Bike
MTB
On The Ride With Ben Moore
British Urban Downhill pro Ben Moore tells us how pumped he is about Red Bull Dark Knights 2016.
Flying in all the way from the England for Red Bull Dark Knights 2016 at the Singapore Sports Hub, professional mountain bike racer Ben Moore, 26, tells us how the prospect of racing in his first ever night-time Urban Downhill race was an irresistible proposition for the racing addict. Taking time off from tuning up his bike (Crush 650B hardtail from Orange Mountain Bikes) that he’ll be tackling the course with, the British Urban Downhill specialist shares his approach to acing the course at Red Dark Knights 2016.
UPDATE (6/6/2016): The winner of Red Bull Dark Knights 2016 is Ben Moore with the timing of 1:06.011. Followed by runner-up Ng Chee Keong (1:07.801) and second runner-up Popo Ario Sejati (1:09.839).
More Red Bull Dark Knights content:
What made you fall in love with mountain biking?
The feeling of being on the fine limit of control and danger makes mountain biking the best sport on the planet. I love riding with friends and family, as well as racing on my own on some of the world’s best downhill tracks.
Why the preference for Urban Downhill?
I prefer Urban because you can get closer to the crowd and you can really relate to them. Off road, you might not get to see many people on the mountain for a long way down the track. With Urban, it gives everyone a chance to get up close and personal and they can really see what it is like to be on the bike. Everyone will know what the obstacles, such as steps, look like and can relate to that while you’re riding down.
What motivated you to make the trip halfway around the world for Red Bull Dark Knights 2016?
I love racing. I’m a racer at heart and if I see a race, I’ll want to enter it. This is my first urban downhill race at night. Coming to Singapore and meeting everyone here is an opportunity that doesn’t come often. It’s a big education for me as well to come and learn about life, the food and people here. It’s fascinating for me.
What’s your approach to the race?
I’m just going to go have some fun on my bike and hopefully the weather holds up. I’ll give it a 110 per cent because I didn’t come halfway around the world to finish last. We’ll see what happens. Personally, I’d like it if it rains because it could be fun for the riders, but maybe not quite so for the spectators.
How did you prepare for this race?
When I knew that the course here in Singapore would be slightly flatter than some of the city downhill stuff like in Mexico, where you’d need a full downhill bike for the big jumps and huge drops, I brought a hardtail instead because I won’t need the extra suspension. I adapted to each sort of ‘scenery’ so it does change quite a bit between my courses.
I spent a lot of time setting up the bike for this race, and we’d do the same for each race. We will look at the course beforehand, know how big the jumps are and get to know as many details as possible. I think tyres will be the key to winning this race. I think this is what’s going to come down to.
What are you most particular about in terms of setting up your bike?
The two biggest things are the brakes and gears. I want a very specific feel for my brakes, so I use Shimano because I prefer the way they feel compared to other brands. For the gear ratio we’ve set up, it’s a custom-made cassette. I’m only carrying the gears that I think I’ll need for this course so I don’t have extra weight I don’t need.
Do you train specially for an urban course?
I’ve been changing my training to be less endurance-based and more power-based for the one- to two-minutes courses that I’ll be racing in for the rest of the year. I’ll be going to Bratislava in two weeks for the next leg of the City Downhill Series.
Fresh out of Red Bull Dark Knights free practice.
© Joshua Tan
What were some of the challenges you encounter in travelling for races?
The biggest problem was bringing spares here, because of the airline's weight limit. I had to keep the weight as low as possible otherwise it’ll cost a lot of money. I only had the weight for one extra tyre here so I’m hoping I don’t have to make a switch.
How do you manage technical support for your bikes when you’re racing away from home?
A lot of it is just hope, and luck. I was in Spain last September and I broke the gears in practice, which was a nightmare. This is why I love the sport because we (the riders) all help each other and I was offered help by other riders who were there to beat me. Before the race, they made sure that I’ve got the stuff to be able to do my race run and vice-versa.
If someone was struggling today, I’ll probably be the first one over to help them because we want to see everyone do well and all have fun at the end of the day. This is a sport for gentlemen and we treat each other with a lot of respect.
How do you psych yourself up before a race?
I have strategies in my head, places I put my brain into for different modes to calm myself down. I’ll think about doing everyone proud and use the (visualisation) strategy to build the adrenaline and build the hype so that when the whistle blows, I’m at Mach 10 and I’ll just go for it.
You’ve had some serious injuries over the years, with a recent one last year that kept you out for a year. How do you overcome these challenges?
I think it’s the motivation to do what I want to do. This is my dream. I don’t want to quit on it and I’ll do it until I die because I want to get to the top, I want to race and win, ideally. I still have a long way to go.
How do you push yourself past those lazy training days?
I’ll just think about the podium, especially during my gym workouts. Every time I’m feeling tired or wanting to ease off, I’ll think about that podium and think about missing it by a second and how I could make up for that second today in the gym. We want to be there at the podium, always going forward.
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