There Are No Short Cuts to the Top - The Harry Heath Interview

NOTHING WORTH HAVING COMES EASY

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If you want to fulfill your goals and realise your dreams, you are going to have to knuckle down and work hard to achieve them, as there are no shortcuts to the top. This mantra couldn't be any closer to the truth when it comes to Harry Heath, the 24-year old downhill racer from Congleton in the United Kingdom.

With fractions of a second defining an athlete's success, World Cup downhill racing represents a sport filled with unparalleled challenges to overcome and master. The pressure of racing at this level can make or break a racer's career and only those focussed and determined enough to make it, will find themselves in the upper echelon of this highly competitive and truly unique sport. Harry's journey from a young racer with big dreams to a professional athlete on a factory race team, scoring top-ten results on the world stage is the perfect example of what hard work and determination can achieve, and an inspiring story that needs to be told...

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Let's go back to when it all started.

I've always had a bike as far as I can remember, I even remember going into school and I couldn't wait to tell my friends I could ride without stabilisers! Bikes were just as inspiring back then as they are now - that same feeling of doing a jump or a wheelie, it's hard to describe, but that’s what got me hooked.

Do you remember what it was about downhill racing that put the hook in you?

Before mountain bikes, I did a quite a few different sports; whitewater kayaking, wind surfing, rock climbing, swimming, cross country running and I got quite good at most of them, but they always felt more like activities rather than sports to me. I'd progress in one and I’d already be thinking of the next... My first downhill race totally changed that. It engaged my mind and my body to a different level than anything before and straight away I knew how I could be better and more importantly, wanted to be. My personality needs something to really fire it up and DH is exactly that as you're trying to perform on that edge.

How did your racing career start?

Back in 2006, at round 1 of the old Midlands Super Series at Hopton Castle in some real UK mud conditions. It was me and my friend Aaron Van's first DH race. First race run I went a bit kamikaze, crashed and he beat me... I was so mad inside and I'd never felt that for competition before. Realising I just needed to chill and ride my bike down for the second run and that’s what I did and I beat him. That was the goal that day and looking back, it was the perfect way to race: passive/aggressive. Also, that day, Sam Dale and Joe Smith were there battling to win our category and they both smoked me by like 50-seconds. It’s really cool to be still racing them today.


Do you think that some riders just have natural talent on tap while others who make it pro, rely more on hard work?

I've heard that quite a lot over the past few years and I’ve questioned what it actually meant and the more I do question it, the less I believe it. I think it goes way back to anyone's roots and how they were brought up as well as any previous sports they did, etc. It is these factors that create a person's thought processes as to how they perceive a situation and act. No one gets to the top without putting in a lot of time and effort, but I think it's how that’s perceived as well - is it hard work if you prefer being in the gym rather than being sat in front of a computer?

Josh Bryceland and Aaron Gwin in DH, David Knight and Jonny Walker in Enduro MX and say Bruce Lee in martial arts for example. These are all people who, at a young age, did their sports for countless hours and more than likely just did it because they enjoyed it. Then when they got into the spotlight, their skills were impressive and it seemed like they've always had it. No one gets away without putting in the hours, even if it's in a different sport and then they transfer that learned skill to another.

At what point did you realise that you wanted to chase the dream and race bikes professionally?

I think when my Dad said he thought I could be a top-level racer. I was only 16 at the time and up until that point, it had just been about riding and racing bikes for fun, so I think I hadn't even thought past the next race before then... But that's when I started to think about bigger goals.

How important was it at a young age to have some support and do you think the grass roots DH racing scene in the UK has changed much in your time?

MASSIVELY! Thank you Mum, Dad, KT and anyone who has ever taken me riding and racing, I would've been a non-starter at that age without them. The grassroots scene has evolved as I think the whole sport has, it's now more of a corporation - a DH racer doesn't just advertise DH bikes, we advertise anything with two wheels and pedals! Grassroots used to be about getting stoked with a few free stickers on your lid and now grassroots seems to be all about sponsors and having 10,000 views on a video - it's just an evolution, but nothing’s for free, so there's a lot more professionalism throughout the sport. It would be good to ask a young racer how the scene feels to them and compare it, as it might be my own view of how it has changed with time.


If you could offer some advice to a young racer who’s started to shine at the races and has the potential to make it, what would it be?

Treat people like you'd want to be treated, that's what makes people want to help you and keep helping you. It might be just you in that race run, but try getting your race bike, warm-up bike, spare wheels, tools and 'race head' to the start gate. It doesn't work that well on your own... trust me!

Back to your racing career - you’ve had some up and down years as of late. What’s been your motivation over the years and have you ever questioned it and thought about doing something else?

My motivation has always been that there's more in me, so I keep wanting to achieve more, but also, this sport keeps teaching me and motivating me in lots of different ways. Even being on different teams, I've learnt things from every person. It’s all about constant progress and Kiazen. There's definitely times when I think about doing something else, but I love that. There's yet to be someone who's raced DH professionally to their pension age, so I'm damn happy that I've got other things I want to do as well, haha.

Going back to 2013 and making the decision to race a full international season as a privateer, was no mean feat – what did you learn that year and was it a hard decision to make?

Funnily enough, I don't even remember making a decision that year to go racing, I just started working towards it and was a bit like a mad man that year. That was probably what I learnt the most that year, that you can't be a 100% mad man and racing DH, and you need to take a step back, take a breath and know the right time to do that.


Going from a professional team (Unior Tools) to then having to deal with the struggles of being a privateer and then back to a pro team (Dirt Mag/ Orange) in 2014, it must have been a huge weight off your shoulders. Was it easy to readjust to being on a team again?

Oh yeah. A huge weight off my shoulders and I really enjoyed 2014 - a big thanks to Ben Reid for that opportunity. I said before that along the way I've learnt all that I could from being on a team, but in 2013 and being a privateer, I learnt some of what’s needed to give back to a team as it's not a one-way street. That actually made it even better as I was actually working to be part of a “team”.

From the Dirt team to the Norco Factory Racing team in 2015 – can you tell us how that came about?

In 2014, Todd Schumlick at PerformX Training started to coach me and then at the end of 2014, he had the opportunity to run the Norco Factory Racing team and called me up. It was tough to part ways with the Dirt/Orange World Team as it had been a great year and also with me and Ben Reid having been friends for quite a while now and being with friends has been a big part of what riding bikes is about.

So you knew Todd (Schumlick) before you joined the team. Can you give us some info on what his expertise brings to the table?

I met Todd mid-2013 and he had a view on racing that was really inspiring to me. He created the team program as a whole, which is really his view and that's what inspired me to start training with him in the first place. Each thing we do has an impact on everything we do.


You’ve always been analytical with the way you approach racing, but what’s been the most important element that’s helped you in your career?

Drive and lots of it. Nothing gets done without that!


Being on a team like Norco Factory Racing must have some perks. Can you give us an insight into racing on a pro team?

It helps a lot, that’s for sure, like putting all the pieces for the racing puzzle together. It might sound like the obvious things to gain from being on a team, but when you do a run and decide you want to change tyres and your mechanic already has a pair of wheels setup with the new tyres, ready to go, etc. You know things like that make a big difference in a race weekend.

Preparation and communication go a long way in racing and a team that works well together is a big factor. This is a part of the puzzle that Norco Factory Racing nails really well and talking through feedback with Norco on their bikes for example. You know, even if we don't think there's anything to change with the bikes, just talking with an engineer at a top bike brand like Norco is a special feeling, like another thing is confirmed and you can tick it off the mental list, which is really beneficial when you’re racing at a high level.



Coming into the 2015 season on a brand new team, what were your goals and expectations leading into Lourdes for round one of the World Cup?

My goals for 2015 were really aimed at the series overall, which for me was all about getting into the World Cup top 20, so going into Lourdes I was after a good base result for the start of the year and something to build from. It was also the first time I raced the new bike (Aurum) on a big track like that, so I was gaining a lot of information on setup still. Then the gap before the second round in Fort William, I went home and hammered out some quality testing with what I’d learned and went into the next races with all cylinders firing. I went from 27th in Lourdes to qualifying 13th in Fort William, so I had made it go in the right direction, which was inspiring to see.

Do you think the fans back home watching the racing on Red Bull TV really appreciate what it takes to race at this level and how hard it is just to qualify for a World Cup?

I think some people appreciate what it takes. For example, I had a friend say the other day how he respected the fact I'd turn down things with the crew back home and instead, go and put more time into something for racing like training. I do think that the fans can enjoy watching the racing without having to respect what it takes because it is a pretty impressive sport just at face value, but then if they did, we'd possibly get even more people watching. It’s hard to tell.


It's fair to say that this last season was a good one for you.

Thanks. Yeah, it felt even better getting inside the top ten for the second time, especially at back-to-back rounds - it felt like I'd found consistency while pushing the limits. That was really rewarding. The results themselves felt really good, but straight away I was adding up seconds and wanted to be faster.

What do you think were the contributing factors behind the change in results between the start and at the end of the season?

Midway through the year, I realised how close the top ten and top five results were, which gave me extra drive to step up my game on the details needed to hit that next level. Not being OK with where you’re at is what always drives me to push harder, but to do it midseason like that and be a better rider, was really cool. It paid off for those results for sure and I’m now taking everything I learned into testing this off-season, which should have a great knock-on effect for 2016.

Do you think the bike industry really values its athletes enough – there seems to be a big drop in salaries between the top 10 and the rest of the field?

Interesting one. I think there needs to be more of an even spread of pay, at least to a certain point, as there's riders out there who are really busting a nut and just as much if not more than some of the top riders, but getting paid peanuts. To get paid properly though you do need to work it like a job and I think there's only a certain amount of people who really put the effort into that extent, so perhaps the salary divide isn't that far off?


What kind of structure do you and the team have over a typical World Cup race week?

Generally speaking, we get to the race venue on a Wednesday, get straight into some strength training and then set the pit area up. On Thursday, we’ll walk the track and go for a small XC ride. Friday we’ll have DH practice and yoga before or after and then Saturday practice and qualifying. On Sunday, we have DH practice before the race and then we pack up. It can vary depending on what races we've done or got coming up and we might get some more training in too. We also look at what each person is doing on the track and we sit down as a team and work through it all as well.

Do you have any embarrassing stories about your teammates that you’d like to share with the Pinkbike readers?

Not so embarrassing, but after World Champs in the morning, we couldn't find Sam (Blenkinsop) throughout the whole town and it was about 5:30 AM and we only had 3 hours to get to the airport. So we had to leave him there and 20-minutes before we get to the airport, he’s on the phone wondering where we are, ha ha! I haven’t seen him since. Maybe he'll still be there waiting for us, ready for next year's World Cup finals in Andorra?

Growing up and wanting to be a pro downhill racer yourself and having your heroes, how does it feel now that the shoes are on your feet?

Really cool. If I inspire one person to ride a bike, I'd feel like I've done something good.


Here we are, it's winter and the UK is a pretty unforgiving place at this time of year. Are you sticking around with the rest of us or jetting off somewhere warmer for some pre-season training?

For years now I've wanted to spend time in NZ and train in their summer and this is the first time I've really got that opportunity, so I'm skipping winter for once. Having moved stacks of bricks around building sites on the coldest winter days only helps make this the ultimate dream.

Thanks for taking the time Harry and all the best for 2016 and beyond. Do you have any shout outs?

Thanks for the questions, it's fun to do interviews when they're interesting! I’d like to say a massive thank you to all my sponsors who give me the opportunity to be my best in this sport - how cool is that! Norco Bicycles, Race Face, Novatec wheels, Fox suspension, Bell helmets, Schwalbe tyres, HT components, 100% goggles, Shimano, MRP, Maxima, 5.10 UK, Projekt bags, 2undr and Formula brakes.

I also want to say thanks to Todd and Cathy at PerformX Training for putting me through the grind and getting the best out of me while at the same time putting me on a really good path. Also, Aaron Van, Dan Pemberton, Tom Nova, Tom Lowe, Tom Whaley, Cal Porter, Critch, Ad Critch, Turbo and DC – those boys were there for me at the start of it. My whole family as well for every piece of effort they've put into me, and being a good family to be a part of.

Awesome stuff, see you at the races!

Will do. Cheers.

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