{"id":158480,"date":"2025-09-21T09:06:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T09:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/158480\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T09:06:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T09:06:37","slug":"gravel-altitude-and-drop-bar-mtb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/158480\/","title":{"rendered":"Gravel, Altitude and Drop Bar MTB"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOh my gosh, he doesn\u2019t even have a tyre,\u201d commentator and former pro Meredith Miller said on the Leadville 100 livestream.<\/p>\n

Brendan Trekky Johnston was on screen, cruising down the road on his dropbar-equipped Giant Anthem franken-bike, riding the rim.<\/p>\n

Not just riding the rim with a flat tyre. It was bare carbon rolling along the bitumen.<\/p>\n

The town of Leadville is 867m higher than the top of Mount Kosciuszko, and the iconic mountain bike race tops out at 3,786m. Simply existing at this altitude can leave you breathless, and Trekky \u2014 having grown up in Australia \u2014 readily admits he struggles with altitude. Johnston\u2019s plan for the day was to ride into the race.<\/p>\n

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With newly crowned XCM World Keegan Swenson \u2014 who is seemingly completely unaffected by altitude \u2014 already off the front, Johnston had settled into a group with Norwegian rider Torbj\u00f8rn Andre R\u00f8ed. A little over 30km into the 165km\/103mi race, the pair hit the first major and most technical descent on the course, Powerline.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d been out there (in Leadville) for three weeks, and ridden down Powerline probably ten times,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was following Torbj\u00f8rn, which was fine \u2014 he\u2019s a good rider \u2014 and it just happened that he passed this rock, and it dislodged from the bank and tumbled across the track. It didn\u2019t even hurt my rear tyre; it just smashed into my rear wheel. It was like a big boulder, and it just destroyed my wheel, instantly,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/p>\n

\"\"Trekky\u2019s day in Leadville was over almost before it started when a rock blew up his rear wheel. Funny enough, the tyre was undamaged, but it kept getting caught up in his drivetrain, so he took it off to ride to the next aid station.<\/p>\n

Nearly a month living at altitude and a remarkably restrained and regimented training block to help him adapt to the thin Rocky Mountain air, blew up when a coin flipped and the odds were not in his favour. He tried to get moving again, but the tyre kept coming off the rim and fouling his drivetrain.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI stopped, took the tyre off and ended up riding the rim down to the road. By this point, I\u2019d lost a lot of time and was way out of the standings,\u201d he tells Flow.<\/p>\n

Limping to the next aid station, the call was made to stop the bleeding, abandon the race and look ahead to the next event on the calendar.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this saw Trekky drop from second place in the Life Time Grand Prix overall standings to ninth place, having finished fourth at both the Sea Otter Classic and Unbound Gravel.<\/p>\n

Now in his third year chasing the Life Time Grand Prix, Johnston has learned a lot about life as a gravel pro and racing overseas. We caught up with him while he was in Canberra between North American racing blocks.<\/p>\n

\"\"Johnston has been floating around the upper echelons of the Australian racing scene for ages, both on and off road.
\nFrom Australia to the pinnacle of North American racing<\/p>\n

Hailing from Moruya, NSW, Johnston has been rattling around the Australian off-road scene for yonks. He has eight Australian National Championships to his name (six XCM and two gravel). He\u2019s also won the National Road Series overall in 2020, and countless editions of the Cape to Cape, Port to Port, Reef to Reef, Otway Odyssey; he also won the first edition of the Dirty Warrny \u2014 all of that is to say he\u2019s pretty darn fast.<\/p>\n

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Before all of that, he was an up-and-coming junior rider. Two weeks out from the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Champs in Canberra, having just come back from a broken collarbone, Johnston was diagnosed with a rare form of testicular cancer at the age of 17. He underwent surgery to remove a paratesticular lump. A fortnight later he raced World Champs, and commenced his first round of chemotherapy the following week. In a compromised state \u2014 physically and emotionally \u2014 he still finished in the top 50 in the XCO. It was a long and difficult road back to health for Johnston.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ten years on from his cancer diagnosis, in 2019, Giant Australia commissioned this custom Anthem as a symbol of how far he\u2019d come.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/p>\n

But over the years, he would become a dominant force in the Australian domestic racing scene, both on and off-road, while working full time as a sparky.<\/p>\n

Looking for a new challenge, in 2023 Johnston applied for the Life Time Grand Prix and was accepted. At the time, the Life Time GP was only in its second year, but there was $250,000 USD in prize money up for grabs, and several riders had already made a career out of focusing on the six-race series. Trekky sold his business and planned to shoot his shot, to try and make a name for himself with the goal of coming back the following year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve raced bikes and mountain bikes for over 15-years, but I\u2019ve never put all my eggs in that basket for more than a few weeks. So to be doing it for the better part of the year is pretty foreign to me, and it\u2019s actually a pretty great feeling,\u201d he told Flow before he boarded a flight to head over for the first time in 2023.<\/p>\n

His first taste of American gravel racing came at the Belgian Waffle Ride San Diego, where he\u2019d come fourth. His first Life Time GP event was the Sea Otter Fuego XL ~100km MTB race, where he\u2019d come sixth, despite battling a bad back.<\/p>\n

The next race on the calendar was Unbound Gravel. This was the infamous Mudbound year. Unbound was his goal race for the season, and he fell victim to the mud pit half an hour into what was expected to be a ten-hour race. The peanut butter mud KO\u2019d his rear mech and he walked for an hour to get out of the bog. He was forced to abandon at the first aid station after being stuck in 11T at the rear for three hours.<\/p>\n

\"\"Unbound Gravel was a low point for Trekky in his first Life Time GP season, but he managed to turn things around.
\nRelated:<\/p>\n

Poor results at Crusher in The Tusher, Leadville and Chequamegon left Trekky on the back foot. He\u2019d risked everything to get here, and he was getting his teeth kicked in week after week. So after a huge block going into Unbound and not finishing, he doubled down on the amount of work he was doing on the bike.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just flogging a dead horse. I was living in Colorado Springs, which was really nice, but I\u2019d never had this really poor period of training, and not being able to get anything out of myself,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was feeling this immense pressure in the middle of that year. It wasn\u2019t going to plan. I hadn\u2019t come here to have a year off. My plan was to establish myself and find a good contract and do it for years to come,\u201d says Johnston.<\/p>\n

A mid-season change of coach does not signal a machine that\u2019s running well; however, it turned out to be the antidote for the hazy fatigue Johnston was battling.<\/p>\n

At the next round, The Rad in Trinidad, Colorado, he landed in third, and a few weeks later, would snag his first Life Time Grandprix win and Big Sugar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got piped for the overall in Big Sugar, but I was first in Life Time points \u2014 so second in the race, but first in the GP. I had two flat tyres. I rode back on and finished with a flat tyre and almost won the sprint,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"\"At Big Sugar, Trekky took second place in the race and was first in the Life Time GP points.<\/p>\n

Despite a mid-season low, Johnston fought his way back and finished seventh overall in the field of thirty Life Time Grand Prix riders. He\u2019d shown that he was strong enough to rub shoulders in this field and cemented his place in the 2024 season.<\/p>\n

Johnston tells us after his breakout ride at Big Sugar, several brands presented him with contracts almost before he\u2019d had the chance to change out of his kit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was nice to get that instant gratification from a result,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you have a good result in Aus(tralia) it doesn\u2019t change your circumstances. You\u2019re doing the best you can for your partners, and your partners are doing the best they can for you, but things don\u2019t materially change.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had this result and now I am literally getting rewarded in the moments after it\u2019s happened,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"\"The 2024 season saw Trekky receive significantly more support, but with that comes more expectations.
\nSecond Year Scaries | Coming back for the 2024 season<\/p>\n

With the summer spent at home and a season of experience under his belt, Johnston entered the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix with a new level of support. He\u2019d newly signed on with The Feed, one of the biggest sports nutrition marketplaces in the US, and Kenda Tyres, among others. He\u2019s also started working with Inspire Athlete Management, who also represent the likes of World Tour riders like Mike Woods and Derek Gee, who have both won stages at Grand Tours, as well as other Life Time GP athletes like Dylan Johnson.<\/p>\n

While you won\u2019t see Trekky riding around in a Ferrari anytime soon, this added level of support was enough to get him through the season and take some of the financial pressure off. But the field is continuing to get faster, and with more sponsor support comes additional pressure to perform.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt pressure to improve in the standings. I wasn\u2019t targeting a race for a sole victory, but I just wanted to be really solid in the overall standings and be one of the top five guys,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s precisely what he achieved, taking home fourth place in the overall, ahead of his Giant Bicycles teammate Cole Paton; he was also the highest-ranked The Feed athlete in the Men\u2019s GP field.<\/p>\n

\"\"In the 2024 season, Johnston found is mojo on the bike and started the trive racing in the Life Time Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

Even Unbound went better than normal from Trekky in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had three flat tyres and rode the insert for literally 80km in the front group,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I was in the front of the race and still able to hang on with a flat tyre. The way I was able to ride that day was really validating for years to come. Not a good result, but it stood out as I can do well here one day, if everything goes right.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Leadville being his only finish outside the top ten in 2024, he was again proving his worth and mixing it up with the field of the best gravel and XCM athletes in the world.<\/p>\n

He also went 12 months without losing a race in Australia \u2014 not a bad hit rate. The field here in Australia is surprisingly strong, and it\u2019s not like he is sandbagging to win these races. The locals like Tasman Nankervis, Scott Bowden, Mark O\u2019Brien, Brent Rees and others put him to the sword any chance they get.<\/p>\n

\"\"Trekky went a year without losing a race in Australia, which is quite an achievement when you survey the hitters in the local field.<\/p>\n

2024 also saw Johston come to new prominence with Giant, playing a role in the development of the new Revolt gravel bike<\/a>. Since then, he tells us there has been a steady stream of test mules in the stable working out the details for new geometry and other features for the next-generation gravel racer from Giant.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince gravel bikes are changing so fast, they\u2019ve always come to the athletes for feedback. But Giant has always been a challenging brand in that space. We always have good products to race on, but it\u2019s always been a focus for Giant to make bikes for the masses and to tick more than one box,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"\"Trekky played a key role in developing the latest Giant Revolt that launched last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think in the last 12-18 months there has been a realisation that gravel is really becoming a performance product and there is space for high performance and lighter equipment,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Trekky tells us for the latest Revolt they had pushed for a few things like more aero integration and a UDH that didn\u2019t come to fruition.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting more traction with the team, and they are providing us a good platform to race on.<\/p>\n

\"\"Leadville has spawned some of the weirdest bikes we\u2019ve seen of late. Here\u2019s Trekky\u2019s drop bar, full suspension Giant Anthem.
\nA Dropbar Giant Anthem | What is that thing?<\/p>\n

Of course, if we\u2019re talking about racing platforms, we cannot move on without addressing the monstrosity that Trekky raced at Leadville \u2014 a full suspension Giant Anthem<\/a> with a high post and curly bars.<\/p>\n

Trekky \u2014 along with a large portion of the elite field \u2014 opted for some definition of a drop bar mountain bike for this year\u2019s Leadville 100, but this is not necessarily new ground.<\/p>\n

In the early days of mountain biking, John Tomac and Jacquie Phelan raced drop bar mountain bikes. More recently, Travis Brown raced Leadville in the late 2000s on a drop bar MTB, and four-time, 24-hour World Champ Corry Wallace came eleventh on a gravel bike in 2021. However, it was gravel\u2019s tyre guy Dylan Johnson who arguably turbocharged the rebirth of this trend \u2014 so please direct any comments and concerns to @dylanjawnson on Instagram. Newly crowned XCM World Champion Keegan Swenson cornered the pro field into considering drop bars when he won his fourth and fifth Leadville 100s on such franken-bikes, though we should note that he set the course record on a Santa Cruz Highball with flat bars.<\/p>\n

\"\"There\u2019s quite a bit that goes into making the geometry on a mountain bike work with drop bars, and Trekky tells us he swapped from a medium to a small frame. Look at all of that seatpost sticking out!<\/p>\n

Leadville is an interesting race in that the vast majority of it takes place on fire roads, double track and paved roads, with only a small portion of singletrack, none of which is that technical. But the whole course is rough and chunky, there are mega fast descents, and it\u2019s a bloody long day.<\/p>\n

Trekky tells Flow that he\u2019d done a heap of training at home on a Giant XTC hardtail he\u2019s set up with dropbars and a RockShox Sid with Flight Attendant.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was riding just standard gravel stuff, and I did a big block down the coast with some rougher gravel, but still pretty smooth,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d done it (Leadville) on a hardtail the past couple of years, but getting there and getting out on the course, it was quite rough. The Sugarloaf climb on the way out over Powerline was embedded rock and super rough for climbing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

While he was putting in good times in his training rides and found himself able to push at altitude for the first time, there was an overwhelming sensation that he was bleeding efficiency on that setup. So, he made a call to build an Anthem with drop bars.<\/p>\n

\"\"Unfortunately Johnston didn\u2019t really get to see if this experiment would work for him at Leadville as something completely outside of his control ended his race.<\/p>\n

Now, there is a lot more to making a drop bar mountain bike than just banging on a set of curly bars and connecting the brake lines. Trekky actually swapped from a medium to a small frame with a long stem.<\/p>\n

Our mechanic drove out from Moab with this bike all set up,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really fortunate that I have access to all this stuff, and I can make all of these calls \u2014 this is like Monday before the race. The next day I got on it and went training and was just like this is 100% the bike,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Gravel\u2019s quest for marginal gains<\/p>\n

The Life Time Grand Prix has been a hotbed for development and the pursuit of marginal gains. From mountain bike tyres to doing some races in road shoes and skin suits with a hydration bladder pocket because it\u2019s more aero than wearing a pack \u2014 both of which are faster than stopping at feedzones.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say that the pursuit of marginal gains in XC, downhill, or enduro, or even on the road, is not just as intense. However, in gravel and the unique suite of events that comprise the Life Time GP, it\u2019s definitely been the most visible.<\/p>\n

In the past couple of years, gravel bikes have completely changed, and a lot of that is trickling down because the top racers at the Life Time Grand Prix are asking for it. As consumers and fans, it\u2019s difficult to keep up, but when your job depends on it, that is a whole new level of pressure.<\/p>\n

Trekky tells Flow after the 2024 Leadville 100, he was speaking to Kimo Seymour, who is the brainchild behind the Life Time Grand Prix, about folks using drop bars at this race.<\/p>\n

\"\"While it didn\u2019t work in Leadville, Johnston\u2019s franken-Anthem was good enough to earn him third place at the Chequamegon MTB Festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that point, I thought it was faster and was probably the way it was going to go, but I was unsure whether it was true to the roots of Leadville as a mountain bike race.<\/p>\n

He (Seymour) was like \u2018I have no intention of putting in rules like that (to prevent people from running drop bars) \u2014 ever! That\u2019s not even on our radar. We want people to push the envelope and weird things to come about.\u2019 Ultimately, it\u2019s good for our sport in that there is no limit on the innovation we can do and the things we can try,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

While Trekky says at times he\u2019s been frustrated by the speed at which things are changing and are evolving within this space, he\u2019s also conscious of the number of eyes it brings to this growing corner of the sport. Being that a significant portion of his budget goes towards travel \u2014 something to the order of $20,000 AUD \u2014 he doesn\u2019t necessarily have a ton of leeway to be testing different tyres, setups or speedsuits, and he admits to following what some of his competitors are doing.<\/p>\n

I stuck with it and I guess at that point it was kind of nice to feel ahead of the game \u2014 or at least like with the game.<\/p>\n

But there was a time right when Trekky actually found himself at the cutting edge of the gravel arms race. In his first race in the US, the Belgian Waffle Ride San Diego, he came third on fat (for the time) tyres.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole summer leading up to that first trip, I was training and thinking about my tires. I remember riding with my buddy Karl and talking about it \u2014 I was always using 45mm. At that point everyone was like, \u2018that\u2019s so big, isn\u2019t it heavy and slow.\u2019 I kept saying, \u2018nah I think it\u2019s the move, at the right pressure 45mm is better than 40mm.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the race everyone was using 38mm or 35mm, and some of the reporters were like, \u2018you\u2019re going to use those?\u2019<\/p>\n

I stuck with it and I guess at that point it was kind of nice to feel ahead of the game \u2014 or at least like with the game,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n

\"\"There is more to life than bike racing, and Johnston tells us the past few years have been pretty difficult.
\nIt\u2019s Not All Daisies & Sunshine Living The Dream<\/p>\n

From the outside, Trekky is living his dream as a professional bike rider. He sold his electrical contracting business years ago and is achieving results at the highest level of competition for gravel and XCM. He has input on the direction of products being developed by the largest bike brand in the world, travels around the world to race his bike, and has brands tripping over each other to sign him.<\/p>\n

But there is more to life than bikes, and this rise has also come at a cost. Trekky says the past few years have been some of the darkest periods of his entire life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese things have all come at the wrong time, and it\u2019s been really tough in my home life. My daughter, Maeve, is the only grounding thing I have,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Maeve was born in 2020. Now, in his third season, Johnston has a travel schedule and budget that allows him to only be away from home for four or five weeks at a time. But little kids can grow up a lot in four or five weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s five years old now, and she changes so fast. I talk to her every day on the phone, but she changes, and I definitely feel like I miss parts of that. On the flip side, from October to March\/April I\u2019m hers, which wouldn\u2019t be the case if I had a normal job,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m home, typically I\u2019m training for two to six hours a day \u2014 I can drop her to school and pick her up at three o\u2019clock, and then we can do something. That may not be the case if I had a regular job,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Despite the success he\u2019s found on the bike, he\u2019s in the midst of a personally challenging time. And with the roller coaster that is trying to push to be at the pointy end of the top one per cent, he\u2019s had doubts. Asking what if.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always push, push, push, and you can\u2019t ever take your foot off the gas. You want more support and more money, and I want to be able to provide for Maeve. I don\u2019t want just to be here having a good time. I want to keep pushing. And then sometimes, you\u2019re like, \u2018well, I could just stop. That would be so much easier,\u2019\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

But Johnston has had a regular job. He was an electrician with a successful business in Canberra. Cancer took his first shot at becoming a full-time pro mountain biker, but he\u2019s been afforded a unique second opportunity to live out a dream. So he\u2019s grabbing on with both hands and putting in everything he can.<\/p>\n

Trekky tells us that when he looks at his own upbringing, his dad was a source of inspiration for him, and he wants to be the same for Maeve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see a little bit of that in Maeve. She sees what I\u2019m doing and thinks it\u2019s cool. I hope I can inspire her to do what she wants to do, whenever that may be,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Staying True To His Roots | A true blue Aussie through and through<\/p>\n

Johnston has a lot to thank for the cycling scene we have in Australia, with marathon XC racing and National Road Series (now known as the ProVelo Super League) teaching him the skills and building the diesel engine that he has now to mix it up with the likes of Alexi Vermeulen, Matt Beers and Keegan Swenson.<\/p>\n

Just as the World Cup takes place mainly in Europe, North America is the home of gravel and marathon XC racing and at the centre of all that is the Life Time Grand Prix. That\u2019s what the sponsors are watching, that\u2019s where the prize money is, and where the best athletes in this segment of competition are flocking.<\/p>\n

\"\"While he\u2019s found a path to success racing in the US, Johnston has not forgotten his roots and the folks who helped him get to this stage. He doesn\u2019t want to be the rider who trains here and races overseas.<\/p>\n

But North America is a long way from Australia, and while you can watch some of the Life Time GP events live on YouTube, live images of Johston riding the rim at Leadville would have been broadcast after midnight on the East Coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to remain relevant here in Australia and I feel like it\u2019s hard to do that with the events we have (in the Grand Prix),\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

And when he is home, he does have a solid diet of the biggest races in the country \u2014 RADL GRVL, Otway Odyssey, Gravelista, The Devil\u2019s Cardigan, Dirty Warrny, Quad Crown. But he has to be careful, many of these races take place in his competition\u2019s off-season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to be racing here during the summer and then trying to be really good in April (for the Sea Otter Classic),\u201d he says. \u201cHow can I compete with those guys who are finishing racing in October and not starting again until March if I\u2019m trying to race in January?\u201d<\/p>\n

This is something that has created some internal conflict for Johston because Australia is his home, and he feels an obligation not just to participate in the riding culture here but also to help support those who helped and supported him over the years.<\/p>\n

\"\"Johnston tries to do as many races as he can in Australia, but he also has to take into consideration that his rivals are resting during our racing season. So, he\u2019s devised a different kind of challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be more than just an athlete that trains here and races in the US,\u201d he says. \u201cI do things like go to the Giant (Australia) Christmas party every year \u2014 these are the people that have become my friends through this sport, and through our partnership. That\u2019s not something I\u2019ll ever lose sight of.\u201d<\/p>\n

So in early 2026, Trekky will be attempting an FKT (Fastest Known Time) from Perth to Sydney. The current record stands at 6 days, 10 hours, and 58 minutes, set by Christoph Strasser. Trekky thinks he can beat that, while also aiming to spotlight Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone knows how far it is from Perth to Sydney; no one knows what Big Sugar is. So if I can do this and raise money for a good cause \u2014 Tour de Cure, which is a cause very close to my heart. I want to do something different,\u201d he says. \u201cMy roots are here, and this challenge really speaks to that \u2014 it\u2019s in the outback and on Australian soil.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"While we were writing this story, Trekky rode his way onto the podium in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

But before he can fully focus on riding nearly 4,000km in less than a week, Trekky is concentrated on business. As we were writing this feature, he raced the fourth stop of the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix, the Chequamegon MTB Festival, and piloted his franken-Anthem to third place, boosting him back up to sixth place in the overall GP standings. The series now heads to Arkansas and all that remains is the Little Sugar MTB race and the Big Sugar gravel race. While the second-place finish at Big Sugar last year puts him on solid footing going into this race, Trekky tells us he\u2019s most excited for Little Sugar, which is a new addition to the Grand Prix this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very Australian type race \u2014 all our marathons are just like this (Little Sugar),\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the only proper mountain bike race we have this season, and I think maybe a different group of players will be in the mix, which is exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the real goal, Trekky tells us, is when he eventually snags his proper win at a Grand Prix, his plan is to do the on-bike shooey. We can\u2019t wait to see it!<\/p>\n

Photos: Leslie Kehmeier (@thewideeyedworld), Kevin Mackinnon, Patrick Boer\u00e9 (@patrickboerephoto) \/ @radlgrvl, Beardy McBeard (@beardymcbeard)<\/p>\n

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At Flow Mountain Bike, we\u2019re committed to delivering engaging and trustworthy content, from product reviews to destination showcases, news, interviews, and features. While many of the brands and destinations we cover may advertise with us, our editorial team operates independently, ensuring our content is guided by expertise and passion\u2014not commercial influence. Sponsored content is always clearly disclosed, and we remain dedicated to providing honest and unbiased coverage across everything we publish. For more details, see our Transparency Report<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cOh my gosh, he doesn\u2019t even have a tyre,\u201d commentator and former pro Meredith Miller said on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158481,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,85],"class_list":["post-158480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}