 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
After many (many) years of riding the Peaks and wondering [i]'I wonder if I'll ever bump into Nick Craig, I know he lives round here and I am following some of his suggested routes'[/i]... I finally did at the weekend.
What a thoroughly nice bloke. Took the time to speak to me, ask me who [i]I[/i] was, took an interest in where I'd been riding, introduced me to his son and wished me well. And no kit comparisons either, just honesty and gratitude.
They say you should never meet your heroes... not in this case.
He's a proper nice chap. I was out in the Peak, in the mist and the murk, carrying my cross bike up near Jacobs Ladder and thinking that I was doing an insane epic. Then out of the gloom, going twice as fast comes Nick with a big cheesey grin..
He isn't "the nicest man in mountain biking" for no reason you know! 🙂
Top bloke and one hell of a rider - up and down!
I second that.
I bumped into him and his son at the bottom of Alpe D'Huez last year at the tour and had a nice chat with them. Sounded like they were going on an awesome trip camping the whole way.
I've parked next to him at CX race too. Not intimidating at all. Only got lapped twice too! Haha.
Top bloke.
He's one of those people for whom the epithet 'Ambassador of the sport' was invented.
never met him, but follow him on Twitter, and seems a good guy. 🙂
He's one of those people for whom the epithet 'Ambassador of the sport' was invented.
Second that, well put.
Know the family pretty well, and they really are as nice as a family can get. Nick gave up a full day to be my assessor for GCSE PE mountain biking and asked for nothing in return, did give him a cake though 🙂 Tom's getting silly quick, riding with him is fairly demoralising.
Starring role in this little edit too.
Nice guy saw him alot in the hayday of XC mountaining biking.Very friendly like Tim Gould is to.Not like happy larry David Baker they were days. 😆
I had a briedf chat before the world champs in Vail 94. He was getting ready and | cheekly shouted best of luck Nick. But he seemed really pleased to be recognised and wanted to chat. I thought get a mouthful he was getting ready for the bigest race of the year...
Nice little video, where was it shot? It looks like the UK but the sun is shining....
He was racing at our local XC race earlier in the year. Him and Dan Fleaman were head and shoulders above the rest....Also,a friend of mine bumped into him in the Peaks...took the opportunity of tapping him up for some advice on the forthcoming 3 Peaks Cyclo Cross race...She was well impressed.
he is indeed a great guy, met him many times, he's never too busy to have a friendly word. A true gent of the cycling world.
The riding is shot on the climb up from Hayfield to the Shooting cabins on Middle Moor, the other shots are from the area around the Shooting cabins. Top is up [url= http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=404860&y=388250&z=120&sv=404860,388250&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=633&ax=404860&ay=388250&lm=0 ]here[/url]
I met him at the cycle show a few years ago when it was still at Earls Court - the nicest pro sportsman I have ever met. I used to see him out riding when I was working up in the Peaks, and he was adamant I should give him a wave next time I saw him. Took time to get chatting about my job and family, he was a genuinely pleasant, down to earth and agreeable guy to meet.
And he can ride a bike quite well too.
Good film. Plenty of talent in the making there...
This is made by the same lad.
Nick is my claim to fame, I went to school with him.
I bumped into him at a 24 hour race many, many years later and reminded him who I was and that we had some mutual friends like crazy legs and Brant.
After a little bit of thought he said 'Brant's never mentioned you.' which made me laugh.
Nice guy, yes.
Nick was more than happy to sign autographs immediately after finishing the senior race at National Trophy cyclo-cross at Shrewsbury in January.
[url= http://www.simonevans.co.uk/cycling/120115/1011.jp g" target="_blank">http://www.simonevans.co.uk/cycling/120115/1011.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
I've spoken to him once at a race, really nice chap. I have him following me on twitter... I was well stoked with that. He's a proper legend.
I've always liked the fella. However he did once wee on Terrahawk on the IOM E2E.
Here's Nick Craig on the final climb up to the finish line after his 2nd puncture in this years Isle of Man End2End and he still came in second place.
[img] 
:large[/img]
:large
That pic is full of epic!
Used to take my twins to our trade show and Nick would volunteer to look after them in the pram while I took a test ride. Lovely guy, paid for pizzas when he did staff training.
and fit as f***
he straightened my tie for me just before the run at mountain mayhem this year 8)
top bloke
Fixed my lads Scott at MM a few back and we only went in to the the Scott pits to get out of the rain:-)
That picture has a awsume amount of epic in it.
Thats awwwsume turned up to 11.
The nicest man in mountain biking was at a high school open night I attended tonight....not hard to spot the only one in the room with a bright yellow cycling jacket on....don't think he was recognised by anyone apart from me. Every local community needs a Nick Craig!!
Nice bloke and superbly skillfull rider.
Love the way he also dosent milk the age category thing. Still races pro mountainbike and senior in Cross even though he could be winning everything in the Vets classes.
Nick sorted out some problems I was having with my Genius rear shock, at MM24, a few years back. I asked his advice and he willingly said "I'll come and fix it for you, right now" - even more amusing when then head of Scott UK told him he didn't have time and not to get involved - Nick replied that he DID have time and then just ignored him!
Top bloke.
met him in the peaks.
i was standing at the base of a climb near hayfield, eating king size mars bar, pre-climb.
i asked him, "do you do much riding, then?"
only later found out who it was.
That's funny. My colleague, who is a fit club rider, with several years of finishing in the top 20 in the NW cross league, told me a story this morning of how he got lapped by Nick at a recent race. Apparently Nick asked him whether he wanted another lap, but he knew he was on to a beating, and politely declined. 😀
He is still trying to figure out how he he can produce that many watts !!
You're not wrong.That pic is full of epic!
I saw Nick Craig racing once, at Cheddar Challenge in the late 1990s. The trails were a sh!tfest as usual and where loads of elite riders were running down through Witches Wood, Nick was riding so fast he was hardly touching the trail. Almost as if he was hovering an inch above the trail - awesome to watch! 😀
Bumped into him a couple of times many many moons ago when it wasnt just odd but pretty much impossible to bump into another MTBr in the peaks.. Had a good chat to him and his pals. One of them fancied himself as a fearless downhiller and they offered us a race back down.. My crazy mate thrashed them and from then onwards would be known in the racing scene by them as the 'howling descender'. ahaa memories....
That picture is quality!