Inside Info: Connor Fearon – North America

Connor Fearon at MSA the race didn't go as plan for him though.... — Connor Fearon at MSA the race didn’t go as plan for him though….

There was a big 6 week gap spanning from Leogang to the Canada World Cup so I went home and trained for a couple weeks then travelled to Bromont, Quebec to base myself for a couple weeks before the World Cup. I trained and rode my downhill bike a lot at the bike park. At home we don’t have the luxury of chair lift accessible trails and it’s also winter so I wasn’t riding to much downhill at home.

As some of you might already know MSA didn’t go to plan at all. I had a infected graze that I got from crashing in Bromont a few days prior to the race. On the Thursday and Friday (practice day and qualifying day) I felt really tired and I wasn’t having fun on my bike. I had no idea why but I wasn’t riding well and I didn’t even want to ride. Turns out it was the start of the infection hitting me. To make things worse I got a flat tyre in qualifying so I acquired no points, although being a top 20 rider I was luckily auto qualified. I went to the doctor after qualifying because my elbow was slightly swollen and got a iv drip and anti-biotics.
I woke up on race day with the biggest swellbo ever. It was really sore to move and I felt really sick, dazed and had a headache. There was no way I could race and I was devastated. I was plate number 16 and my goal this year was to finish top 15, so missing a race definitely has made it a lot harder to reach the goal!

The life and times of a pro rider isn't all beer and Skittles! — The life and times of a pro rider isn’t all beer and Skittles!

Luckily after 4 days of getting IV drips at 2 different hospitals and a course of oral antibiotics the infection had cleared and I was good to go for Windham. I have raced at Windham twice now in 2011 and 2012. Neither times I got a result worth remembering because I had rode off the track in the same infamous rock garden both times. The track is really short, rough and fast. The times are always really close so everyone pushes to the limit making it a very hard race.

On the hunt but a massive infection meant the closest Connor got to racing was the sideline!

I had so much fun riding the track and felt really good. I was slightly disappointed when I qualified 22nd though. I worked on a few things in practice to gain some time, although it all really comes down to just riding really fast because there’s not many lines to change. My race run was good I made a few little mistakes but it was hard not to because you have to push so hard. I ended up 17th, I wanted to be further up the ranks but not a bad result coming from the infection. Unfortunately after coming into wc #5 with the number 16 plate I moved back to 23 after missing Mont st Anne and despite finishing 17th at Windham I moved back to 25. It’s a little depressing working so hard and being back where I finished last year, I have one more World Cup to try to reel back some positions.

A top 20 in Windham didn't move Connor back into the top 20 overall, one more race remains for Connor to do so. — A top 20 in Windham didn’t move Connor back into the top 20 overall, one more race remains for Connor to do so.

One thing worth mentioning is that I was fastest rider on a 26″ wheel. I can’t use it as an excuse but I think it is making it a little more difficult competing against everyone with the 650b wheels when there’s a small but obvious advantage. Things are in the works and I’m sure it won’t be to long before Kona have a 650b bike for me to race.
The last few weeks has made me realise in this sport nothing you can do will guarantee success. Weather you get sick, crash, get a mechanical, ride out of your ability or keep it to safe it all makes it hard to have a perfect race or season.
So right now I’m sitting in Montreal Airport about to fly to whistler. I’m really looking forward to riding the best tracks in the world and do some races that aren’t so serious and don’t come with all the pressure of a World Cup. Massive thanks to all the people that help me out especially Kona Bikes, SRAM, Rockshox, Stans No Tubes, Maxxis, Truvativ, Yakima Racks, Swift Supplements and Breese High Performance.

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August 13, 2014

Inside Info: Connor Fearon – Scotland

#22 Chad Reed! No in this case it is Connor Fearon... — #22 Chad Reed! No in this case it is Connor Fearon…

After the Cairns World Cup didn’t go the way I planned I headed home for about 4 weeks in preparation for the next round, Fort William. The time seemed to go really quick but I got a solid few weeks of training in. In the past the Fort Bill World Cup has treated me well. Last year at the season opener there I finished up 21st so a top 20 was definitely on the cards for this weekend. It’s always a long haul coming from South Australia to the UK it takes almost two days spent aboard the big bird. With the worst of the travelling done I arrived in Glasgow on Tuesday and Matty my mechanic picked me up and we drove the last 3 hours to Fort William. Wednesday was spent building up my race bike and new Process 153 which is sick, we got a trail ride in beside Loch Ness.. Unfortunately no monster was spotted but I’m still a believer!

Sending some of the bigger jumps on the course.

As usual the downhill track is the same as the last 2 years I’ve been racing here. I won’t bore you with the details as everyone knows about the track. Fast, rough, open etc… We got to walk the track and register on Thursday. My overall was down to 22nd so I was rocking Chad Reeda��s number for the week. I was really excited to start riding on Friday, I hardly took any breaks in practice because I was having so much fun. After a few runs and a couple changes to my suspension my bike was feeling so smooth down the track it gave me lots of confidence. Qualifiers were good, the track was really dry and slippery because of the loose gravel type of surface. I had a good run and finished 19th. A good result showing what I was capable of.

A solid qualifying result set Connor up well for finals.

It rained on Saturday night but just enough to make the track tacky so it was a little faster for Sunday! Saturday/race day is pretty much the same at every race. I do 2 practice runs then wait around nervously for finals.

2 practice runs on Sunday morning then this, finals!

It rained a tiny bit while I was going up in the gondola for my race but not enough to make a difference. I warmed up as usual and my run was really good. I felt I was on edge the top half of the track but started to fade and make a few mistakes down the bottom. I pedalled hard at the bottom but I wasn’t as strong as most of the other riders which is something to work on. I finished 14th which is an excellent result but the times were so tight if I was half a second faster I would have been in 9th position. After the weekend my overall is down to 19th which means I automatically qualify for Leogang this weekend. Last season I got my best result there with 10th so I will be looking for another top 10 this time around! Thanks to everyone that helps me; Kona Bikes, Fox Head, SRAM/Rockshox/Avid/Truvativ, Yakima Racks, Stans No Tubes, Maxxis and of course Downhill247.

Physically draining as well as technical, Fort William is a proper track, 14th gets Connor sitting inside the top 20 overall.

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June 13, 2014

Inside Info: The Hutchison UR Team Mother Ship!

The pit set ups at World Cups is a pretty impressive site!

One of the most important tools in any racers quest to win is their team van/truck/pit set up. Not only do the team mechanics do their thing from it but it gives the riders somewhere to relax, get out of the public eye at races, store all their gear, etc basically it is a home away from home. There are some impressive rigs out there but one of the most dialed setups goes to Hutchinson UR and their mother ship! This is the same beast that Australia’s own Mic and Tracey Hannah call home for a large part of the year. Check out how it transformed over the months to become the beast that it is today!

Not too impressive to look at, this is how she started off!

It was actually a super market delivery truck that was then converted into a rally team's transporter before the Hutchinson guys got onto it! — It was actually a super market delivery truck that was then converted into a rally team’s transporter before the Hutchinson guys got onto it!

The team did everything themselves. These photos of the grinding also cost Tim the photographer a lens courtesy of the flying sparks!

"From welding to painting, cutting out new windows to replacing entire panels" the team did it all! — “From welding to painting, cutting out new windows to replacing entire panels” the team did it all!

One of the coolest features of the truck is the top deck, where people can hang on top of the trailer to get a prime view over the pits and surrounds.

After all the work was completed a fresh lick of pain to give her that factory look!

Set up in all her glory, you can see the top deck here.

With all the races the team attends the mothership covers some kilometres!

It is a real shame these truck stay in Europe and couldn’t make the trip over to races such as the Cairns World Cup, they add another dimension to the race experience!

Images courtesy: Hutchinson UR/ Tim Bardsley-Smith

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May 15, 2014

Inside Info: Connor Fearon – Australia

Connor Fearon, dwarfed by an angry rock garden sweeps through unfazed.

Home town race and therefore a home town Inside Info from Connor Feraon, the whole time in cairns even we noticed just how much support he had! So with out further a-do take it away Mr Worldwide;

As soon as I heard about the world cup in Cairns I was quietly confident. Even before I knew anything about the track I just had this feeling it was going to be a good race for me. My first world cup at my home country would really mean a lot to me. In my head the whole 2014 season was going to be good for me, I proved I had improved my fitness by a fair margin in South Africa with a 25th but I wanted better. I dona��t often voice my goals but I wanted to get a top 5 podium at the Cairns world cup, it was pretty much my goal from the end of last year when I proved to myself I could mix it with the best. Matty and I got to Cairns about a week early and did a lot of the obligatory tourist activities. Ia��ve never been to Cairns but highly recommend it as a holiday destination!

Track walk revealed a track that Connor liked the look of.

We stayed riding distance from the track but I actually never bothered to look at it until the official track walk day on Wednesday. The track itself is really good, it has everything; open turns, fast wide jump sections, whoops, technical rock gardens and root sections! I liked the look of it. The weather was really good in Cairns right up until the first practice runs on Thursday. The skies opened up and it rained hard. The track was really slippery due to the clay surface that covered most of the hills around the area. I felt good on the first run, this reflected in timed training when I was 2nd to Gee Atherton by less than a second. Qualifying rolled around on Friday, it was still raining hard the track was getting slower and harder. Nobody realised how physical this track was until they had to put a full run down to qualify. My whole body was screaming I could hardly turn the pedals at the end. Unfortunately I had a little crash at the start of my run. Despite the hiccup I still qualified 9th and the fastest Aussie. This meant a lot to me and boosted my confidence even more. It felt like all the hard work I put in during the off season would pay off. I had a lot of friends and family at the race and generally everyone at the event was stoked for me to qualify so well. Everyone was telling me they wanted me to do well at the race.

9th in qualifying after 2nd in timed practice, all good signs!

When I was warming up for my race run I was actually pretty calm, I was confident with my speed and fitness I just had to ride like a had been in practice. I rode pretty aggressively in my race run and nailed all the technical sections at the top. There is a long right hander thata��s quite fast before a jump. I came in faster than I have and didna��t let off the gas. At the end of the corner my front wheel washed out and quicker than I could react I hit the deck. I bounced off the ground and it felt like forever before I hit again. I remember sliding along the ground and almost being oblivious to the fact I was crashing. I couldna��t believe what happened. I didna��t jump back up too fast because I was pretty hurt and I knew I wouldna��t be in contention for the result I hoped for. The crowd the whole way down the track and especially at the bottom was huge. Ita��s definitely the most spectators Ia��ve seen at a world cup. They were extremely loud and supportive as well. Ia��m sure they pushed the Aussies to ride faster! I finished my run and rode back to the pits pretty swiftly as I was a little salty about crashing! It really set in when I was sitting in the medical tent getting a few stitches in my leg and I could hear the commentator announcing the winnersa�� So unfortunately this race wasna��t as good as I had planned. I dona��t think I made any mistakes by crashing I was pushing the limit and in this sport thata��s what you have to do. One good thing is due to the points I got in qualifying I moved up in the overall to 22nd. By the end of the season I want to be well in the top 20 so Ia��ll take what Ia��ve learnt from this race to the next world cups to achieve that goal. Ia��d like to thank my sponsors Kona, Fox Head, Maxxis, Sram, Rockshox, Stans no tubes, Truvativ, Yakima racks and of course downhill 247! Hopefully ill have something more positive to report next time round.

The eyes are the window to the soul, or something like that! You can tell Connor was disappointed but he handled it professionally and will be on that podium soon!

Not quite the result he was capable of but a lot of lessons learnt.

There is now a slight break before the world cup circuit hits up Europe for round 3.

Images: Jason Stevens Photography, JB Photomedia & in house images.

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May 5, 2014

Inside Info: Connor Fearon – South Africa

25th for Connor who was trying to match his plate it would seem, he will drop that number at the next few rounds we are sure.

Let’s check in with Connor Fearon as he gives us the Inside Info on World Cup number 1 for 2014! Over to Mr Worldwide himself:

Last time I raced here I finished in the 60’s with a good run and that was my worst World Cup result ever. I’ve trained hard this off season to change all that. I was excited for the season to start and get back into racing with my new team mate Andrew Crimmins. As far as the team goes not much has changed. I still have my trusty mechanic Dupelle working on the Kona. Matty had already set my bike up with an air shock and single ply tyres to help bring the weight down to move along the pedal a bit faster. The track walk showed a lot of changes the track builders have made since I was here in 2012. A lot of the top section had been diverted and remade with the inclusion of a few very technical rock gardens. Apart from that the track was the same with the lung burning pedal and 4x style bottom third. My first few runs made me realise how hard the top section was going to be now with the added rock gardens. Everybody on trail bikes looked like they were struggling a bit. I opted to put my coil shock and downhill casing tyres back on. My plan was to make as much time at the top half and figure out the pedal section when I get to it. Unfortunately my team mate Andrew Crimmins crashes badly on the first practice day and broke his kneecap in half… He’ll be back eventually and will get to the top step I’m sure.

Qualifying was good. I put a solid run down and pushed hard through the technical sections. I qualified 26th. I really want to stay in the top 20 this year, statistically this is my worst track but it made no difference to my expectations. With racing on Saturday there was no practice day after qualifying, just a short session before racing. I made a few changes to my lines in some sections that would help me go faster. My race run was really good only some minor issues at the top and set my lungs on fire throughout the whole pedal section. Overall it was pretty good. I finished in 25th, to be honest I’m a little disappointed and I expected better of myself this season. After looking at the split times I was happy with my effort on the pedal. I was 18th at the last split then went back from there… Now my focus is on the cairns World Cup in a week where I really want to be up there in the results. Thanks to my sponsors for making this season possible- Kona, Fox Head, Maxxis, Giro Shoes, SRAM, Rock Shox, Avid, Yakima racks and Breese High Performance.

Next stop for the world cup is no where other than Cairns Australia!

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April 16, 2014

Inside Info: Connor Fearon’s Kona – The Blackbird

Father Christmas was kind to Connor Fearon with the delivery of his new Kona Operator! Talk about a good looking bike, all the descriptors you want to use go for it; ‘Blacks on blacks on blacks’ or ‘all black errrything’ or ‘Blackbird’ or ‘the Black knight’ or… well you get the point!

Check the style! Are we talking about the bike or Connor? Or both?

We caught up with Connor as he had just gotten delivery of his new bike which he gave us the run down on before we headed out to Kangarilla, one of the better riding spots in his hometown of Adelaide.

The difference is that Connor's bike is set up with sponsor/personal preference parts unlike the 'stock' build from your local bike shop. — The difference is that Connor’s bike is set up with sponsor/personal preference parts unlike the ‘stock’ build from your local bike shop.

Regardless of whether it is a 'stock' build or a custom jobby pedals is always personal reference. On this day Connor was riding flats but openly admits he can see many of the benefits of clips... — Regardless of whether it is a ‘stock’ build or a custom jobby pedals is always personal reference. On this day Connor was riding flats but openly admits he can see many of the benefits of clips…

Something that you might want but you won't be able to get, just yet anyway, is these prototype Maxxis tyres, 'Spec C' apparently... You know as much as we do! — Something that you might want but you won’t be able to get, just yet anyway, is these prototype Maxxis tyres, ‘Spec C’ apparently… You know as much as we do!

The only difference with this frame is a slightly different weave of carbon being tested by the guys at HQ, other than that as we have already said angles, geometry, size, etc are all identical to what you can buy.

Carbon frame, carbon crank, titanium spring all exotic materials but who would have thought just a few years ago these parts would be as common as they are today, available for everyone?!

After discussing his bike Connor put it to use and showed us he is more than comfortable on it already which should be no surprise! You can catch Connor at the National rounds this year before he heads overseas to race the World Cups.

With this matching kit maybe we should start calling him Darth?

Looking comfortable with two wheels on the ground, going past in a blur...! — Looking comfortable with two wheels on the ground, going past in a blur…!

And more sideways...! — And more sideways…!

We also heard about a new enduro style bike he was waiting on….

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January 9, 2014