How did you get into mountain biking?
My dad rode bikes and used to work in a bike shop - he’s always been into bikes so it naturally rubbed off on me. When I was little, he would buy me the NWD movies and when I started watching them, I just loved it. At that time we were building a new house, so our garden was full of dirt piles, which I started building into jumps and lines - I was about six years old. I also raced a little bit of motocross at the same time too, but when my dad finally brought me to the Hafjell Bike Park to ride some proper trails - with me on my 24” hardtail - I loved it and that was it for me. I was hooked!




Can you remember your first downhill race – what was it like?
Yep, my first downhill race was a Norwegian DH Cup event at the Hafjell Bike Park. I was on a 24” wheeled Kona Stinky and I was nine years old. I can remember pushing it harder way than usual, but I loved being up against the clock! There was no age class for me at that time in the Norwegian Cup, but we talked with the organizers and made it happen - I remember how stoked I was to race that day and now there are more kids racing and they have their own class too.




Can you tell us what the downhill scene is like in Norway?
The Downhill scene is not that big here in Norway, but it’s growing. We are all good friends and there’s a really good community vibe, which even at the biggest races, there are only 100 riders. We normally have seven nationals rounds, one stand-alone national championship’s plus a few other random and local races around the country.




Would you say it’s difficult to be an aspiring DH racer in Norway?
No, I wouldn’t say it’s difficult, because I’ve always had older and faster riders to look up to - fast guys that I have trained with and raced against here in Norway. They have helped me a lot.

Since I was around nine years old, I’ve been riding with Makken and Trond Hansen, and they’ve always taken good care of me and taught me a lot. They are still really good friends of mine now and we always have a laugh on the bikes. Last season, I have also been riding with the guys on the National Team - riders like Isak Leivsson, Zakka and Lars Sandviken. They have always been a bit faster than me, so it has been really good to train and follow them down the tracks.


How have your family supported you over the years?
There is no way that I could be where I am today without all the love I get from my family. They have sacrificed so much and they have always supported me. Since I was a small kid, my dad has given up so much of his time to help me go racing, driving countless distances around the country to take me racing and training.

He’s been my personal trainer, mentor and mechanic since day one and I honestly don’t know how to thank him and my whole family. They have spent so much money to help me with my training and racing, so we have almost never been on a normal family holiday, ha-ha!

Of course, I’m going to miss them when I'm traveling around the world with the team this year. Even when I’m away, I will remember everything they have taught me and I am very lucky that Gabe (Devinci Global Racing’s team manager) will help my dad out so he can live with us at a few races this year.


How have you balanced your racing around school?
I do my best, but sometimes it’s really hard to get time do everything that I need to do.




You take your training pretty seriously for a young guy, what does an average week look like for you?
Yeah, I take my training really seriously. I try to balance everything I do between strength, intervals, trail riding, DH runs, XC and even trail building. With the World Cups coming up, I have upped it a bit this winter to get ready and now have some additional help from the Norwegian Cycles Federation and my coach, Bjørn Ballangrud, who put together weekly schedules.


Where does your focus come from?
I’m a competitive human being and I like to do everything at 100%. Whatever I’m doing, be it training, trail building or racing, I give it my all. But you know, I feel like I have been focused throughout my whole life.

I get a lot of inspiration watching other athletes that I look up to, seeing them achieve their goals with hard work. I also watch a lot of supercross racing videos and the training that those guys do, really gets me pumped.


Are you going to stick with flat pedals or make the jump to clips this year?
My roots in cycling come from dirt jumping and freeriding and I love to feel the bike below me, and that sense of freedom that comes from riding flats. I love it when the shoe sole bends, and I can feel the pedal - it feels more moto and I’m not gonna switch over to clips this season. No way.


After hitting the Hillbilly Huckfest jumps last summer, are you the youngest rider to hit a FEST Series event?
I hit them for the first time back in 2014 and they are huge! Last summer, Makken decided to add a new kicker, which was higher and steeper than the last ‘big one’ he added to the Huckfest in ‘14. I feel like nothing is big after I have jumped these jumps. The feeling of hitting them is amazing - it feels like you hit a wall and your bike gets totally compressed, and then you fly to the moon.

But the sickest thing is to get the opportunity to ride with all the stars - riders like Andreu Lacodneguy - it gets me so pumped! And yeah, I think I am the youngest rider to hit a FEST Series event. I’m also looking forward to this year’s event and really appreciate the invitation by Makken and the FEST crew.


Do you have any plans to hit any more freeride comps in the future?
Yeah, I want to and I really hope I get the opportunity to do that.




So, the big news... What’s the coolest thing about signing for the Devinci Global Racing team?
I’m really stoked and I feel so lucky! I’m just a 16-year-old guy from a small, flat town in Norway and here I am, riding for a team like the Devinci Global Racing team! So happy to have this opportunity - I just can’t wait to start the season and get to know the guys.


How did this opportunity come around and what were the reasons behind your decision to ride for Devinci?
I’d gotten to know Gabe Fox when I was 'course sweeping' at the World Cups and we’d stayed in touch. I’ve had a few other teams approach me about a ride this year, but at the end of the day, Gabe and Devinci Global Racing gave me the most security and it just felt right. After Stevie Smith won in Hafjell for the second time, he drove me up to his cabin, gave me a RedBull and signed one of his jerseys for me. After that, Stevie Smith has been a big Idol for me and the jersey is still hanging on the wall in my room.


Getting picked up by a factory team is a dream come true for any aspiring racer – how did it feel to get the call from Gabe and know you’d be traveling the world?
It has been one of the biggest dreams of mine since I first started. To get that message was just amazing. I still don’t understand it... I just can’t wait to start traveling the world with such a good team and start racing. I just can’t wait to do the track walks, ride these sick tracks, race, train and live with Stevie, Mark (Wallace) and the rest of the team. I’m looking forward to learning from these guys too.




You said that you’ve been a ‘course-sweeper’ at a few World Cups before, but how does it feel going into your first World Cup race season?
I’m really excited and super stoked, but of course, I’m a bit nervous too. I know I'm going to meet lots of racers that have more experience than me, and who are really fast, but I’m really excited to race against them. I don’t think I'm going to realise that this is really happening before I'm actually on the plane and on my way to meet the team - I can’t wait!!!


Which race venues are you most looking forward to visiting and racing at this year?
I’m really looking forward to every one of them and I can't wait to start to travelling around the world. But I’m really looking forward to Australia and to exploring the jungle. I’m also looking forward to Canada and the chance to race Mont-Sainte-Anne and ride in Whistler at Crankworx - that has been a dream of mine since I first saw Crankworx in the NWD movies. Andorra and Val di Sole are also two tracks I’m really looking forward to racing on as well.


Who are your favourite riders on the circuit and who do you look up to?
Of course, I’m going to look up to the top ten guys in the world. But the guys I really look up to are Aaron Gwin, Ratboy, Stevie Smith, Loic Bruni and Sam Hill. They are all super fast, have their own riding style and personality and they are all super nice guys.


Have you met your new teammates yet?
I have, but only as a stoked fan, not as a member of the team, which is pretty crazy, haha! So yeah, I'm really looking forward to being a part of the Devinci Global Racing family.




What are your goals and expectations for the year ahead?
My main goal for my season is to learn as much as possible. I also want to make it into the top ten in as many rounds as possible.


Okay, lets wrap this up. Do you have any shout-outs to make?

I’m just so happy to be racing and I can't wait to finally be a Junior - to have this opportunity to get out there and race the world with such a good team. I’m beyond stoked and just want to race my new bikes now.


Thanks for taking the time Brage and see you at the races!
Thanks a lot, see you soon!

Photo credit: Mayhem Media, Sven Martin, Vegard Breie, Martin I. Dalen

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MENTIONS: @BrageVestavik1 / @Mayhemedia / @devinci / @SramMedia / @FiveTen

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