Do you remember Matthew Fairbrother? If he doesn't tell you anything, first go read this article and then comes back here for the evolution of events. The interview is edited by pinkbike which is supporting the young man from a media point of view. Here is the translated interview.
PINKBIKE INTERVIEW
We caught up with Matthew on the last leg of this weekend's Enduro World Series in Maine, USA. The now 18 year old, he went to North America and is 5th in the EWS Under 21 overall standings…. and yes, bikepacking again between all the stages with assistance on plane tickets to get here in America.
The last time that we heard you, you had driven 250km a day for over a week and were about to run two EWS rounds. How did those races go?
It seems like an avalanche of time has passed by now. Well, in Austria I dislocated my little finger in the second stage: I reinserted it myself and finished 10th. I was really happy considering how far I had come to get there. In a way I came with no expectations, or rather, I was expecting to bullshit, but it actually went really well.
Then did you start pedaling that night right after the race?
Yes, I have partnered with Dan Perl, Eric Olsen and Lucas Walch for about 350km. I have to admit it wasn't quite the same pace, but a better pace. It was a little difficult mentally for me because there were so many interruptions, but it was nice to have some company at the same time. It took 4 days, but if I had been alone I would have left on Sunday evening and would have aimed to arrive on Monday. And I would have had a few more days to relax before the race in Italy.
And you arrived in Canazei for the last European round, how did it go?
Biggest blowout of my life: It didn't go according to plan at all that weekend. Everything took me. I wasn't really working. I think the hardest part was in Austria, I was physically gone. But in Italy I was physically and mentally gone. I didn't have the mental strength to push myself beyond that limit. At Petzen I could still push hard in the race phases, but in Italy I didn't have the mental strength to reach my limit, even if at that point the limit was still much lower.
When we last spoke, your plan was to go back to the UK and settle down until the next European EWS rounds in September (so not going to America even for obvious logistical problems). Can you tell us what happened instead?
The brand that supports me, Deviate, has launched a GoFundMe to pay my expenses and he succeeded in doing so. Deviate himself paid for my flights to North America, and GoFundMe gave me the money to live on. Wyn Masters (ed, see post below) also awarded me the Privateer Award in Austria. He was crazy: I am amazed by the support I received.
Friendly people love your mission - did you even get an 18th birthday present here in Canada?
Yes, Deviate came out on a new bike in early July and wanted me to ride it. Difficult to say no to this thing. It all came together on my birthday, a fantastic birthday.
You arrived in Canada, when we left you said you were fine for about 30 minutes… how were the energy levels leading up to the Whistler EWS week?
Not good at all. I also made a mistake by doing a lot of laps in the park. On the first day in Whistler I covered 9000m downhill, 4000m of which uphill. You know when you go out alone I kept bumping into people and I couldn't say no to the bicycle. I was like from 5:30 until 20:00.
How many Dirt Merchant - A-Line spins do you think you've done?
Pushing I think 35.
Whistler Race Weekend: Tell us about the race.
I felt good. I was able to push. Maybe a little too woody. I blew up the (rear) wheel in the PS 2, instant flat tire. There was only one thing to do: remove the cable ties and the duct tape and just like that it was repaired.
When you say "repaired" do you mean CushCore for the rest of the day?
More or less yes: it held the air up the hill, but as soon as I started the descent, my taping work did not hold the air. I thought I would retire after SS 2, but to finish it and then finish in 10th place (in the U21), I was quite happy.
So the day after the race you start pedaling again for the next round in Vermont: according to Google it would be 4.889 km (3.037 miles) in 5 days, maybe too crazy even for you: what did you do?
Yes, the plan was to cycle from Whistler to Vancouver on Monday morning, catch a flight to Montreal that night, then cycle the remaining 250km to Burke, Vermont in time for practice. But it was immediately a nightmare when I got a bike box in North Vancouver (about 110km around) from Steed Cycles - but there was still 32km of pedaling to the airport. All I had was duct tape and a couple of inner tubes, so I turned the bike box into a backpack and drove through downtown Vancouver to YVR (airport).
Then there was another dilemma once I got to the airport: I thought I had an 8mm Allen key but it was 10mm instead. So I couldn't take off the pedals. I had two Allen keys, I made an 8mm by adding two Allen keys together, but I broke them both in half. And then I was in a panic because time was running out. I've been texting so many people!
Luckily Dan Selfe was arriving at the airport that evening in an 8mm and I was saved. We put the bike back in the box in record time, but they made me deflate the tires. So my tires were flat, which is normally fine, but security thought my pump which was tied to my bike needed to be taken off. I didn't have enough time to argue because I was so late so I lost it. I had no idea how I was going to pump the tires on the other side in Montreal. The flight was at 01:40 am, and I arrived in Montreal around 8:00 am. I found a pump and then I started pedaling.
Nothing could go wrong.
Not really, I had no data when I landed in Montreal, so there was a lot of confusion. I couldn't ask for directions because no local person helped me - I didn't realize everyone spoke French: I spoke English but was ignored by everyone.
What was the crossing to America like once you finally got there?
I was pretty scared. They weren't so nice to me at first. I was in great panic. They just threw me a bunch of questions, many to which I had no answers. Like where am I going? Where am I staying? He didn't like it when I said I was going camping. I don't know yet. They weren't thrilled with that answer. I had a place to stay on the weekend but had no details or data. So I couldn't give him info. They wanted to know how much money I had. I couldn't even tell them this because they didn't allow me to use the wifi. They asked me how much money I had. So I came up with $ 5 American dollars and $ 20 Canadian.
And how did they react?
They just looked at me. They weren't exactly thrilled. But then I think what saved me was that the Pivot boys had crossed the same border the day before - it's a pretty small pass. The guy finally asked me why I was going to the United States. When I told him there is a cycling event at Burke Mountain, he got excited because he enjoyed mountain biking and he had talked to some cyclists the day before. He told me his story about him, that is that in the middle of the pandemic he started pedaling and just bought a 27.5 full suspension fat e-bike. He was thrilled to see that I was mountain biking and they let me go to my fate.
It's too good. I saw a picture of you under a bridge (editor's note, see above). What happened?
Yes, after the border there was a cycle path about 30km long and it was quite good. In the middle, however, I found a broken bridge, so I had to improvise and it wasn't pleasant.
What did you eat in America? We know you are a huge fan of candy.
Yes, here they are easy to find: Lollipops, cola and milk chocolate. Oh, and fries!
European or American candies?
I'm not too sure, because most of the time I don't taste anything with my tongue. I ate too many candy and fries, the salt blew my taste buds away, so I'm not sure what something tastes here.
And you're doing all these miles on your DH carcass racing tires, right?
Yes, too much organization if I also have to get the sliding tires: DH carcass, with CushCore and soft compound.
And the weight of the bike?
I weighed it at the airport and the bike loaded with "suitcases" weighs 34 kg. But I wore all my clothes at the airport and stuffed my helmet with heavy stuff in my luggage so I could get to the 32kg weight limit to fly. And this time I didn't bother to increase the suspension like I did in Europe. With DH tires there is probably not much to be gained from an inflated suspension. I also added a Coke bottle holder which is great.
You arrived in time for Burke, finished 10th and now you're 5th in the U21, how does it feel?
It's pretty cool! Teased by this. It's only my first year and there are still a couple of years left, so I hope I can improve.
After Burke's round, you start driving to Sugarload in Maine, one of your hardest transfers?
They are just over 240 km, but in total there were about 25 km to cover on foot. This time I had downloaded the route correctly, but it must have collected super old routes - once they were something but now not anymore. Several times I have come to dead ends (see photo above). You could tell there was something there but it was just bushes. Every time I did it I thought it definitely couldn't be for that long, but each time it was for a long time. One of the worst moments.
Are you worried about bears? Or hunters venturing into similar situations?
I've seen a couple of bears and there are a lot of ugly intimidating signs saying to get out of private property, but once you're that deep you can't go back. Yes, it wasn't always fun. And with a bike so loaded it is uncomfortable: Pedals, handlebars that get caught in the branches and many other situations that I am not going to tell. But I saw a moose. I was thrilled to cross that thing off the list. They are big bastards. Oh, and I was being chased by some highway workers.
Pursued by highway workers?
They were painting the white lines on the side of the highway. I must have missed the mark. I accidentally cycled on the white lines and weren't thrilled.
So now you have white paint on your tires?
The white on the tires has peeled off but there is white paint on my down tube. What happened is that one of the guys jumped into the work truck, he chased me and pushed me off the highway. I literally threw myself in the forest, it was super "hot" and I didn't want to face it, so I was in the woods for a while. Then I went back to the highway a little further down. But shortly after I was attacked by a Canadian goose: she started screaming at me while I still had the concern of the road worker in my head. The goose charged me: I used my bike as a shield and defended myself; it was a fantastic experience.
Was that the most difficult stage of the whole trip?
Perhaps the 240 km with DH tires and soft compound also played their part. Losing the path, go back, get lost, walk. 19 hours in total. And all this Monday after Burke's race. I do not feel in top form for the next stage (ed, Sugarloaf) but I will give the maximum.
So what happens now?
The plan is to return to Montreal by bicycle. It's about 440km, but I only have two and a half days to get to my flight back to Europe for the final rounds. So we'll see.
What about your plan for next year?
I'm still not sure what exactly the plan is. I'm still cautious with my money, how could I do it again next year, but we'll get to that when we get there. Nothing has changed from the goal - “investing my money in learning” - in this case it's not necessarily about doing a DP fast, it's about learning life skills, cycling and seeing the sights. And also seeing where the adventure takes me, that's what it's all about. Thanks everyone for the support.
After this interview, Matthew finished in 12th place at the Sugarloaf EWS, with a bad crash in the race. Later he cut the tire blocks and transformed the tires into semi-slick with a knife: it was a pity that during the operation he cut a vein because the knife slipped. But everything is fine. "Things that happen“, He reports.
Now the program includes Crans Montana -> Loudenville 1300km, Loudenville -> Finale Ligure 1150km.
Do you want to follow Matt? Here is his account Strava or your account Instagram. We wish Matt all the best.
CLICK HERE TO READ HOW THE MATTHEW STORY CONTINUES
