础听move to 麻豆社国产at the age of 12 sealed Harry Head鈥檚 sports fate.
Head, who is now 17, was a big skateboarder and played soccer and baseball but shortly after arriving in Squamish, he realized the trails were the place to be. 鈥淲hen I moved up here, I realized the culture was so much more centered around biking,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I rode my Costco bike till it broke, and that was when I realized I needed a better bike to take full advantage of the lifestyle out here.鈥�
He quickly hooked up with the Team 麻豆社国产mountain biking club and he began learning the competitive side of the sport.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 so hard not be into biking up here,鈥� he said. 鈥淓verything is bike-centred. I rode with some buddies to start and then became friends with Rhys [Verner], Ethan [Toom] and Luke [Di Marzo] and ended up joining the team.鈥�
Head initially competed in cross-country races, riding in every race in the Test of Metal series in 2012. But the lure of downhill competition drew him in.
鈥淲hen I first started riding, I didn鈥檛 even know about downhill,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 thought XC was biking but I ended up seeing guys around with bigger bikes, and the stuff they did really intrigued me.鈥�
He eventually made the move to competition in downhill full-time but said both styles have benefits.
鈥淚 liked XC for the mental and physical challenge and just pushing yourself to your limits,鈥� he said. 鈥淒ownhill is all about the thrill and the excitement, speed and adrenaline you get from it.鈥�
The move to downhill has been a successful one for Head; he won the Northwest Cup in his division last year and also placed third in the BC Cup series. He also won the SORCA downhill series for his age group.听
He said the time with Team 麻豆社国产helped transform him into the rider he is today.
鈥淭eam 麻豆社国产really built my cycling foundation, and it helped give me the ability to advance into downhill racing,鈥� he said. 鈥淩iding with Rhys and all of them helped too 鈥� a lot of those guys are also great downhill riders.鈥�
The Grade 12 Howe Sound Secondary School student has moved up to the Junior Expert division for 2015 and said he鈥檚 looking forward to the season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a real eye opener so far and a learning experience because of the calibre of some of the guys I鈥檓 racing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 basically want to keep progressing and doing better than the last race. I want to continue to build on the skills I have.鈥�
Head said he is aiming for a top 10 finish at the Canada Cup series later this year and has a busy summer competing all over B.C., Washington State and Oregon. He鈥檚 also fitting in races in Scotland and Wales when he visits Europe for a family gathering.听
He鈥檚 grateful to his sponsors and hopes to continue competing after he graduates next year. He plans to move on to Capilano University in the fall.
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For more information on Head, visit www.headracing.ca.听
