Catching up with Graeme Mudd, Trek Factory Racing Rider

Graeme Mudd (aka 'Muddy') is an Australian downhill racer who has been putting in the hard yards on the International and Australian race circuit. Muddy’s career has spanned BMX and 4X disciplines, with top results in International BMX and six Australian 4X Series Championships to his name before making the switch to Downhill at the International and Australian level.

Recently signing a huge deal to race as part of Trek Factory Racing, Muddy will now be an integral part of one of the most successful downhill teams in the world, racing with the Athertons. Expect big things from this humble and determined racer hailing from Newcastle, on the East Coast of Australia. We caught up with Graeme in the leadup to the Oceania Championships to learn more…

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You’re well known in Australia but for those that haven’t yet heard of you, give us some background; Where are you from, how old are you, how long have you been racing Downhill, and at what level?

Newcastle has been home for my whole life, all twenty-four years of it. I have been racing downhill for the last nine years of that. It wasn’t untiI was nineteen that I was set on downhill as my main game, though, leaving the years of BMX and 4X behind me.

You’ve built a career from the days of racing BMX and 4X, dominating the local events and competing internationally with the likes of Cedric Gracia and Jared Graves—even names back in the day like Bernard Kerr and Dan Atherton. Do you ever look back at those types of racing and wish you were still competing in those events?

On a recent team training camp in California, Dan and I spent quite a bit of time reminiscing about the old 4X days. We both obviously really enjoyed the bar to bar racing with plenty of war stories. I think the sport needed to progress to something bigger to stay alive as it struggled to keep afloat in its last couple of years on the UCI World Cup scene.

How did the transition over from BMX and 4X happen, was it a gradual process or did you swap over completely?

It was all really quite gradual. 4X started for me when a local bike shop ran a race on still one of my favourite tracks just ten minutes from my home. I was twelve years old then and almost made the under-nineteens final event on a little single speed, slick tired, skate park hardtail I borrowed from a mate who lives across the road. I kept on competing in both BMX and 4X for a few years, even tripling it with DH once I caught that bug. Downhill won the race at the end of the day. I basically got over spending every day in the gym and practicing gate starts. Downhill requires such a broad skill base and different types of fitness to always keep it interesting.

We here at Pinkbike remember you racing downhill internationally at Crankworx 2013. Was that your first time racing downhill abroad?

It wasn’t actually. In 2011 while racing the 4X World Cup circuit I raced Windham DH World Cup in between races because I was in the area after Mont Sainte Anne the weekend before. After having not ridden my DH bike all year you can imagine how that went for me. 2013 Crankworx was definitely the point in my career where I got stuck into DH racing. I met a lot of the legends of the sport there and fell in love with the culture and riding scene overseas.

Not so long after that you went on to a top-10 in the Australian National DH Series and then captured the series title in 2015, going on to win back to back titles. From there you seem to have gone from strength to strength—is there something about those results that spurred you on to the next level?

For sure. Throughout those years I was completing my apprenticeship as a fitter machinist which was constantly making me more eager to make something out of mountain bike racing. To be able to do something I love instead of work week-in-week-out just for the weekend. We are lucky in Australia to have so much depth in our racing. Rocking up to National series events racing boys like Hill, Graves, and Hannah keeps you looking up at what is possible. Then to come through my generation with Brosnan, Moir and many more pinners in their early twenties has kept me on my toes.

So from that you dove further into chasing the World Cup results? How long have you been chasing the World Cup DH circus for now?

I always got myself to one or two WC races throughout my apprenticeship. More to build experience on the different tracks preparing myself for when I could hit it up properly. I was able to come home from each year's trip with a better idea on how to prepare myself and get a better eye in on bike set up.

What are some of your highlights so far from your racing?

On the results side of things, last year's eighth place at the Cairns WC was incredible. I had all my family there and it really got me keen to hit up the rest of the year's World Cups.

And some of the lowlights?

Back to my year in 2011 racing 4X World Cups, I was 18 years old, at Leogang racing in the rain, Mum was there cleaning my goggles behind the start gate each race and keeping them dry, my sister was at the finish with water, everything was so new and exciting for us. I had qualified in the top ten and had a good heat draw through the finals only to be stopped dead in round one when a stupid, un-needed pass on me by a Spanish weapon-head saw us both on the ground and finishing our nights racing.

So Trek Factory Racing with the Athertons! How did that come about?

The World Cup scene is a pretty tight-knit circus so throughout my privateer season last year I had the chance to get to know a lot of the riders on a more personal note. The way the Athertons get on with their racing, not doing anything by half measures and rewarding their hard work with results really drew me to want to get to know them better.

It was at RedBull Hardline after all the World Cups last year that I built a good relationship with the whole team. I kept in contact with Team director Dan Brown throughout the off-season. He was really good to talk with about my year's racing, working out what needed to happen to step it up in 2017. In the end, he believed Trek Factory Racing had what it would take for me to make my top ten result in Cairns a consistent occurrence, so we put pen to paper and got to work.

A few years ago would you have ever imagined you would be on the same team as the Athertons?

Definitely not! They were always idols of mine growing up, so I think it makes sense that the rider I have become would be a good match.

A team of this standing has a lot of benefits, what are you most looking forward to?

Having a mechanic! Privateer life out of a crap van at World Cups sucks! At the end of our training camp in California I walked into the garage to get my stuff in a pile to find head technician Joe packing my bike in my box. That was a cool moment for me. No one has ever packed my bike for me. He was kind of surprised on how appreciative I was! (laughs)

How are you training for the season? Has anything changed now with that process given the new team? Are they providing any feedback to help you prepare?

Working with team trainer Nick Grantham is unreal. It’s like having a living, breathing textbook on strength and conditioning training at hand. Overall the structure of my training has stayed the same but we have definitely tweaked my program as we found weaknesses and things I need to focus on.

What are your goals for the season? Have they changed since the deal was signed?

Before the deal came about I wasn’t going overseas this year to race World Cups at all. My privateer season last year sucked the funds dry so without some sort of support it wasn’t possible this year. I am hugely grateful to have the opportunity that I now have. By the end of 2017, I want to be in the top twenty and a part of the main show on the live feed. There is no reason more top ten results aren't possible looking back at last year's split times and pace with the little resources I had then.

What sort of expectations does the team have for you? It seems as though you would only rise to the occasion, but do any of them make you nervous at all?

I have been asked this a lot and it’s not until I’m asked it that I even really think about it. Obviously, I have no excuses this year with the level of support I have but I am confident the teams' efforts won’t be wasted. I have a lot of motivation in my training every day and am working hard to make sure I will mix it with the best.

We hear you gave your wrist a little rattle while training this off-season. What happened there and how is it now?

I was lucky with this one. Yes, I broke a small bone in my wrist but it was a non-weight bearing bone that gave me little pain. I was able to keep training on the road bike and the gym, with only three weeks off the DH bike.

After taking the National Series in 2014/15 and 2015/16, we haven’t really heard your name at the national races. Is that because of the injury or due to schedule conflicts with the new team?

It has been a few different factors forcing me out of this year's series. I missed round one from illness, round two from injury, and by then I had no chance of a series result so I decided to miss Mt Beauty and attended the training camp in the US.

What are the upcoming races on your schedule and what event on the 2017 calendar are you most looking forward to?

I have just arrived in Toowoomba for the Oceania Championships followed next weekend by the Australian National Champs. Stoked I can at least do a couple of home races. This year is all about the UCI World Cups. I want to make a solid mark there to make sure I can turn this into a career. To pick out one event, Cairns World Champs this year would have to be at the forefront of my mind as one key race that I want to do well at. I race well there and to be able to get a good result in front of a home crowd and family would be rad! The track is sick too!

What sponsors and people would you like to give a shout-out too for supporting you through your career?

I have so many good people that have been a huge part of my rise in mountain biking. I have a lot to thank Ricky Boyer for. He sponsored me on Orange bikes for a number of years as a junior and early elite, passing on his swag of knowledge about mountain biking, driving me to races and fixing all my busted bikes.

Local business and MTB importer Lusty Industries run by Johnny Mclean had my back for a number of years while I was hitting the Aus. scene hard.

Last year was my biggest year for racing, though. Paul Rowney put together a dream team of Australian racers out of his shop, Summit Cycles. Paul is a 'been there done that' kinda guy, having raced Olympic XC, managed World Cup DH teams and been a scout for up and coming DH racers out of Australia for a number of years. I’ve never doubted any of his advice and have a lot to thank him for.

So what’s next for Graeme Mudd?

Finish my now kind of cold coffee and bowl of oats, kit up and head down for practice.

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MENTIONS: @DJR9000 / @trek

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