Norco Factory Race Team - Harry Heath Interview | Evans Cycles ...
Interview: Magdalena Schoerner
You are from the North of England (near Stoke-on-Trent) � how did you first get into riding and what was your path into Norco�s Factory Race team?
I first got into mountain biking through my Dad and the fun he had with the sport. I have been racing on the World Cup circuit for 8 years now and through that time I have progressed and got to know a lot of people. One of them was Todd Schumlick from PerformX, who now is my coach. He liked how I worked and when he got the opportunity to build the Norco Factory Racing team, he asked me whether I wanted to race for the team.
Apart from your dad, did you have any MTB childhood idols that got you into the sport?
I think it was more dirt jump riders back in the early days for me like Grant Fielder and Chris Smith but it really was riding with my friends and my Dad that inspired me most.
How do you manage to stay connected with friends and family when being on the road/trails most of the year?
That�s possibly one of the best parts of the internet - being able to keep in contact with people back home � but, of course, I try to get home in between races whenever I can.
Where is your favourite spot to ride when not either training or racing? Do you ride anything other than MTB/DH bikes?
Probably on my BMX at the skatepark or doing dirt jumps. Aside from mountain bikes, I ride quite a bit of BMX and Motocross but really, if it�s got wheels there�s a way to have fun with it!
What career (if any) would you�ve chosen if it wasn�t MTB-racing?
Rally driving
Tell us a bit more about the team..how does a typical (in-season) week look like?
One of the greatest parts of our team is that we all train together and we do similar programmes season and off-season. A typical week at the races would be Monday: Travel; Tuesday: Strength/mobility training; Wednesday: Track walk and easy XC ride; Thursday: DH practice; Friday: DH practice/qualifying, stretching; Saturday/Sunday: DH race/travel.
Harry (right) with his team mate Jack Iles in Val di Sole
On to your bike(s)�I understand you are racing on the brilliant Aurum mainly � which we of course sell! What is it you like about it? How much scope to customise is there in the sport and according to individual preferences? Do you feel you have a material/ technical advantage within the Norco team compared to others?
The main thing I like about the bike Norco Aurum is that it�s close to perfect angles/sizing if I was to design a bike for myself. This makes it a lot easier for jumping straight into the races and being able to perform. We�ve got a really good support crew behind the team to help setup the bikes but it�s mainly position of components rather than custom parts.
You had a good season with your form seemingly improving with every race. What would you say was your biggest achievement/ felt like the biggest milestone in your career so far and what are your goals?
Its been a really enjoyable season and even nicer to take my best results away as well but it�s probably my consistency which I feel has been my biggest achievement this year. I got two top ten results this seasons so my goal is to make that four next season � that�ll put me on a good track!
How do you prepare mentally? Any pre-race rituals?
Work as hard as I can and the rest follows! I don�t really have any pre-race rituals other than simply striving to be the person I want to be and not to give up!
Finally, what would your advice be to a young rider who is keen to get into the sport on a more serious level?
Enjoy it and remember, if you want to get to a certain place enough, you�ll succeed!
Thanks for your time Harry � we are looking forward to sharing your success stories throughout 2016! Thanks also to Todd from the Norco Factory Race Team for letting us catch a glimpse of the action!
You can follow Norco Bicycles on Twitter and Harry directly on Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates.
Source:
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