Video: Matt Hardwick Down Under

Matt moved to Australia from Canada with his family to see what life in Australia was like and to train for the race season. I met Matt at our local dirt jump spot where he was borrowing a mate’s bike. He was hitting nearly all the jumps in the line first go on a bike with a reversed back brake… After a couple months of riding together and just overall shenanigans we came up with the idea to create a mini documentary of Matt’s travels and riding during his time down under. We spent the next 6 months filming almost everywhere we went when I wasn’t working and Matt wasn’t training or racing. This led to some fun times both on and off the bike.

Sunset shrub manuals on Pink track in Jindabyne.

MATT: “When I first moved to the Sutherland Shire (Southern Sydney) I though I had moved to the worst place ever for downhill riding. During the first couple of weeks I struggled to find places to ride with tracks longer then 30 seconds that had shuttle access. I spent a lot of time being a roadie and riding xc. It wasn’t until I started exploring a bit more that I realized there was plenty of riding in and around Sydney. A couple of mates were building a track about 10 minutes from my house and I spent a lot of time riding that and Mt Kembla, which was the closest shuttle hill, about 45 minutes away. Coming from Vancouver and having the North Shore 20 minutes away, this was a pretty big deal for me.”

Jannali track in the Shire.

Dave McMillan showed us some jumps in Tuggernong Pines, Canberra. Had to practice the whips...

During Matt’s extended visit we filmed in the Shire, Canberra, Jindabyne, Ourimbah, and Lithgow. Ty Bowmaker from Captyvate Media https://www.pinkbike.com/u/captyvatemedia/ was also kind enough to supply a few clips from the Aussie National Series in Adelaide, Thredbo, and Bright. Paired with some below par cricket and sneaky party clips, we bring you the fun times and sick riding that is, Down Under.

First ride on the new bike on Greenhills track in Helensburgh.

I’d like to thank my sponsors for their continued support while I was in Australia; Dissentlabs, Chromag, Schwalbe Tires, BikeBox Aus, MuscleMlk, Flush Fitness, AFDRacing, The Decal Shop, and Smith Optics. I’d also like to thank my parents, Ty Bowmaker, Jamie Black, Ben Jamieson, the Crimmins family, the Donnelly family, Green to Gold Racing, and Chain Reaction Cycles for helping me get to the races and providing all the sweet media coverage and support. Thanks everyone! Cheers.