David Salpeter
Sloan Bailey, a 22-year-old Pierce College student, has been downhill mountain biking for five years.
He’s accumulated thousands of miles over that time, going from local courses in Box Canyon to places as far as British Columbia, Canada, to grab the thrill of riding.
The Bull sat down with Bailey for a Q&A about his beginnings, his future goals, his role models and more.
Bull: What made you pick mountain biking as a sport to follow?
Bailey: My (big) brother and his friends were riding, and I wanted to ride too. I wanted to ride better than they do, and I do. I’m kidding, they’re pretty good.
How old were you when you started doing this?
Bailey: I was probably about 12 when I started riding BMX and about 17 when I started to do downhill.
What drives you to ride?
Bailey: I see videos of people going crazy-huge. I just want to go as big as I can. It’s really fun, and the better you get, the less you fall. That’s another reason why I keep going.
How do you juggle school and your riding schedule?
Bailey: I head to school early in the morning, heading to class around 8 a.m. I’m usually out by the afternoon, and if I’m not too tired or have a lot of homework, I can usually get a session in.
Who do you look up to in riding?
Bailey: Well, there’s a lot of pros. But I really look up to the guys who don’t care about getting hurt. Mostly because I’m afraid of getting hurt.
You’ve been riding for a while. Ever think about going pro?
Bailey: I’m not looking to go pro anytime soon, but I am looking to get a lot better. If I start racing, maybe I can get to be semi-pro or something, that would be cool. Racing takes a lot of skill. You gotta pick a line, you gotta do a lot of practice. I give it up to the pro racers.
Seems pretty dangerous if you’re not ready for it. Have you ever been injured while riding?
Bailey: I’ve been injured really bad, but not in mountain biking. I usually got injured in skating. But biking injuries can be really bad. The bikes are really heavy and you can get locked up in it. I’ve been slammed pretty hard, though, but that goes with every other action sport.
How far have you traveled for biking?
Bailey: I’ve gone to Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. It’s skiing in winter and downhill in the summer. It’s pretty much the mecca for mountain bikers of all kinds.
Thanks for your time. Do you have anything to tell first-timers?
Bailey: I’d say that you’re obviously pretty crazy. You’re going to get hurt a lot, but you’re not going to give up, because it’s so fun. When you get going that fast, you’ll feel like a Jedi, when you go straight up. There’s just really no way to describe it.
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