This year already marks the third time that Matthew Fairbrother will race in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. Competing in the U21 mountain bike (MTB) Enduro class, ambitious professionals and daring youngsters fight for every point. Yet, points are really more of a bonus in the project of the likeable New Zealander – what lures him is the uncompromising biker’s life: he pedals his MTB from March to November from race to race – quite often with zinc oxide paste in his crotch and fueled by cola. All the while, he has to rely fully on himself. We spoke with the youngest one-man cycling team in the world.
The idea of traveling around the world with a mountain bike has always fascinated me. But I kind of wanted more action, so the idea came to me of riding in the MTB World Cup, and to travel to the race under my own steam – meaning, by bike. In Europe that works pretty well, as I don’t need to board a plane and fly to the race, as I would in the United States or Canada. So, by the simplest means and with a small budget, I began joining in the amazing UCI World Cup.
Once I’d completed my mandatory years in school, I simplywanted to follow the DNAofmy family: my father, my two brothers – they’re all passionate bikers. So in 2022 I traveled to my first race in Les Gets, France. I’ll never forget that kickoff into my mountain biking career.
Hmmm, let me count: in what is now my third racing season, it’s certainly been around 20 countries, including transit countries – those are the countries I ride through to get to the race locations. Although the travel to the races is not being timed, the timing is very important. If the route poses major changes in elevation, I need a lot longer for 100 km than on flat terrain. It’s important that I arrive at the race location at least one day before the training runs begin.
The longest distance between races was 1,600 km – from Scotland to Slovenia. Luckily, the trip included a ferry crossing for me – so there was no additional swimming discipline involved. The longest single ride that I ever did led from Loudenvielle to Châtel, in France, where I rode 840 km in less than 40 hours and only had a few short 15-minute naps to prevent me from falling asleep on the saddle.
“In the bushes” – I manage to slog through. That’s of course also a feature of my travel concept – riding to the World Cup with little money. On the journeys between races I always carry my modest equipment with me: a sleeping bag and a small tent.When I get tired, I keepmy eye out for a suitable place to overnight. Once, inCanada, I was campingnext toarather busy road near Quebec City. Around 3:00 in the morning I was awoken by a loud rustling noise. There, I saw a bear sticking his snout into my little bike frame bag. I suppose I’d inadvertently left something edible in it.When he noticedme, we both were so shocked, that thebear took offrunning, and instinctively I firmly closed the zipper on my tent.
Yeah, everyday life can be a bit strenuous – for example, I’ve got no one to look aftermy bikewhile I go shopping. As I’m often under time pressure between the racing dates, I usually stop at roadside service stations. You can sometimes find me exiting the station already within a potentially record-breaking three minutes, holding two large bottles of cola and three packets of gummy bears. Riding daily stages of 300 km in hot weather with elevation changes of up to1,000 meters (like in the Pyrenees) demands an extreme amount of energy. I usually ride for four days and then take a rest. Now and then I’ll stop at a hostel or rent a room where I can shower, wash clothes and cook a proper meal. Whenever possible I share the room with my bike, which I never leave unattended!
The most important thing, obviously, is my bike: I ride a Deviate – that’s a full-suspension carbon frame MTB with a few aluminum components like the handlebars and fork. It only weighs about 16 kilograms. Added to that is my equipment, totaling about 40 kg. I navigate with my smartphone. Selecting the optimum route is decisive to arriving at the next race location in time and with optimum energy. Luckily, an MTB team who are friends of mine transport a box of spare parts and the all-important lugged tires for me to the races. When I arrive at the race site, the first thing I always do is change the tires. There, I also have the opportunity to do any repair or maintenance work needed.
Unforgettable for me was certainly the 2022 race over theHighland Trail 550 in Scotland. I started on May 16 and, unfortunately, the weather was atrocious: cold, wet and windy. A whopper of a storm came up, and on the fourth day I was pretty exhausted after 595 km, really drained! Painful infections on my right foot paired withaheel spur forced me to capitulate. After only 5 hours of rest-breaks in 4 days, I wanted only one thing: SLEEP!
In May 2023 at Nové Město in the Czech Republic, I came in 10th place (in the U21 Enduro class), even though I’d dislocated and sprained my little finger in the race.
That was in fall 2023 when I rode from Barcelona in Spain over the Pyrenees via Andorra to the race in Loudenvielle, France. Therewas such beautiful light and an unforgettable sunset: that compensated for all the exertions and hardships!
Sometimes, when I’m really completely drained, I ask myself why I’m doing this to myself. What I miss most of all is, actually…my car! It’s such a practical invention. It’s wonderful when you don’t have to pedal tomove forward every meter (laughs). When the racing season is over, I generally spend the rest of the year at home in Christchurch, New Zealand, with my parents. In my van I have everything that I need: a roof over my head, and of course my bike, as always!
No, I don’t have any concrete goals. In any case, I would like to continue fully exploring and exploiting my biking potential – that is, until I’ve seen enough of the world on a two-wheeler.
For me, MOTOREX is a piece of Switzerland. Like everywhere in this wonderful country, you simply sense the perfectionism–at the race in Lenzerheide, as well. Everything is so well organized, clean and easy-going. Switzerland has as uper image worldwide, and deservedly so – and, for me, that’s also reflected in the products and services from MOTOREX.