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EDGEsport caught up with mountain-biker Kyle Strait in 2018 to ask how his preparations were going for Crankworx Whistler and to find out more about the man behind the bike.
HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A CRANKWORX EVENT?
I went up to Highland Mountain Bike Park a couple of weeks ago, just to fine tune my skills. I coached kids that week and we did some dirt jumping and riding round the mountain. Basically, I want to keep my skills sharp and my mindset positive as the season is pretty long and I don’t get to spend a lot of time at home.
HOW DO YOU RELAX IN YOUR DOWNTIME AT A LONG EVENT?
We have opportunity to look around the area and I have a lot of friends in Canada. So I go spend some time with them, camping or fishing. I’ll also take a while to get back home by making a few stops along the way.
WHICH EVENT ARE YOU THE MOST EXCITED ABOUT?
Definitely Speed & Style. That’s the top one for me at Crankworx.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING TO TAKE AWAY FROM WHISTLER THIS YEAR?
As many podium finishes as possible! The prize money for each event isn’t that high so you want to go for the overall tour win and become King of Crankworx. I’d be stoked to be on the podium, especially as I didn’t compete at Innsbruck this year.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE REST OF 2018?
In September, I’ll have a little downtime and do some filming. Most of October will be spent gearing up for Rampage – I’m there for over two and a half weeks before the event and that sets me up for the rest of the year really.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ANY YOUNG MOUNTAIN BIKERS LOOKING TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP OF THE SPORT?
Have fun and enjoy the places you go to. I see so many people caught up in wanting to do well, but it’s so important to relish the moment. You can shred on any bike but people sometimes worry about all other sorts of crap that doesn’t really matter. Put most top guys on a crappy bike and they’ll still do well. Main thing is to enjoy it – mountain bike is meant to be fun!
TIME FOR QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS – GET READY!
- Biggest inspiration: Shaun Palmer
- Morning or evening: Definitely evening
- Favourite song: Any George Strait song
- Biggest fear: Being sad
- Favourite place to ride: Home
- The one face you’d add to Mount Rushmore: Any one of my friends
- Cats or dogs: Dogs for sure
- One thing you couldn’t live without: The sun
- If you could have a superpower, what would it be: Be unbreakable
- Nightmare job: Anything sitting in an office
- If you weren’t a rider, what would you be: A postman or on border patrol
