Interview - Eric Carter

With a racing career spanning over three decades, Eric Carter has become a household name in anything that requires two wheels and dirt. From his early days as a BMX star to his domination in 4X and DH on the World Cup Circuit, "E.C." has done it all. These days Eric splits his time between family, racing, product development and marketing, and last but not least, story telling with his buddies over a cold beer. Here's what "The Golden Child" has been up to.

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How's life been treating you lately? What's new?

Life is good. It is more challenging and frustrating these days now that I do more work off the bike, but overall I live a blessed life. My boys are growing up and starting to ride bikes more - mostly on our little backyard pump track, but my oldest son Ethan has a leftover GT from when I rode for them. My good friend John Canepa built it up for him so we get out and do a little mountain biking on that. I get a lot of joy just watching my boys ride for pure enjoyment. They are 6 and 9 and still haven’t raced yet… although that day is coming, they have learned about the pure joy of riding bikes first. Not a lot is new - just really have had my head down focused on trying to get all the Hyper stuff dialed in and ready for production. It has been way more work than I had anticipated… it will be a very big sigh of relief when we finally get there! I have learned so much about the production of bicycles and how that whole process goes down and it has given me a great appreciation for the life I lived traveling all over and racing.


You're a busy man these days, are you still finding the time to get out and ride as much as you'd like? Where's your favorite riding area?

I get out on the bike still, definitely not as much as I would like, especially at events. My main focus has been getting the full line for Hyper done, but I do ride a lot around my house. I need to test the Hyper line, and I still have sponsorships in place from Kenda Tires, SR Suntour Suspension, Shimano, Novatec Wheels, SDG Seats, ODI Grips/Bars/Stems, HT pedals, Rove Headsets, Smith Optics, and Troy Lee Designs... I still need to be out riding for these guys. Next year I will be back in the field a lot more at events and festivals.


You've done a lot of different disciplines throughout your career, is there a time period that stands out as the most memorable or enjoyable?

Well there are a number of standout time periods for different reasons... From the more carefree years of BMX when I really had to worry only about riding my bike, to the MTB side in 1996 when my girlfriend (now wife) Laura and good friend Pete Dylewski went full privateer in support of me with support from Troy Lee and GT - I bought an old van and a trailer and we went racing! We won the DS National Championship and we got 2nd in the DH and finished the season with a 4th at DH worlds, great sense of accomplishment on that season. Then of course my world title in 2004 in 4X. All are special for different reasons. I have truly been blessed to have the career I have had.


How did you first get introduced to BMX?

My AYSO Soccer coach was also the head of our local BMX league called BMXL; this was back in 1978! He invited me to come out and race… I was too scared to ride down the start hill at what was supposed to be my first race so we went to a different track a couple weeks later, I borrowed a bike and went for it. I was still scared of the start hill so I would let all the other riders start, then ride down at my own pace. After we got to the bottom of the hill, I would take off after them... I caught and passed them all.


I heard you once did a BMX race with a banana seat. How did that come about?

That is correct… I had a bet with a friend of mine Rich Bartlett that I lost. I don’t remember the bet, but the losing part allowed him prior to this big race in Ohio to choose any part to put on my bike from the bike shop we raced out of called Bicycle Center or better known as BC in Redondo Beach. He came out of the back shelves with a banana seat, basket and streamers... They only allowed me to race with the seat. I ended up winning the race though, so I guess it worked out.

Any other memorable stories from that era that you'd like to share?

There are many BMX stories... most of them involve driving rental cars faster than we should have, jumping them in the air over things we shouldn’t have jumped, into things we shouldn’t have hit - like corn fields, oak trees or other rental cars.


Was making the transition from racing BMX to mountain biking difficult for you?

Not for Dual Slalom, that was an easy transition. My biggest hurdle coming from BMX into MTB was fitness and getting used to the speed of DH. Remember I came into MTB in 1993, suspension forks were all we had; I raced my first Dual Slalom on a rigid fork. The separation between BMX and MTB is much larger now.

Did you ever hit a period in your career when you got burned out or thought about doing something else?

Yes, from 1990 to 1992 I quit BMX and thought I was going to be a Supercross star! Haha. McGrath was/is a good friend of mine and he was killing it. I bought a moto and rode with him and a bunch of those fast guys. One night over a booze induced philosophical fire pit discussion up in Reche Canyon at Joel and Jeremy Albrecht's house, Jeremy, who now is the Joe Gibbs MX/SX manager, asked me what the hell I was trying to do... he basically burst my bubble about the whole SX dream and brought me back to reality. He let me know I should be on my bicycle and follow what I was good at. That next year I raced BMX for Hyper and won the NBL pro title.


What was your greatest victory while racing 4X on the UCI World Cup Circuit?

2004 World Championships without question. I wasn’t the fastest on the weekend but I was the smartest... This story has been told before, but I had 3rd gate pick and Prokop had 4th pick. If I lined up in lane 3 and gave him 4 I was going to get cut off 5 pedals out of the gate, but instead of him waiting for me to pick my lane, he just lined up in gate 3. I think he was trying to sneak in - he didn’t know I was going to give it to him anyhow...haha.

So I just sat back and watched him be nervous about trying to sneak into the lane. Then I lined up in 4. The plan was for him to cut of Roger Rinderknecht in lane 2 and shut him down and then going into the first turn with Deldycke from lane 1, hopefully banging into each other and push wide. The plan worked to perfection - I cut under those guys and rode off to the Worlds Title! To have something like that work out as planned in the finals of the World Championships is tough to beat for a high point.

Most memorable DH race?

Big Bear 2003. Everything was in slow motion and I felt like I was on auto pilot. I hit every line perfect; I had been doing data stuff with the guys from PUSH and Paul Thede from Race Tech and the bike was on rails. I beat a lot of really fast guys that day. The top five were myself, Peat, Kovarik, Hill, and Hannah. It was really good to do it in front of all my family and everyone was emotional… Really good memories from that weekend.


You recently rode opening day at the grand re-opening of the Snow Summit Bike Park in Big Bear, California. What was it like racing there back in the day? Can the scene come back to life?

It was surreal for sure. Like I said, so many good memories... Not just of my racing but of my family being there to watch. My dad being at the races; seeing the condo that my parents always stayed in; the cabin that me and my wife lived in up in Big Bear… stuff like that. Snow Summit/Big Bear is really special to me. It launched my career and gave me a great place to hone my skills. I think the numbers are going to be bigger than they could have imagined. It is so close to such a big population base of MTB riders who are starving for lift access riding. The dynamic of MTB has changed so much since its closure and now reopening. Bike parks look different than they used to. Snow Summit will do really well and I think it may help to launch the next wave of top level gravity riders from America.

What do you think of the new trails being built in the bike park? Will they draw more people to our sport?

I think the park is limited on how much they can put in each year, but to answer your question, yes. I think they have done a fantastic job on the initial launch. The current trails are intermediate to expert level. I think the next trails are going to be more beginner based which is what it needs now. As an experienced rider it's easy to want all the trails to be intermediate to advanced, but putting in a beginner trail will be the best thing for the resort. It will separate the skill sets a little better. Reduce trail wear from unnecessary braking on trails that intimidate lesser skilled riders, and give families trails to ride - which means more people in our sport and a more successful bike park with more revenue to expand.

Over the last few years, you've become known as an ambassador for the hot new "enduro" and Super D races going on here in California. What are the benefits of these formats compared to XC and DH?

Well... I do like the format both enduro and Super D, but really what we are doing now is timing what type of rides most people go out and do with friends. Suffer to the top so you can bomb down... so yes, I like the format but sometimes the hype is a little over the top. I am doing a series here in So. Cal under the PCA banner with a friend of mine Robert Herber. People like the chill atmosphere and the fun that is associated with the format. With all the hype of enduro you would think we would have 500 to 1000 racers per weekend, but its just not the case. We have good numbers and good support from our sponsors in the tech area. I think some day we may get to 500 entries which would be really big, but it's not the light switch savior of MTB that it's being claimed to be. Honestly MTB doesn’t need to be saved. I think enduro is a fantastic format that is a lot of fun to experience. The benefits of the format are hard to deny - simply put, for your entry fee you get more race time on your bike than a DH race and you don’t have to punish yourself and sprint the hills like XC.


The announcement of the Cam Zink Signature Bike (Hyper) at Walmart caused quite a stir. Just for the record, what is the brand's stance on that?

Well Hyper has been a Wal-Mart brand for some time now, and will continue to be. The success at Wal-Mart has allowed this high-end line for Hyper to even be a consideration. Hyper’s stance and goal is to get more people riding bikes; not everyone can afford a super expensive bike or even needs one for what they are utilizing the bike for. A kid using a bike at college for transportation doesn’t need a $6000 bike.

Is it true that you only allow Cam Zink to make one comment on Pinkbike articles?

Hahaha, well yes, sort of. As Brand Manager and Marketing Director of Hyper it can be a fine line to walk. We know not everyone is going to like that Hyper does business in the big box segment, and although its something Hyper believes in, not everyone shares that view point. So when it comes to things like Cam defending his signature bike in Wal-Mart… I like Cam to be involved and say what he wants to on the forums, but I have advised him that, if he would like to post things, he needs to consider other people's opinions and the fact that everyone is entitled to that. And that it's not our place to argue with others over the philosophical points of where bikes are sold or other discussions. In a nutshell, I like for Cam to state his opinion and viewpoint and be done with it. That is easier to achieve if you make your point and don’t get into a back and forth deal. Forums can be brutal and you can do more harm than good if, as a professional athlete, you engage in back and forth smack talk.


Which one would you rather do: sign a grandma's boobs or wear sweaty spandex for a week?

Grannie's boobs for sure... I’m not against spandex per say... but having that stuff on for a week would be a mushroom factory. I say sign 'em and be done.

If you had to pick one song to be the soundtrack of your life, what would it be?

Something about not taking life too seriously and having fun with family and friends. Sounds cheesy but really man, that's me. Give me some BBQ and a cold beer in my backyard watching my kids ride the pump track while family and friends are over and I’m good! That's the good stuff in life to me.


Any last bits of advice you'd like to end with?

For the general riders - enjoy your bicycles people! Really when it all comes down to it, we all started to ride bikes out of pure joy. When you were a kid it was just about the fun of it. There was no big tech arguments or Strava or any of the stuff that seems to be big arguing points these days. A very large percentage of us started riding as kids just to learn how and ride with friends. I’m not saying that stuff can’t be fun… Just don’t let it get in the way of it.

I am as competitive as they come. I love to win. I made my place in cycling by achieving results, but I think I have lasted in the sport this long past World Cup racing because I never lost sight of having fun. When I race or ride these days, I always make sure I’m having fun and including others in that fun as well.

For the sponsored pro racers out there, getting to travel all over the world to ride and race your bike on someone else’s dime - please take a moment to think about how lucky you are. You're living the dream...really you are. You don’t realize how lucky you are until you're not able to have that travel budget and the bikes.

When it's done, you will not believe how fast the time went by... Trust me!