Trevor Thew’s big change is paying off.
The Duncan cyclist made the switch to enduro riding after years of downhill, and it’s already taking his career on a different trajectory.
“I’m having a lot more fun,” Thew says. “And it seems everything is starting to fall into place.”
Thew competed in downhill for a long time, but didn’t quite get to the level he wanted. A year into enduro, he is already close to achieving his goals.
Downhill racers get timed on their descent alone. Enduro riders are also timed on their descent, but they also have to get up the mountain on their own, while downhill racers get a vehicle ride or take a chairlift to the top. Enduro events also consist of several races in one day, whereas downhill competitors have one race.
“In enduro, you’re usually on your bike for six or seven hours or riding,” Thew explains. “In downhill, your whole weekend comes down to one race on Sunday.”
Because everything isn’t riding on one race, enduro allows a little room for error, so it’s not quite as stressful, Thew says.
Like a lot of people, Thew started riding when he was three, first going off the beaten path on Mount Tzouhalem, when his bike still had training wheels. He started racing at the age of 12 or 13 after a friend got into it, doing Island competitions for fun.
“I did local races, but I didn’t stray from the Island until a couple of years into it,” he says.
Eventually, Thew started racing around B.C. That led to about seven years of commitment to downhill racing, which ended last year.
“It got repetitive,” he explains. “It lost its fun.”
Thew entered enough qualifying races and got ranked high enough to reach the Enduro World Series circuit this year. He raced at two EWS events last year, and has done five so far this year in Chile, Colombia, France, Austria/Slovenia and Italy. There are three more EWS stops left, including Whistler this Sunday, then Spain and another trip to Italy. Ranked 108th in the world after five races, Thew’s best finish was 62nd at the stop in Chile. Races typically attract 300-400 riders from around the world.
“I’m just happy to crack the top 100 for my first year doing it,” he said.
In addition to the EWS races, Thew does some smaller events, and won the Island Cup race on Mount Tzouhalem this past June. He enjoys coming back to the Island to compete.
“I see people I used to race when I was younger. It’s a lot less stressful; a lot more fun.”
Thew wants to take enduro riding a lot farther.
“I’d love to be doing it as a career as long as I can,” he says. “That’s my long-term goal. This year, I want to do the whole World Cup series, get my foot in the door, get my name out there.”
Thew was on a team in downhill but had to go it alone when he switched to enduro, and is hoping to join a team again in his new discipline. In addition to teammates he could share tips with, it would also come with access to mechanics and a team manager — all roles he has to play for himself right now.
“I’m basically doing everything on my own, out of my pocket, with help from my mom and dad,” Thew notes. “That’s part of the reason I hope to get picked up next year.”
Even on his own, Thew is relishing the experience of competing in a sport that has a much bigger following worldwide than it does in Canada.
“In South America, one race stage went right through the centre of town,” he recalls. “There were 25,000 spectators. You’re trying to focus on your race, but there are people screaming, pushing the tape on the sides of the course in. It was pretty cool.”