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“What could be better than plunging
down a rocky slope on a bike at 60km/h? Gawping at the lovely
Ms Gudex - the best thing to happen to bikes since Spokey-dokeys...”
She’s fast, fearless and one of the best downhill mountain
bikers in the land. Men, please rise for the gorgeous and
downright delightful Niki Gudex...
At some stage in his life, every man will
attempt to do a jump off a pile of dirt on his battered Malvern
Star. And the vast majority will ruin their scrotums upon
landing, and swear never to try again. So it inspires some
significant respect when Australia’s number one female
downhill rider, Niki Gudex, modestly explains that she won
her first downhill race - complete with rectum tightening
jumps and drop offs - less than a week after she started riding.
Potential disfigurement and death are no barrier to our siren
of cycling...
What’s downhill
riding like?
Generally, a downhill race is three to six minutes top to
bottom, basically on a mountain track. It’s usually rocky
shoots, and drop offs and fast single track...
Don’t you
ever worry about taking a stack and ripping your head off?
Um, I hate questions like that. Yes and no. I snowboarded
for a long time and I had alot of accidents, and you sort
of learn how you can prevent them. You learn your limitations,
and you learn that you have to build up to things: you can’t
just throw yourself off really big jumps, it’s not going
to work. You really have to commit to something. You give
a bit of thought to what you’re going to do. When I was
younger I used to skateboard as well, and you think you are
invincible and then you realise that you’re not. I really
like to ride under control.
What’s the
biggest stack you’ve ever had?
Probably while snowboarding.
But isn’t
snow nice and soft to land on?
It depends. Not in Australia it’s not. I fractured the
T4 and T5 (vertebrae) in my back. I was living in Sweden at
the time, in snowboarding school. When I came back to Australia
I decided I was going to get fit, so I decided I’d get
a bike. So I got it, and entered a race. That was three years
ago.
How long after
you bought the bike did you start racing?
Four or five days.
Four or five
days! Crazy talk.
I didn’t know anything about mountain biking and I didn’t
know where any tracks were, so I went into a bike shop and
I found that there was a race on that weekend. I thought it
would be a good way to find out where the tracks are.
And how did you
go?
Ummm... My first downhill race, I won, ha ha. But it was in
my category!
What attracts
you to mountain biking?
I think it’s a mixture of everything. When you’re
on a bike you’re focused but you’re relaxed. It
takes you away. You can be wherever you want to be on a bike.
In your own space. I like racing because you don’t have
time to think about anything, you just have to commit to what
you’re doing.
Do you still
snowboard, or skate?
No, I’m too old to skateboard. It’s too dangerous.
Concrete is not forgiving.
What, at the
decrepit age of 23?
Well, you wear body armour when you’re downhill racing.
So really, it’s a lot safer. You’ve got a helmet
on, and leg armour. It’s not like you’re unprepared.
What are your
biggest triumphs so far?
My best result on paper would be winning the 2001 national
series. But my favourite result would be getting second at
the national championships, because it was a very strong field
in that particular race, and at the time I’d only been
racing for two years.
What about international
racing?
I rode in the world championships, in Vail, in the USA.
And how did you
go over there?
I came 21st.
Result! What’s
your training like?
It can be really hard training on the road. Some people don’t
seem to realise that a cyclist is actually a person. If you
see a cyclist on the road, give way to them. Too many cyclists
get hit on the road.
So, do you ride
motorbikes as well?
Yeah, I’ve ridden a motorbike twice. The first time I
did a wheelie for about 20 metres. I’d been on it for
about 20 minutes, I had it in second gear, and I just gave
it a little bit too much, and the front wheel just popped
up. My friend was sitting behind me, and I was thinking, “Wow,
I’m doing a wheelie”, and I didn’t actually
realise that if it falls back it’s quite dangerous. But
then I noticed, “Oh, everyone looks really scared.”
So I slowed down and it came back down, and my friend was
like, “Slow down, let me jump off... I think you’re
okay to ride by yourself now.”
Profile: Tim Keen. Photographer: Jez Smith.
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