Casey Brown and Team Bergamont Hayes at Fort William
In the fog with the Bergamont Racing Team
Take a little rest and catch up with one of the most interesting people on the World Cup Downhill circuit...
The off-season period always brings us hot rumours about new transfers. At the beginning of the 2014 MTB season, media streams mentioned the birth of brand new Bergamont Hayes World Downhill Team. Also in this case experts made their own opinions about Bergamont’s crew. But in fact, the German brand didn't hold this information for a long time before announcing the new team. Warm hearted Casey Brown, comical Ed Masters and speedy Jack Moir – this trio is the strong stem of Bergamont’s crew.
After the world cup races at Pietermaritzburg and Cairns, Bergamont’s riders captured a few great results. The biggest was Ed’s 4th place Quali run in Cairns, Australia. But in the final it was young Jack Moir who took 11th place, Ed was 26th and Casey finished in 16th. There has also been some great results from IXS European Downhill Cups, especially from Winterberg where Ed took 1st place, Jack 3rd and Casey 5th (with a crash). So how do you describe this team? Maybe young and hungry for success?
DNA of cycling
Most of us know that Casey Brown is a really insane, fearless rider. Her incredible riding style and flow on the jumps provide her with many skills. She is also a very creative rider – do remember her riding downhill without the brakes? Plenty of people try to find the source of Casey’s talent. Maybe it’s simply due to Casey’s great genetics? Did you know that Casey has origins from New Zealand and Canada? Is there any chance of a better breed of rider than that combo?
Crazy Kiwi
Since the beginning of his career, Eddie Masters has been a privateer racer who handled it all pretty well. Plenty of hours spent training hard, travelling and racing around the world have really paid off for Ed. Besides sick whips on Crabapple Hits in Whilster and great runs at the beginning of the 2014 World Cup season under the Bergamont flag, Mr. Flip Flop gets a fair bit of attention thanks to his fantastic sense of humour. His sharp and very ironic jokes always hit straight to the point of many fierce discussions. You really need to listen to this Crazy Kiwi to get a full hearted understanding of the laughs that can be had! Just one thing though, please don’t try to use an e-bike for drifting between alpine cows as he did.
This is how a Scottish adventure begins...
Despite your brakeless ride routine, you decided to use brakes at Fort William… Why?!
Well the sponsors like it when you rep their products so I used my SRAM XO brakes, if I didn't have a brake sponsor I probably wouldn't use them at all
Tell us why this year’s competition at Fort William was so tight and tough?
Fort Bill is always a bit tough because you have so many racers that have a ton of experience on this track, I personally love the track but this was only my second time here, I still have a lot to learn.
And this curse of punctures… It was hard to ride on such a rocky trail after races on Pietermaritzburg and Cairns?
I got a puncture last year in my race run, but this year I was lucky enough to make it down with no mechanical problems, the rocks were a bit smoother I guess.
What is your main goal for this year?
My main goal for this year is to gain experience on the race tracks try and get a top five. Make it through the season with no injuries.
Fans know that Bergamont Team crew is quite multinational but not many people know that you’re half Canadian, half New Zealander. Do you think that is origin of your bike talent?
I started riding when I moved to Canada in 2002 and that's where I got into DH, but now I end up riding in NZ during the off season more than anywhere.
How do you like to relax in between races?
I try and get in as much yoga as possible between races and trail rides are always a good time.
Mountain Biking is your job, what is your hobby then?
I do a bit of drawing and painting in my spare time, I also like researching nutrition and I like to cook.
How would you describe 'Life on the road'? There is not much comfort for a young lady in this sort of lifestyle
I don't need a whole lot of comfort, I feel like Eddie's more of a princess than anyone.
Does the Scottish Highland's landscape remind you of your favourite places back home or is there is no other place like northern Scotland?
Northern Scotland's glaciated terrain is truly unique, definitely worth the drive, I don't know of anywhere else in the world like it.
Love or hate – what is your feeling about Fort William's track?
Fort William is definitely one of the classics on the circuit, it's also one of the fastest, roughest and most physical tracks that we race each year. There is a lot of history behind Fort William and I think that that, along with the crazy crowds make it a favourite for most of the riders, including myself. The track has to be good because the midges are so bad, but we keep coming back year in, year out!
Danny Hart described the Scottish track with one word - 'Smooth'. Tell us honestly, what’s going on with World Cup tracks? Where have the real, old school lines gone and why?
The track this year was running smoother, but I think some of that can be put down to speed. As we keep pushing the speed further on these rough tracks they almost seem smoother. I think that what the riders want and what the UCI want to sell to the public are two different things. While the smooth, bike park tracks provide tight racing and exciting live feed, I think we need to keep the technically challenging tracks on the circuit to continue to showcase the skills that the top riders have. You only have to look at the most watched downhill clips like Danny's Champery run and Sam Hills Worlds run from '08, which instantly come to mind. Both of those tracks were some of the most technical, but also the most entertaining for the public to watch.
Will your van survive a trip to the Alpine Mountains?
As I answer this, our van is currently in Schladming, Austria [not Germany, sorry about that mistake - Simon], but I can honestly say the drive out from Fort William to Leogang was definitely a highway to hell. I don't think anyone can possibly imagine how slow the black pearl really is. The next drive to Morzine will be our first true encounter with the Alps, and it's definitely going to be one to remember.
Tell us something about your van? How does it feel to treat it like home for a few months?
It's definitely not the flashiest place to call home, but it's home for us. It's got a few leaks, far too much stuff with far too little storage, but we make do. It's definitely a family environment, with Daniel and Casey being the parents to myself and Jack. Me and Jack don't have the highest level of a maturity, so I think being actual parents will be a walk in the park for those two by the end of the year.
Enduro, when will you finally be part of this culture?
Well, I think that after the couple of videos I've made about Enduro, it would be rude not to go and dabble in a bit of EWS action. I raced a small Enduro when we were in Germany a month ago and it was loads of fun. There were definitely some End-euro lines going down though, I think the locals were feeling the pressure with the spirit of Enduro turning up to their local! Ha ha ha!
Last year you were a privateer, this year you're not only on a proper team rider, but also a team manager... How do you feel after such a big and sudden jump into the deep end?
The team was basically born out of desperation. Last year I raced the entire world cup series as a privateer and exhausted all of my dollar bills. So I decided to put all of my eggs in one basket and find myself a ride. The only problem was that on the world cup circuit there are only a certain amount of teams and even less spots available on them. With about 50 riders out there capable of getting consistent top 30 results, I soon decided that my best bet was to start my own set up. After talking briefly with Bergamont, it was apparent that we had similar goals and directions. As far as managing and all that jazz, it's been quite the learning curve, there is a lot I would do differently next year, but I think for our first year we're going pretty well. I think it would be safe to say that I am probably the first and last team manager that has created, managed and delivered a World Cup team all via an Iphone!
There is an unofficial game at the World Cup stages, which is all about staying as long as possible in a race kit after a race... Tell us more about it, what's your record, how long did you stay like that in Fort William and who is currently leading in this bizarre game?
Yeah I cottoned on the game/award from Jack who rode for Yeti last year. When Joey Schuslar was on the team he used to stay in his race gear for far too long and the Joey Schuslar award was born out of it. So whoever stays in the race kit the longest after the race wins the award, often it's not intentional, but it's definitely an honour to receive it. I've done some pretty long stints recently and I think I've made it to 11.30 after qualifying in Fort Bill.
Casey took 12th place in the qualification run with a time of 5m:59sec. On Sunday, she beat that with a 5m:45secs, which placed her in 9th place. This good result brought Casey another 60 points in the overall standings.
After racing in Leogang, the next World Cup stop will take place in the famous Canadian resort of Mont-Saint Anne. Will Casey’s homeland be the source of another downhill success for this incredibly talented crew? We’ll have to wait and see, none the less our fingers are crossed and hopeful they’ll bring us good news in the future!
Photos by Simon Nieborak / www.delayedpleasure.com
Words by Michal Luczynski
Take a little rest and catch up with one of the most interesting people on the World Cup Downhill circuit...
 |
 Meet the team - Daniel, Casey, Eddie and Jack |
The off-season period always brings us hot rumours about new transfers. At the beginning of the 2014 MTB season, media streams mentioned the birth of brand new Bergamont Hayes World Downhill Team. Also in this case experts made their own opinions about Bergamont’s crew. But in fact, the German brand didn't hold this information for a long time before announcing the new team. Warm hearted Casey Brown, comical Ed Masters and speedy Jack Moir – this trio is the strong stem of Bergamont’s crew.
After the world cup races at Pietermaritzburg and Cairns, Bergamont’s riders captured a few great results. The biggest was Ed’s 4th place Quali run in Cairns, Australia. But in the final it was young Jack Moir who took 11th place, Ed was 26th and Casey finished in 16th. There has also been some great results from IXS European Downhill Cups, especially from Winterberg where Ed took 1st place, Jack 3rd and Casey 5th (with a crash). So how do you describe this team? Maybe young and hungry for success?
DNA of cycling
Most of us know that Casey Brown is a really insane, fearless rider. Her incredible riding style and flow on the jumps provide her with many skills. She is also a very creative rider – do remember her riding downhill without the brakes? Plenty of people try to find the source of Casey’s talent. Maybe it’s simply due to Casey’s great genetics? Did you know that Casey has origins from New Zealand and Canada? Is there any chance of a better breed of rider than that combo?
 |
Crazy Kiwi
Since the beginning of his career, Eddie Masters has been a privateer racer who handled it all pretty well. Plenty of hours spent training hard, travelling and racing around the world have really paid off for Ed. Besides sick whips on Crabapple Hits in Whilster and great runs at the beginning of the 2014 World Cup season under the Bergamont flag, Mr. Flip Flop gets a fair bit of attention thanks to his fantastic sense of humour. His sharp and very ironic jokes always hit straight to the point of many fierce discussions. You really need to listen to this Crazy Kiwi to get a full hearted understanding of the laughs that can be had! Just one thing though, please don’t try to use an e-bike for drifting between alpine cows as he did.
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This is how a Scottish adventure begins...
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| Northern Scotland never disappoints... This part of The United Kingdom is a magical country. Yes, it's got a reputation as a very rainy place, but when the sun is shining the Scottish landscape present their real beauty, which can deliver many breathtaking and heart touching moments. |
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| Some of the British riders are lucky to ride Fort William's Black Run twice a year, for Casey this was her second visit ever... |
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| Bergamont Hayes Components Crew is like a family that really likes to spend time together. On and off the race tracks, they simply share huge a passion for biking with a big dose of humour. So it's really hard to be a sad man within this company. |
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| You can clearly see it by the look upon her face that Casey prefers to ride the track instead of walking it. |
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| No, no one spilled 'Fun Gas'... Eddie tries to cover his face from tiny beasts called Midges. |
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| There is a lot of friendly banter going on towards Casey |
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| But she's not scared to show other boys who really rules in this place... |
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| Time to come back to the quiet pits... |
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| 'That's one, awesome bus' - Well, keep doing what you're doing Eddie and hopefully one day you'll own one like this yourself... |
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| Meanwhile, this ratty van has to do the job. |
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| But to be honest with you, Ed's van is an amazing thing. Seems like he is some kind of a hippie, who appreciates adventures more than luxury, which isn't a bad thing, at all! What's more, you can find out what kind of patents can be made out some old bike gear. For example - the van's gear shifter is made from a handlebar... sounds like a good idea... |
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| Hand delivery of fresh protection gear. |
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| Bergamont's Straitline bikes are ready to rock. SRAM group-set, Manitou & RockShox suspension with the coax-pivot-system will handle the hardest parts of World Cup tracks. The bright paint job looks really fast too. |
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| It's finally time to ride some bikes. Casey's excited to go and check how the track feels under her wheels. |
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| Green hills of Ben Nevis covered by a thick fog - this is typical landscape for this part of Scotland. However, mystical views are for tourists only. Riders need to be focused more than ever. Especially on such a fast track like Fort William. Poor visibility at the top is yet another rival to overcome. |
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| Back in the pits... Casey presents her big habit picked up while still living in New Zealand as a young girl - walking barefoot. |
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| Daniel is the man behind the curtain. As a team mechanic, he looks after all the bikes by himself. So, as you can imagine he is very busy and focused on the job, because any, even a small mechanical mistake and riders won't be able to make a desired result. This black tent is Daniel's kingdom and only he knows the rules and the place where you can find a spoke wrench. However, it's never a problem to use a helping hand from a team mate... Eddie and Jack are always happy to help out! |
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| Let's catch up with Casey... |
Despite your brakeless ride routine, you decided to use brakes at Fort William… Why?!
Well the sponsors like it when you rep their products so I used my SRAM XO brakes, if I didn't have a brake sponsor I probably wouldn't use them at all
Tell us why this year’s competition at Fort William was so tight and tough?
Fort Bill is always a bit tough because you have so many racers that have a ton of experience on this track, I personally love the track but this was only my second time here, I still have a lot to learn.
And this curse of punctures… It was hard to ride on such a rocky trail after races on Pietermaritzburg and Cairns?
I got a puncture last year in my race run, but this year I was lucky enough to make it down with no mechanical problems, the rocks were a bit smoother I guess.
What is your main goal for this year?
My main goal for this year is to gain experience on the race tracks try and get a top five. Make it through the season with no injuries.
Fans know that Bergamont Team crew is quite multinational but not many people know that you’re half Canadian, half New Zealander. Do you think that is origin of your bike talent?
I started riding when I moved to Canada in 2002 and that's where I got into DH, but now I end up riding in NZ during the off season more than anywhere.
How do you like to relax in between races?
I try and get in as much yoga as possible between races and trail rides are always a good time.
 |
Mountain Biking is your job, what is your hobby then?
I do a bit of drawing and painting in my spare time, I also like researching nutrition and I like to cook.
How would you describe 'Life on the road'? There is not much comfort for a young lady in this sort of lifestyle
I don't need a whole lot of comfort, I feel like Eddie's more of a princess than anyone.
Does the Scottish Highland's landscape remind you of your favourite places back home or is there is no other place like northern Scotland?
Northern Scotland's glaciated terrain is truly unique, definitely worth the drive, I don't know of anywhere else in the world like it.
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| "We have a bit of a gypsy vibe about our pits" says Eddie Masters "...but they are a lot of fun to be around. There are a lot of Kiwis and Aussies racing this year and our pits is somewhat of a magnet for all the boys. We like to keep it pretty casual and having all your mates around definitely keeps the mood light. |
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| Qualification time. |
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| After her run, she's looking for the rest of the team to go down as fast as they can. |
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| Elbows down, speed up! |
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| Dinner's ready! |
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| Why's Eddie such a fine team manager... He thinks of everything ahead of time! Here you can see him putting effort into finding supplies for Sunday night. |
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| It's funny how you can meet half of the World Cup riders at the supermarket... |
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| Eddie is a person who's not afraid to speak up and express his thoughts, so let's see what he had to say about Fort William's track and some other things... |
Love or hate – what is your feeling about Fort William's track?
Fort William is definitely one of the classics on the circuit, it's also one of the fastest, roughest and most physical tracks that we race each year. There is a lot of history behind Fort William and I think that that, along with the crazy crowds make it a favourite for most of the riders, including myself. The track has to be good because the midges are so bad, but we keep coming back year in, year out!
Danny Hart described the Scottish track with one word - 'Smooth'. Tell us honestly, what’s going on with World Cup tracks? Where have the real, old school lines gone and why?
The track this year was running smoother, but I think some of that can be put down to speed. As we keep pushing the speed further on these rough tracks they almost seem smoother. I think that what the riders want and what the UCI want to sell to the public are two different things. While the smooth, bike park tracks provide tight racing and exciting live feed, I think we need to keep the technically challenging tracks on the circuit to continue to showcase the skills that the top riders have. You only have to look at the most watched downhill clips like Danny's Champery run and Sam Hills Worlds run from '08, which instantly come to mind. Both of those tracks were some of the most technical, but also the most entertaining for the public to watch.
Will your van survive a trip to the Alpine Mountains?
As I answer this, our van is currently in Schladming, Austria [not Germany, sorry about that mistake - Simon], but I can honestly say the drive out from Fort William to Leogang was definitely a highway to hell. I don't think anyone can possibly imagine how slow the black pearl really is. The next drive to Morzine will be our first true encounter with the Alps, and it's definitely going to be one to remember.
 |
Tell us something about your van? How does it feel to treat it like home for a few months?
It's definitely not the flashiest place to call home, but it's home for us. It's got a few leaks, far too much stuff with far too little storage, but we make do. It's definitely a family environment, with Daniel and Casey being the parents to myself and Jack. Me and Jack don't have the highest level of a maturity, so I think being actual parents will be a walk in the park for those two by the end of the year.
Enduro, when will you finally be part of this culture?
Well, I think that after the couple of videos I've made about Enduro, it would be rude not to go and dabble in a bit of EWS action. I raced a small Enduro when we were in Germany a month ago and it was loads of fun. There were definitely some End-euro lines going down though, I think the locals were feeling the pressure with the spirit of Enduro turning up to their local! Ha ha ha!
Last year you were a privateer, this year you're not only on a proper team rider, but also a team manager... How do you feel after such a big and sudden jump into the deep end?
The team was basically born out of desperation. Last year I raced the entire world cup series as a privateer and exhausted all of my dollar bills. So I decided to put all of my eggs in one basket and find myself a ride. The only problem was that on the world cup circuit there are only a certain amount of teams and even less spots available on them. With about 50 riders out there capable of getting consistent top 30 results, I soon decided that my best bet was to start my own set up. After talking briefly with Bergamont, it was apparent that we had similar goals and directions. As far as managing and all that jazz, it's been quite the learning curve, there is a lot I would do differently next year, but I think for our first year we're going pretty well. I think it would be safe to say that I am probably the first and last team manager that has created, managed and delivered a World Cup team all via an Iphone!
There is an unofficial game at the World Cup stages, which is all about staying as long as possible in a race kit after a race... Tell us more about it, what's your record, how long did you stay like that in Fort William and who is currently leading in this bizarre game?
Yeah I cottoned on the game/award from Jack who rode for Yeti last year. When Joey Schuslar was on the team he used to stay in his race gear for far too long and the Joey Schuslar award was born out of it. So whoever stays in the race kit the longest after the race wins the award, often it's not intentional, but it's definitely an honour to receive it. I've done some pretty long stints recently and I think I've made it to 11.30 after qualifying in Fort Bill.
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| RedBull Matador show was amazing! For 15 minutes all eyes were looking up. |
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| Eddie has found a good way of being as close as possible to the best action happening around... |
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| Casey's getting focused for the most important moment of the weekend |
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| Sharing last bits of thoughts about the track? |
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| The feeling of the final round is in the air. |
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Casey took 12th place in the qualification run with a time of 5m:59sec. On Sunday, she beat that with a 5m:45secs, which placed her in 9th place. This good result brought Casey another 60 points in the overall standings.
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| Never loses her smile... |
After racing in Leogang, the next World Cup stop will take place in the famous Canadian resort of Mont-Saint Anne. Will Casey’s homeland be the source of another downhill success for this incredibly talented crew? We’ll have to wait and see, none the less our fingers are crossed and hopeful they’ll bring us good news in the future!
Photos by Simon Nieborak / www.delayedpleasure.com
Words by Michal Luczynski
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Member since May 4, 2008
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Well the sponsors like it when you rep their products so I used my SRAM XO brakes, if I didn't have a brake sponsor I probably wouldn't use them at all"
The team is called Bergamont Heyes - Is this a typo? Why is she using avid breaks?
Seems odd to me?
Either way ed, jack and casey are total legends!
One interview and your in love? Women want what they can't have, not little boys drooling over a few pictures.