eventually racing. I couldn’t be luckier’.
The Ups and Downs of Mountain Biking
Now that’s not the end of the story. Although I’ve been in this program (Dirt Squad) for many years now and I’m turning nineteen later this year, there have been some ups and downs. Most notably injuries. I seem to have impeccable timing to injure myself right just as race season is in its full stride.
The first big injury I had was breaking my right collarbone the first year I tried to racing. I managed to get a couple of races in that year, but could definitely say that I was HUNGRY FOR MORE.
Another race season came around and I was actually able to race most of my local races, but tended to over exert myself, which resulted in A LOT of race crashes. From there I would learn to dial it back a notch and ride more conservatively rather than getting a little too loose every chance I got.
2020 hits…
We all know where I’m going with this. Covid hit and I was only able to ride on my own, and focus on my own training. This was a huge adjustment as most of my rides had been with a group of people. It took the better part of a year to properly adjust and be mentally ready to ride every week. I wish I could say that riding by myself is great, but it lacks the energy exchange that happens when riding with a group, and as a young teen I thrived off that energy. Ultimately there was nothing I could do, and luckily I’ve adjusted to a point where I almost prefer riding on my own depending on what my training schedule demands.
It’s 2021.
I’m ready. I’ve been training. I just finished building up a new bike. I am BEYOND stoked for the year to come and I have set my ambitions high and want to race as much as my legs allow me. Before I could even get my tires on the race track, I went out for a training ride as the weather was just warming up, and bam. Another broken collarbone that would set me back and temporarily put my goals on hold.
Now, hungrier than ever, I kept up my training as I was injured with countless hours on the trainer, and eating and recovering properly. The doctor would finally give me the go ahead with riding a couple of weeks before a race at a bike park, and, well I didn’t really hold back. I wanted to show my friends, and those who supported me, that an injury isn’t the end of a race season. I had a total of three races that year, and each one got better and better. Racing really felt like my thing, even if I wasn’t on top.
And 2022…
My most prepared year yet, I’ve got three races under my belt for this year alone and I’ve got a race that I am ready to put my all into. Now all of my races had been enduro races up until this point, and I was going to try racing pumptrack. Practice day goes by and the weather is perfect–no wind, perfectly dry, and no rain to be seen. I wake up race morning and it’s pouring rain. I didn’t want that to affect me, so I got out there and started practice. A couple of hours before the seating runs I have a huge crash, and was advised to go to the hospital.
At this point I’m thinking I’ve just torn my shoulder and I can make it back in time for the race. Six hours go by and I had finally accepted the fact I was out of the race. The doctor gets back to me and says, it’s broken. Oh, here we go again with another broken collarbone. But this one took much longer to heal and meant my season was over.
On the Sidelines…
There’s no other feeling than watching all of your friends race when you have to sit on the side lines. I tried to keep myself busy with work, and light rides that would satiate my bike cravings.
At this point physical pain wasn’t the issue, mentally I was ready for the year to be over. Which in August shouldn’t be the case. But the year didn’t end there, after a couple of weeks on my shoulder and collarbone being strong, I had another crash resulting in a broken rib. Now I could still ride, but it truly put a limiter on the types of rides I could do. It eventually healed and I got back into my stride. I’ve been training solidly for the 2023 race season with big plans for the year.
My skills and attitude towards training are constantly progressing
Over the years of riding I was able to watch myself go from a grom that thought that jumps were the only thing that mattered, to a rider who prides himself in putting in the work every week to become the best rider I can be. My skills and attitude towards training are constantly progressing, and going into my junior years of racing I’m stoked to see how far I can push myself to climb up the ranks.
I’m lucky to have the support and coaching that I’ve had through the years, and it’s always a surprise looking back at what I’ve done and how far I’ve come from the 12 year old just riding his bike for fun with friends. Not to say that I’m not having fun with friends now, it’s just less about being with your mates, and more about trying to prove myself to the world.”
Riding can start from the early ages of 6, 7 or 8, or start at 12 or 20 or 40+. There is always room for progression and learning, no matter when you jump in. We want to see YOUR confidence in your riding abilities grow whether you’re racing or riding for FUN. It is about PROGRESSION, not PERFECTION. What is holding you back? Spring is here and it’s time to get geared up.
Dirt Squad is the ideal program to help young riders build skills and confidence on the bike, as well as learn all about the racing environment, including fueling, hydration and recovery. To learn if Dirt Squad is the right program for your young rider, or to apply to join, check out the info page here.
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