Downhill Chatter with Steve Smith

Downhill racer Steve Smith of MS Evil Racing, raced in last weekend’s Downhill World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia. The May 16 race was the opening race on the World Cup circuit. Smith, 20, placed sixth, 5:11 off winner Greg Minnaar’s time of 3:23.42. Smith finished fifth in the qualifying round and this sixth place finish was his highest finish on the World Cup circuit.

The Nanaimo, British Colombia, resident took a few moments between racing down mountains to answer a few questions:

Tell us about your recent World Cup race in Maribor, Slovenia.
Round one of the downhill world cup in was really good. The conditions were tough but a lot of fun. It rained a lot, the holes and ruts everywhere made it tough to put in a good run with no mistakes. I was hoping for a podium finish but ended up 6th witch I’m still stoked on.
Most of our readers are more familiar with road and cross-country racing/riding. Tell us what it is like to race a downhill race.
Downhill is different then most mountain bike races. Its usually 3 to 5 minutes long witch means no room for error. The tracks are fast and technical with ruts, rocks and breaking bumps. Put some mud in there and its hard to have a perfect run. A perfect run is what it takes to win. The top times are usually all within a second or two from each other.
How did you get involved with downhill racing?
I started out BMX racing when I was young. I found it repetitive and decided to try out mountain biking. I did one downhill race and was hooked right away. I like all aspects of mountain biking. I like that I can go ride cross-country, downhill and go dirt jumping all in one day. There is so much you can do with a mountain bike.
What is next for you on the race calendar?
This first trip of the year is bit of a long one. We started in Maribor for round one of the World Cup then off to the Mount Tremblant Canada Cup, New Jersey for the U.S. Open, Fort William Scotland for round two of the World Cup, Germany for a race called Wheels of Speed, and then Austria for round three of the World Cup. After that I go home for a week or two for a little break.
What is your favorite aspect of downhilling?
My favorite aspect of downhilling is pushing my self and going fast. I like to go fast.
Tell us how you train for downhill racing. Perhaps you can take us through a typical day on the bike for you?
During the winter is a lot of gym training for me. My trainer Todd is a top motocross trainer and has helped me loads. A day in the winter would usually start out by going to the gym, weight training and intervals on a spin bike. Depending on wether there is snow or not I would go ride downhill and dirt jumps if I can. I usually switch it up wether I’m riding downhill or out on the motocross bike. Motocross is a good way to get stronger on a downhill bike.
Do you race full-time? If not, what else do you do to help pay the bills?
I race full time. When I was 15 years old I worked at Tim Hortons to help get me to the races. For the last four or five years I have been able to focus strictly on racing – thanks to my sponsors.