Downhill all the way for British mountain biker
CRAVEN ARMS, England: In the sport of throwing oneself down a mountain on a bike, Marc Beaumont is faster than anybody else.
As a professional downhill mountain biker, that is his job.
"People tell me: 'Oh, you're crazy. You just throw yourself off a hill'," the Briton said. "But there's so much more to it than that."
Beaumont, 22, lives in Craven Arms, a small crossroads town southwest of Birmingham in the rolling English countryside.
Within a short distance of his home he has three world-class trails to train on for international competitions, a luxury not all professional downhillers enjoy.
Downhill mountain biking is similar to downhill skiing and competitors race a steep, pre-set course against the clock.
They wear full-face helmets and armour on their legs, arms and shoulders, and ride specially designed bikes with suspension shocks on both wheels. The runs last less than three minutes and riders regularly hit speeds of 80 kph.
Gym training
Beaumont, who rides for manufacturers Santa Cruz Bicycles, trains up to 25 hours a week in the gym and on a road bicycle to build up his endurance and strength for the arduous World Cup Downhill series.
At May's opener in Vigo, Spain, he climbed atop the podium for the first time, winning on a 1.9-km course in two minutes 37 seconds on his prototype V-10.
"The prize at Vigo was 2,500 euros and a medal, and pro racers negotiate a performance bonus with sponsors. As for salary I get paid monthly like any day job," said Beaumont.
"If not for cycling, I think I would probably have a laboring job on my Dad's building company. I am sure I would still definitely ride bikes as a hobby, and probably do races as a privateer."
As a teenager, Beaumont found support from a cycle shop in Ludlow, near his home. As success came along in regional races, his father would drive him all over Britain where he beat more experienced riders and won the Scottish, Welsh and English national titles.
Trail access
What Beaumont benefits from most is trail access and the ability to train locally, thanks to help from the Shropshire Forestry Commission.
"I take advantage of the fact that I have all this on my doorstep," said Beaumont. "People come from all over just to train here. A guy up in Oldham, north of Manchester, drives three hours two or three times a week just to come and train."
Just above Ludlow is a forestry commission area with more than 100 kms of mountain bike trails. Six kms from Craven Arms is Hopton Wood, with three downhill-only trails, where Beaumont uses his key from the forestry commission to open road gates and ride his 20-kg bike back to the start line.
"We encourage him to visit our woodland, people look up to him," said Denis Moir of the Shropshire forestry commission office. "Hopton Wood is unique in that it's got quite a drop."
Beaumont is out in Hopton Wood regularly to train and test his equipment, putting in ten to twelve runs a day.
"So much goes into bike set-up. It's a jigsaw, really. If you haven't got all those pieces to your puzzle, you can't put it together," he said.
Agencies
(China Daily 06/07/2007 page23)
