Who is Craig Harvey?

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CRAIG HARVEY

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Half way through the 2014 race calendar Craig's front tire slipped out during a practice run at Winter Park and the resulting broken collar bone put a temporary hold on his season. I say temporary because Craig spent his injured downtime working, he runs his own construction company, and he managed to stay busy even with his arm in a sling. Just three weeks after the crash he was back on his trainer with plans to finish off the season competing. “[The injury] was really frustrating for me because I had been riding so well and getting good results all year.”

After missing two rounds of the North American Enduro Tour (NEAT) Craig was still sitting 8th overall, after achieving top ten results all season. His best stage result was a 3rd place finish in Sun Valley and his best overall was a 9th place finish at the BME Keystone Enduro; two days, seven stages and an hour of racing. He set out last year with a goal to finish in the top ten overall for the series and was well on his way to achieve this before his injury. However even with the setback, he finished the season in 6th place, just one spot off the podium.


It was his mom who got him into mountain biking at the young age of 9 “[she] bought me my first mountain bike! I think it was a Jazz Flip Side made by Trek.” He credits his mom as being the major influence behind his racing career as well, next to his friends and peers. He raced downhill for many years before trying enduro in 2012. “It was a great change in a new direction for our sport!” He was hooked right away, looking at the new format as “getting to shred downhill on a trail bike!”



“I think Enduro is a format for racing mountain bikes as well as a lifestyle.” Craig explains why he finds the culture of Enduro racing so appealing, “the mountain bike lifestyle for me consists of being very fit and having as much fun shredding as I can!” He went on to describe the vibe at the events as friendlier and more community oriented. “That is what enduro is all about; making friends and then racing them. Transfer stages are enjoyed with your friends like on a fun ride, then you jump in the gate and lay down a time!” He believes that this on-and-off racing during the day allows for more camaraderie then he has experienced in his previous years of racing.

Focussed on fitness, “with fitness comes confidence. And with enduro racing these days you have to be super fit to be competitive,” Craig dug into his own pocket for training and travelling. “It was very challenging and can be slightly stressful, but I want to achieve my goals so I make it happen!” Crediting racing with allowing him to live a lifestyle of traveling, competing, and making new friends along the way, Craig is happy to put in the hard work each winter to make these things a reality and to achieve his goals.




Riding for Marin Bikes and SR Suntour on the Marin/Suntour Factory Enduro Team, as well as Shimano, Troy Lee Designs, WTB, Oakley, MRP, and Freestyle Watches, Craig says he won his sponsors through diligence, “getting sponsored as a professional mountain bike racer is not easy.” Craig expands about his mutually rewarding relationships with these sponsors by saying, “my passion for our sport of mountain biking and the passion my sponsors have for our sport is what has got me to this point! I represent my sponsors with my passion and professionalism and try to be a good influence and ambassador for mountain biking.”

This year he plans to compete in the North American Enduro races, Enduro National Champs, Enduro World Series races in North America and some yet undecided events internationally.

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MENTIONS: @shimano @MarinBikes @SRSuntour @wilderness-trail-bikes @troyleedesigns @wilderness-trail-bikes

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