Local international-level mountain biker Brock Hawes recently finished seventh place at the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) mountain bike world series in Quebec at Mont-Sainte-Anne.
Competing in the men’s junior division from Oct. 6 to 8, Hawes accomplished one of his season goals by placing in the top ten in a World Cup race after a gruelling summer of travel and competition. Hawes’ season included 15 races, travel to eight countries and three trips across the ocean.
“That’s all I really wanted to see – to get a top 10,” Hawes told SPIN. “It finally happened in Mont-Sainte-Anne.”
Hawes also had the fastest Canadian junior time in his final race of the season.
While the year was a success, Hawes’ summer didn’t come without trials and tribulations, from gear breaking down to struggling with training and nutrition while travelling.
The bike Hawes was initially supposed to ride, a Forbidden downhill prototype, had a delayed arrival. When Hawes was set to compete at Silver Star Resort in Fernie, B.C., he got his bike – three World Cup races into his season.
Once on the bike, Hawes won at Fernie. However, he ended up blowing a shock when he was competing in Scotland, and the crew that fixed it sent it back with a different setup than Hawes was used to.
“That definitely played a role in the riding. I’ve just had to self-adjust to that tuning and try and figure it out by myself,” Hawes explained, adding the bike issues detracted from his ability to trust his bike and focus on racing.
Another hurdle Hawes faced was nutrition and fitness on the road.
“Keeping up with fitness was a tough one when you’re just travelling so much that it’s hard to find time to get in the gym or do some sprints,” he said.
While in West Virginia, he lacked available fruits and vegetables to keep him fueled for his race.
Being a privateer, Hawes doesn’t benefit from chef-made meals or a permanent pit crew for bike maintenance like athletes who’ve been signed to a factory team.
Jenny Hawes, Brock’s mom, spoke about the support other crews lent her son at various races.
“Everybody just wants the athletes to have a fair shake at it when you’re struggling as a privateer, and you’re trying to scrap together your maintenance or mechanical issues,” Jenny explained. “It was very impressive to see other pits willing to help get you on the bike.”
Heading into the winter, Hawes will work ski patrol at Sun Peaks Resort LLP, and he’s continuing to seek out sponsorship before next season.
Jenny said she’s hopeful sponsors will see how much Hawes accomplished this year despite her son’s challenges.
“It is tough competition when it comes to sponsorship, but I think that with a resume he created this year, and showing that you can compete at that level, amongst all that challenge that we did have – there’s definitely potential there,” Jenny said.
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