Laurie Greenland: All Guns Blazing - Interview and Video

Laurie Greenland's rise to the top of the Junior ranks last year came as no surprise to anyone who has followed his racing career or seen him ride in person. Smooth, calculated and with so much poise and determination on the bike, Laurie's style is as unique as it is effective at getting down a mountain in the quickest time possible. Yet growing up far from the mountains has done little to hold him back. Living in the bike mad city of Bristol, directly opposite one of its better-known skate parks certainly played its part, as did a father who also races downhill. But now, away from the comfort of racing against riders of a similar age and experience, Laurie is lining up next to some of the sport's most established athletes. Whatever happens next is up to him, but following in the footsteps of those who have similarly achieved what he did in their last year in the Junior category, we can only foresee great things for this shredder from the southwest of England...



Before we get into all the madness that lead us here, how does it feel to be entering your first year in the Elite category?

Ah, you know it feels absolutely amazing. I've been wanting to race in the Elite category since I was seven years old - it's what I've been working towards my whole life. Even though I'm coming into my first year, it's been a long time coming for me and yeah, it really feels like my career starts here.


So, back to 2015… An incredible year for you, showing amazing consistency throughout - what was the secret behind your success?

Err, it's hard to say, but no, I don't think there was any secret behind it, I just had a lot of fun and I didn't take it too seriously. That said, I am competitive so when it comes to racing, I don't struggle to really motivate myself to perform. It's all in there, ready to go... I just relax and rely on my head to kick me into gear.


Do you think some riders struggle more than others when it comes to stress and nerves to the point where it could hold them back?

Yeah, I know what you mean. That definitely happens and you can see how some riders deal with it better than others. For me - throughout a whole race weekend - I'm just so stoked to be out riding and racing my bike that it just helps to bypass all the nerves.




How did it feel taking the double - winning both the World Cup overall and the world championships in your last year in Junior’s?

Quite a relief actually. I was subconsciously pushing towards that all year long and coming into 2015 I knew it was within grasp, but I didn't quite know by how much. Yeah, it took me a while to get into the swing of things, but once I got the first win under my belt, it kind of just snowballed from there really and coming into world's, it had snowballed so well that I just, well... the world's weekend was the most fun I had all year and the least nervous I'd been all year as well. By that point, I was just stoked with how I'd done coming into world champs and I wasn't too fussed about it, especially if it didn't go to plan and I didn't win. I just had loads of fun as the track was so perfect for me that it just sort of fell into place.


Would you say that there is a lot of pressure for junior riders to do well in their last year in the category?

Yeah for sure, I think there's a lot of pressure for Junior's in their last year, but I actually think there's even more pressure in the Youth category in their last year. That was the year that I felt the most pressure to perform and race well because you're not on a team and you're trying to secure yourself a ride - you've got to be so on it that year, especially if you want to get to the World Cups the following year with some support.

For a lot of the privateer Junior riders though, it would be their last year in that category where they'd have to perform, but if you're already on a team and on top, you should be in a better position to get a ride. But that said, I'd definitely say that it's the Youth category and that last year where you need to lay a good performance down and get noticed.




Do you think it's critical that as a Youth racer about to enter the Junior category, that not being on a team could affect their chances going forwards?

No, not at all. I don't think so, other than say maybe having a mechanic and some pit space as everyone is still learning so much that I don't think it's the most critical element. It might help you to be more consistent, but that's it - I don't think it's critical to be on a World Cup team in the Junior's either.


There were some good battles between you and Andrew Crimmins last season. Now you’re both in the elite category, do you think you two will continue to jostle for positions?

Yeah, I really hope so. We had some great battles last year and it would be awesome to see it progress this year in the Elite category. I'm a fan of a rivalry that goes on for a few years as I think it pushes the sport, especially when there's a few of the top dogs in the mix and the fans love it too! Andrew is a rad dude, so yeah, I hope to be battling it out with him for a few years to come...




Who do you think will be your main rivals this year and who are you excited about racing against for the first time?

I'm really excited about racing all the top dogs. I've been wanting and waiting to race these guys since I was seven years old - from being a little kid like that, to being in the same category... So rad! I'm not sure who my closest rivals will be just yet, but I'm stronger, fitter and I feel a lot faster on the bike than ever before. I dunno, I guess we'll have to wait and see, ha-ha!


Comparing your times from last year’s World Cups in Junior's and putting them up against those in the Elite category, what would have been your best Elite result?


Well, sometimes the tracks can be drier for the Elites who always race after the Juniors, or wetter, or more blown out, so the variables can have a big difference on times. My best Elite result last year was a 15th in Lenzerheide, which I was stoked with! I was five seconds off the win too. That was really cool for me to see what I could do, but then five seconds is quite a lot on a World Cup track. I then got a 16th and an 18th. I also qualified 9th in Lourdes, but qualifying doesn't count though does it, ha-ha!




What are you expectations and goals for 2016, both from yourself and from the team?

Me and the team are pretty focussed on getting consistent top 20's, but I want to progress into the top-15 times. It would be great to get a few of those in there and I'd be over the moon if I could pull off top 20's consistently. That's what my contract was agreed against - basically what I achieved last year. I've signed with MS Mondraker for two years and I just can't wait to get started now!


You must have had a few offers from other teams over the off-season - what were the contributing factors behind your decision and what appealed to you about joining MS Mondraker?

Yeah, I had a few offers come through, which was pretty cool, but after I tested a few bikes, the Mondraker (Summum) just stood out for me. You know, it really kind of felt similar to what I was used to and I was able to test it with the Fox suspension, which brought it all together for me. It was apparent early on that it was the one I was going to go for. All that left was to negotiate a deal that everyone was happy with and here we are, ready to go racing.





Was the transition from a Session to the Summum made easier staying with brands like Renthal and Fox, which you were familiar with?

To be honest, being on Fox suspension was the one. To me, that stuff is second to none and you just can't beat the amount of support they put in over the course of a World Cup weekend. Even when I was in my first year in Juniors, I was never ignored or put to the back of the queue by those guys. If I rolled into the Fox pits, they just treat everyone the same and are happy to get their riders 'clicking and ticking' for finals.


What size Summum are you racing this year and can you briefly describe your set up?

I'm pretty sure I'll be racing what I'm on at the minute, which is in between a medium and a large. It's a medium sized frame with some special headset cups to bring the front end a bit further forward - about 12mm - as I'm between sizes. I tried a large with some reach adjust cups in backwards, but it only created issues with the tyre buzzing on big hits. The current setup seems to be working pretty well. I also run a 50mm Renthal stem with a zero degree rise, 30mm FatBars cut to 765mm wide, so not too wide...


And you're on Maxxis tyres now too?

Yeah, Maxxis tyres - that's pretty cool! I used to use them when I was a little kiddy so to be back on a brand like that is awesome.





What are your favourite Maxxis tyres?


I'm really liking the new rear specific Minion DHR on front and rear, which is crazy because back in the day, it was always the Minion DHF (a front specific tyre) on both front and rear. That new rear Minion is really cool and noticeably more knobbly than the DHF and since they're wider spaced, they shed mud really well and they also have some nice edge grip as well. I've done a lot of testing on all of them. The new Shorty - now that's a great tyre and I feel really good on that one too.


What attributes should a good downhill bike have?


I reckon bottom bracket height is a big factor and a good linkage design - one that's not going to throw you off on a rough straight into a turn. Oh, and one that can turn well too. I think that DH races are won in the turns, so you want something that will turn like a beast!




You’ve got a very unique style on the bike - would you say that stems more from your background in BMX or from your physical stature?


A bit of both I think? I've definitely got a lot of it from BMX racing, but then I've been riding downhill now for just as long as I did BMX... Yeah, I'm not the tallest, but then I don't think it holds me back and I feel strong on my bike and I never feel weak or unable to pin it to the bottom of Fort William...


Do you think that there is an advantage to having a good strength to weight ratio?

Strength to weight is everything, just look at Troy Brosnan for example. His strength to weight is through the roof and I don't think there are many riders out there who are as strong as he is!


As far as your off-season preparation goes, have you changed anything from last season?


Not much, I've just stepped it up. I've been with my trainer, Andy (Wadsworth), since I was in the Youth category and we've been slowly ramping it up to elite-level training. I'm doing one to two things a day, six days a week, so quite a normal program for an Elite level downhill racer, especially compared to what I was doing last year.

Working with Andy is perfect for me because he's based in Bristol and the gym is in the same place as the bike workshop I use to get my bikes sorted - BW Cycling - which is co-owned by both Andy and former Olympic XC racer, Oli Beckinsale. A great bike shop and a good bunch of guys there. I can go in and get trained with Andy, while the mechanics next door are changing the tyres on my bike. It's pretty handy man and I don't reckon I'd be quite the same rider without it.





So, the 2016 season - what are you most looking forward to and why?


I'd say Mont-Sainte-Anne... I think? But then I think I'll be saying that for a few years yet too. To me, that place is the pinnacle of downhill racing - just going flat-out and hanging off the back of your bike!


You're one of the first who hasn't said "Lourdes"!


I did actually almost say Lourdes - I did well there last year, well, not in my finals, but I showed everyone what I can do there. Probably in terms of how well I can do, Lourdes is up there with Mont-Sainte-Anne as they're my favourite kind of riding, that's for sure!





You’ve seen more of the world than most people - are there any memorable stories that you can share?


I have and what an amazing opportunity, but good stories and ones that I can share... There's been a few, ha-ha! Well, last year me and the TWR boys were in Chamonix (France) - so, me, George Brannigan, Greg Williamson, Brook MacDonald, my mechanic, my dad and my mate Obi. There was a movie premiere in Geneva (Switzerland) for UnReal, which Brook was in and it wasn't too far away, so we all just thought we'd drive down there and check it out. But then when we got there, there was this free beer machine so the boys all started getting a few of these in. We'd totally forgotten that we couldn't drive home as we were getting pretty pissed at this point and had nowhere to stay in Geneva as we hadn't planned to stay overnight.

After we'd watched the movie, we were all pretty much 'written off' and needed to find accommodation for the seven of us at the last minute. Randomly or not, we met this girl who for some unknown reason we renamed 'A-Line'. She told us that she could put us all up in this hotel, which was only down the road. We then headed out to sample what Geneva had to offer and crashed there for the night... I remember waking up and thinking, "wow, now this place is nice!" We were all in a flat-out 5-Star hotel and it was pretty awesome. You know I actually went back there with some of my mates this off-season, which was pretty cool!


Thanks for taking the time Laurie and see you in France for round one!

No problem, see you there!

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