Leigh: It was a strange year for sure! I think the strangest thing for me was that I completely missed out on any racing. Apart from that, it wasn’t too bad! The weather was amazing, and I could ride my bike from home in the sun every day. It was hard though riding solo all the time. I made sure to do some big rides because I knew I would be bored for the rest of the day if I didn’t. I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time riding a bike as last year though – which is obviously a good thing!

Joe: I am really lucky to have been living in New Zealand which has been more or less Covid free over the past 8 months. With the extended off-season, I decided to take on a new challenge and work towards becoming the masters cross country national champion which couldn’t have gone better. From there I then returned my focus to enduro and as opposed to working largely on my physical prep as I have done in previous seasons, I instead focused largely on both riding technique and mental game. Definitely excited to see how the pace is!

Leigh: Again this was a strange winter, being in a lockdown with so much uncertainty with the upcoming season, but still wanting to be ready to race in case it happens. It was good though, probably the fastest winter I have had, mixing riding with some other big projects, felt like it flew by, and feeling ready to race now!

All the EWS rounds take place in Europe this year, what are your plans to get there? Are you teaming up with other riders on the circuit to get about?

Joe: The Europe-based season provides an awesome opportunity to get in a comfortable van and road trip around the circuit. Currently in Scotland lending a hand in preparing my girlfriend Katy’s van for just that. We plan to stay in booked accommodation for the race weeks but in between the races, the camper van keeps things really simple.

Leigh: Yeah so it’s pretty cool to only be racing in Europe this year, the Alps have got to be my favorite place to ride. My plan is to get a bed slid into the back of my van and hit the road for 4 weeks. Going back to basics this year and looking forward to it. There will be a few of us touring around the races in vans, so it should be a good time.

You guys are running Stamina 180’s again this season. Tell me a little bit about the spec you are running this year and the new Stamina Remastered frames

Joe: Stoked to spend another season racing the Stamina! After two years I certainly feel at home with the setup. No massive change for the season besides putting a Zeb up front for a bit of added stiffness. I’m still in the process of balancing the new fork with my RS Super Deluxe Ultimate on the rear. The early signs are exciting. Should be a bombproof setup for the big stages in the Alps.

Leigh: This is the 3rd year riding the Stamina for me. However, it is quite a bit different from the 1st generation stamina frame I rode in 2019. As it’s the remastered Stamina frame, I am now using the Raw Clear Electrophoretic coating, so the frame should be looking like new after the season. I have just fitted a set of RockShox Zeb up front to take the big hits in the alps. The rest of my setup is similar to what I have used in the past just because it has proven itself.

Just for Fun