While wandering around Eurobike last year I found myself being introduced to Sam Pilgrim, YouTube personality and former Freeride Mountain Biking (FMB) World Champion. As you do if you’re a bike journo meeting someone (fairly?) famous, I sat him down for a quick interview. It was all going OK, until he said ‘I don’t ride with girls, I never would they’re too slow’.
Frankly, I was too shocked to think of any other questions. I wanted to stick him on a gravel bike right there and then, and rip his legs off on a long and hilly route. What the what?
Getting back from Eurobike, I wondered what on earth to do with the interview. In fairness to Sam (I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt here), there are no women’s categories on the FMB World Tour, so perhaps in his little niche of the sport there weren’t many opportunities to ride with women. The absence of women’s categories isn’t necessarily his fault (though it would be great to see male athletes calling for opportunities for female ones). Maybe he just needed to see a different corner of the world? I didn’t want to make him look like a jerk. Hmm. What to do? What to do?
And then, I wondered. He said he could teach me to do a backflip, if I could ride a roll in. He also said it’s a mind over matter thing: you have to want to do it, to jump, or do tricks. If there’s one thing that’s going to make me want to do something, it’s being told I can’t. He’d never ride with girls? Really? What if I could do the roll in…could he teach me a back flip? If I could learn to back flip, maybe Sam would reconsider his ‘no girls’ stance.
Hmm…maybe I should see what I can do?
In this interview I call myself a ‘wheels on the ground’ rider. I categorically state that I can’t jump. I’ve never been in a foam pit, never done a roll in at a skate park, and I don’t do tricks.
Looking back, that seems a long time ago. A different me entirely. Now?
Now I can jump.
Now, I have spent hours throwing myself into a foam pit. I can roll down a roll in.
Now, I own a BMX and I’m a member of my local indoor skatepark.
Now, I can clear a table top (and I’m not talking about the one my kids have just finished eating off).
Goddammit, I can even do a few teeny tricks.
I wanted it, and I’ve done it. Better still, I love it.
So Sam, if you’re reading this, how about you teach me that back flip? I would offer to take you out on that gravel ride, but, I don’t know…do you think you’d manage?
A Note From Hannah:
This article originally appeared with the video interview, however it is clear that it could be taken out of context of the article, which was never my intention, and I’m sorry if anyone was upset by it – that’s not who I am. We had a fun chat, and following the interview Sam was impressed to see the riding skills of female friends we showed him on Instagram. The point of the article was to highlight how Sam’s comments had spurred me into acquiring some new skills, and to light heartedly suggest that maybe I could take him up on his suggestion that he could teach me to backflip in a day – not to have a go at Sam.
Well that escalated quickly…..
Would be interesting to know what people class as a ‘Mountain Biker’ – is it someone who shreds the gnar to the max?, someone who can backflip, can and x-up?, someone who can ride trials?, someone who can smash out 100 miles a day off road?, someone who only rides park?, someone who only rides trail centres?, someone who only owns a fat bike?, someone who can crush the opposition on a XC loop?, someone who will ride whatever they like on any given day – be it XC, trail or a family ride around a country park with their kids? or someone who “only rides Enduro braa”?
I’d suggest that they’re ‘Mountain Bikers’ – just different type of riders. Mountain Biking is as diverse a discipline as I think you can get.
Who cares if Chipps, Hannah or Will can’t clear a 50 foot road gap – I’m assuming they’re all competent riders who have there own preferred type of riding, want to share their enthusiasm and love for ‘the sport’ through the pages of this site and the magazine. They’re good enough to be able to tell you how a short travel XC race rocket handle differently to a 160mm Enduro Sled and some of the differences between the same types of bikes.
I’ve ridden with some great fast, technical riders – does it mater that they can’t wheelie, manual the length of a football pitch, clear a double, know what setting to change on the shock or forks for every different trail or even set up their own gears?? No – what matter is they’re riding to their ability and enjoying doing it.
Fair play to Hannah for sharing her jumping progress – it’s something that I need to work on and plan to this year.
Keep up the good work STW and I would love to see Sam teach Hannah to backflip.
Hannah, I’m really sorry, your article was great but has been truly Trumped by the comments at this point 😀
Unfortunately I didn’t get to catch the video Interview. It had been taken down by the time I saw this, I guess Hannah was happy with the amount of exposure she’d gained from blowing a small comment out of proportion.
Sam doesn’t like riding with Women because they are slower. I mean that IS a fact (unless you’re talking about the top 0.001% of women riders maybe) Why does that make him sexist? If I said I didn’t like going to the strip club with my gay friends because they just sit in a corner does that make me homophobic?
“If I said I didn’t like going to the strip club with my gay friends because they just sit in a corner”
You’ve obviously never been to a strip club with my gay friends.
Cancelling subscription
As a white middle class male with the privilege of rarely having to experience subtle or frank discrimination and the impact this has it would be easy for me to criticise you Hannah for being too sensitive, making mountains out of mole hills and not realising Sam was joking. Sams comment was clearly not intended to be exclusive, malicious or misogynistic but did require thoughtful challenge and I thank you for doing this.
Most sports have made great efforts to improve inclusivity, diversiy and participation but addressing both obvious and subtle discrimination eg the FA Respect programme as they understand their sport will be enriched both culturally and financially and that they have a huge amount to contribute to the wellbeing of individuals, communities and the economy. Unfortunately, you only have to look around at most trailheads to see that mountain biking has a significant issue encouraging women, younger children, older people, those with disabilities and people from ethnic minorities or disadvantaged backgrounds to take up such a fantastic sport and everything it has to offer. Fabulous initiatives such as the Glentress mental health project and amazing people like Martin Ashton, Andy McKenna and those at Can’t Quit are leading the way but theres much more to do. I’m going to endeavour to be less exclusive, watch my language and be more positively inclusive and I’m even tempted to get a BMX. Thanks Hannah.
Sam mustn’t of meant the comment – he was obviously high on drugs at the time being a slope star
Did you discuss with him before posting this? Because it comes across as fairly damning of him, and without the video, there is no context. It would have been fairer to redo the article with him involved or shelve it completely.
Was he stereotyped as being on drugs before or after the comment on women’s riding? (Can’t see video)
Also, why would a gravity biased rider care about a gravel bike? As a mountain biker I couldn’t care less about them as it is