Field Journal

An interview with former double world champion cyclist and Trash Free Trails A-Team member, Manon Carpenter, about the lessons learnt in life after racing.
Written by Harriet Osborne // Photography by Sam Dugon

Manon Carpenter is a former professional racing cyclist from Caerphilly, South Wales. In 2017, the dust had barely settled from an all-conquering season when, compounded by injuries and emotional fatigue, she made the difficult decision to retire from racing for good. Since then she has reconnected with the trails that once featured only as fleeting moments at the top of her game. We chat to Manon about life after racing, purposeful adventure and helping people connect with the outdoors.

‘It was a week of absolute turmoil before I made the decision. I’d grown up in an environment where racing was everything, so I didn’t know what else there would be for me. I worried about letting people down or what they would think. But I’m glad I was honest with myself and did it as soon as I knew I was done.’

It was 2017 and the dust had barely settled from an all-conquering season in which Manon became a double world champion, having won the UCI Mountain Bike World Championship and UCI World Cup Mountain Bike Downhill Series in 2014. At 24 years old, she was at the top of her game, with everything heading towards a long and successful career as a professional cyclist.

But after breaking her collarbone in a crash at the Val di Sole World Championships in 2016, things changed. ‘I was having flashbacks and wasn’t as confident in certain areas,’ she says. ‘My heart just wasn’t in it anymore, and that made it difficult to carry on.’

Manon knew it was time to retire when she left a race early for the first time. ‘On the bus back to the airport, I just knew it was right. Making decisions that are best for yourself, rather than those around you, is terrifying. But there was no regret; I was just happy to be going home.’

Manon now rides, free from the pressure that racing inevitably brings, during breaks from her studies in Earth Science at the University of Leeds. She says, ‘I got back on a bike a few weeks after retiring. I was worried if I would enjoy it anymore, but it was brilliant. I’m someone who likes to be independent and have autonomy. So now, when I go out for a ride around the hills, there’s no rush or agenda. It’s just spending time on my bike.’

Her connection to nature stems from early childhood, with long summer days spent roaming free around an off-grid wooden cabin in the Gower Peninsula. ‘My parents were students when they had my sister and I,’ she recalls. ‘There was no electricity or running water, and holidays were spent in the mountains, lakes, or by the sea.’

She was inspired to take up cycling by her dad, Jason, a BMX track builder who also ran the Dragon Downhill race series – a ‘not for beginners’ event that ‘only uses courses that are long, steep, fast, and technically difficult.’ Manon says, ‘Most of my earliest memories on a bike are when I was slightly out of control and my dad had to catch me coming down a hill really fast.’

It’s not surprising, then, that Manon dominated the Dragon series throughout school before winning the Junior UCI Downhill World Championship and the Junior UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 2011. ‘Before I could go to university, everything just snowballed,’ Manon recalls. ‘My first year of racing was a mix of some really exciting and unexpected results, with some injuries, and by the end of the season, I was fired up to see where it could go.’

Manon believes the secret to her early success was learning to harness the fear. She explains, ‘With any sport, it’s practice, right? I’ve always been quite cautious for a mountain bike racer – I take my time. I do get knocked off and of course, there are accidents, so you learn to manage the fear. Sometimes it’s fun to see what you can get away with.’

She easily recalls her pre-race routine, ingrained after years of training her body and mind to perform at its best. ‘It’s such a strong feeling when you’re getting ready for your race,’ she says. ‘You’re so fired up from sprints with high-intensity efforts, listening to music to get the blood pumping. I think other athletes can be calculated, but I definitely raced on emotion.’

The aim is to reach flow state – a state of being when fully immersed beyond distraction. She explains, ‘It’s not having to think about what you’re doing; it just happens quite effortlessly. You know you’re not in flow state when you end up talking to yourself or beating yourself up for not doing something right.’

Manon now finds her flow state in nature. She hopes that in partnership with Trash Free Trails, she can encourage people to reconnect with the outdoors so they are more inclined to look after it. ‘Trash Free Trails is best at recognising that everyone is starting from a different place – but everyone can connect with nature and get involved to protect it.’

In slowing the pace, Manon has discovered a passion for purposeful adventure, which she defines as ‘creating a deeper connection that gives you a sense of wonder’. She puts emphasis on remembering your ‘why’, planning trips that spark inspiration, and taking a friend or family member along for the ride. ‘Trash Free Trails also has a toolkit to make it easy to start. From showing you how to plan an adventure to what you might need to take with you.’

Manon also helps others access nature through her work with Specialized Soil Searching, a trail advocacy branch of the brand to build, improve, and make trails accessible to everyone. ‘It’s important to me that everyone has access to nature, whether they are hikers, walkers, or bikers,’ she says. ‘I realise that not everyone had the upbringing I had and they might not know the right people to show them where to go.’

Manon believes anyone can learn something new at any stage in their life. ‘I don’t know what age you need to be to recognise that. But the last few years have been a realisation of how I got to where I am today. I spent a lot of time in the mountains and the most incredible landscapes when racing. But the opportunity to absorb them was often fleeting. Now I take my time to drink it in.

‘My purpose now, compared to racing, has been to slow down and take in my surroundings. It’s always been there, but the difference is now I realise how much it matters. I value being healthy and that extends to the places I am in. I’m also raising my awareness of the challenges the environment faces through my studies. A sense of wonder of everything the Earth gives us. It strengthens my want to make a difference where I can.’