Photo Story: The People Behind 'Alright Butt' - A Welsh MTB Film Out Now

Joe Smith, Mike Jones, Manon Carpenter, Leigh Johnson, Rowan Sorrell, Nikki Whiles and Ajay Jones.

Wales, famous for its rugby, castles and sheep. The lushest landscapes are now trails and two wheels shape the valleys. Dive into a cinematic journey led by Alex Tyler and Tom Wheeler and explore the simplicity of riding your home trails. Wales never fails.




Joe is one of the fastest riders to come out of Wales. Always on the edge of the top 10s at a World Cup level and podiuming at prestigious events like Hardline. An all-rounder who is as comfortable riding at warp speed as he is floating sideways over huge jumps.

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Nikki is a multi-talented individual. One of the smoothest and best bike handlers you will ever see. But unlike most, Nikki is also one of the best trail builders in the UK, and if that’s not enough he also runs a popular Instagram channel full of creative content. @nikki_whiles

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Leigh is the new generation of racer who has spent all of his professional career as a mountain biker racing Enduro. At 22 he is one of the youngest racers to be sneaking in top 10 results at the Enduro World Series. A young racer who doesn’t look like he is slowing down any time soon.

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Aaron Jones, aka Ajay, has been part of welsh downhill from the beginning. Racing at the first Dragons and being part of one of the most well known local DH teams, Skenes. You could say he is one of the biggest characters in Wales. Always loving bikes and out having a good time. #letsavew

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When your Dad is Jason Carpenter, the man behind the Dragon Downhill series in Wales, it’s no surprise Manon went onto be one of the best female riders in the world. But Manon never really planned on becoming a professional downhill mountain biker. After her success, she has now retired and is enjoying studying at home and riding her local trails.

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The young South Wales ripper who has an all or nothing approach to racing. Mike is your typical Port Talbot lad who just loves to ride his bike as fast as he can. And when he does keep it shiny side up, you will find him on the World Cup podium.

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Rowan approaches things differently when he has a vision he does everything he can to make it a reality. Bike Park Wales was just one of many of his visions and is now known all around the world. But as an ex-pro rider all this trail building comes down to doing one thing… And that’s ripping with his friends.

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Photography by Matt Weale @Mattcaptures