Getting to Know: Wyn TV's Privateer of the Week from EWS Tweed Valley - Corey Watson

Corey Watson

Corey Watson ended his 2021 with his first top 30 finish in an Elite EWS race after he crossed the line in 29th at the EWS Tweed Valley. Despite a crash during his race, Corey was able to secure his best result yet and take home a great top 30 finish. Across the rest of the season, Corey has taken wins at all rounds of the Tweedlove Triple Crown and the Naughty Northumbrian. We caught up with Corey to talk about this year's racing and how the Wyn award has helped his racing.

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Describe yourself?

My name is Corey Watson, 22 years old from Scotland, I race enduro but I’m keen for any 2 wheel action.

Where are you from and where do you live?

I am from a town called Hawick in the Scottish Borders, in the south of Scotland, still currently living in Hawick.

How did you get into mountain biking?

I got into mountain biking because of my dad, he’s always ridden since being a kid, nothing too serious but I always had a bike. Naturally, I just got brought up playing about on bikes, once I got a bit older around 5/6 years old we started going to the Glentress and other trail centres in Scotland. This happened nearly every weekend, it didn’t matter the weather conditions, rain, sun and snow we’d be away riding. Then I started racing mini downhill when I was 12 and that’s when the racing bug started.

Who do you ride for?

Nukeproof/Hotlines, Bell Helmets, Mudhugger, Torq Fitness and Scott Cycle Services.

What bikes are you riding right now?

Nukeproof Mega 290 Carbon RS and my DJ bike gets a lot of attention as well.

Do you have a job outside of mountain biking?

Yes, I’m a window cleaner in my home town, currently for my dad's business.

What are your strengths?

Technical and steeper style tracks are my strong point at a race.

What are your weaknesses?

I’d say physical pedally tracks or long climbs in stages have been a real weaknesses for me. Pedalling/sprinting has always been my weakness even when I raced DH as a kid, something I am going to work hard on.

What are some of the issues privateers face that people might not realise?

Personally, I feel like rest is a big one, It’s hard to get rest if you're doing the majority of it on your own and working a job. The last thing I want to do on a Monday morning is wake up and clean windows at 8 am after a weekend of racing. That might just be me personally though, I need rest for my body to work properly and recharge. Race weekends are just as mentally draining as physically. A lot of energy goes into a race weekend and getting time off work to go racing is tough. I have only done one trip abroad this season which was for 6 weeks. Luckily I got 4 EWS rounds as they were back to back races as that was all I could really afford this season. I didn’t really want to take any more time off work as I’m not getting paid if I’m away racing. I’m lucky to work for my dad as he will let me have time off for trips, but I still need to work to keep money coming into my bank.

How does the WynTV Privateer prize help your racing?

It helps massively in many ways, I've already seen the benefits of it. I have used some of it for a full year gym membership which I never do as I only pay for around 4/5 months over winter, (a full year is expensive for me.) This means I can still get in gym workouts after work during summer and keep on top of my fitness during the season. I will use most of it for travel/entires next year as that adds up if you're travelling to race/ride most weekends during summer. It’s also got my name out there a little more, therefore, getting opportunities to do things like this is cool.

What has been your worst crash over the years?

I’ve been pretty lucky with crashes, I’ve never had a major injury or been in hospital because of biking. Obviously, I’ve had a few big ones but the one that stands out the most was when I overshot a jump in Chatel and had a massive OTB in 2017. This was one of them where your legs straighten out mid-air and the front end is way below you. I landed on the inside of a berm, which was way past the landing and somehow I rolled out of it unbroken. It hurt a lot and my day was over but there was no hospital trip, which was a bonus!

What is your biggest accomplishment?

I have won every enduro race I have entered here in the UK this year (minus the Tweed Valley EWS.) Which I would say is my biggest achievement so far. However, I am aiming for bigger accomplishments next year. ,

What is your biggest regret?

That is a hard one, I stopped racing and I didn’t ride much for about 3 years from the end of 2017 until 2020 I had only done one race. I got really into white water kayaking which I also love. But I’ve always kinda wondered where I’d be with mountain biking if I kept racing. As a junior in the 2017 season I was winning all the enduro races in the UK. However, I just stopped enjoying it and I wasn’t having fun. I was young and I had other things I wanted to do, for example, kayaking which was sick and I got to meet new people and see cool places. The time away did me the world of good, I love riding and I am more motivated than ever to ride bikes again.

Where’s your favourite place to ride?

I have a few favourites. Schladming, Pila and Morzine area are all amazing. You can’t beat the home trails though, I absolutely love riding in the Tweed Valley.

What’s your favourite non-bike website?

I love a bit of YouTube, I don’t watch much tv so YouTube is a massive part of my entertainment.

What’s your favourite motto or saying?

“if you ain’t first you’re last” - Ricky Bobby

What makes you happy?

Riding bikes, time with family/friends, kayaking and loads more.

How do you want to be remembered?

For being a positive person and having a smile on my face, also for being able to ride a bike fast would be nice.

What does the future hold?

Not sure really, hopefully I get a factory ride one day as don’t want to clean windows for much longer. I feel like there will be a lot of racing and travelling happening over the next couple of years and will take it from there. Let’s see how high up the leaderboard we can make it at a world level.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just like to say thank you to everyone that’s helped me so far and that believes in me and keeps the dream alive. Hopefully 2022 is a good one! Cheers.

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