............................................ from the editor ............................................ The next generation
In a pretty stark contrast to our usual editorials , I ’ m writing this sat in the office at 6am on a grim Sunday morning . I owe my recent discovery that there are in fact two six o ’ clocks in the day to the arrival , on the 7th of September , of Mylo Thomas Richardson .
My approach thus far to the energy-hungry demands of fatherhood has been to keep everything fun and , where possible , appeal to my sense of competitiveness . This means nappy changes are F1 pit-stops , bath time is a trip to the wave park and no-holds-barred dad jokes as morale boosters . Although the success of that last one can be a bit hit and miss - it turned out my wife wasn ’ t too amused at being told not to cry over spilt milk after dropping a bottle of breast milk at four in the morning .
Fatherhood also brings with it a change in perspective . Other than Mylo ’ s arrival , nothing has changed overnight , but the shift in circumstance has shed a fresh light on all the small and gradual differences my life has seen in the last ten or so years .
This was something that came up in Simon Makker ’ s chat with Greg Minnaar over on page 55 . Greg is approaching the end of a hugely successful and influential career , and with the departure of Steve Peat at the start of the season , he ’ s looking out at a field of fresh-faced new competitors who see his sport a little differently than he does . Greg and Steve were amongst the riders who shaped and defined downhill mountain bike racing . As they fought and won championships over the years , the sport beneath them has changed – from the technology of the bikes to the social scene and the professionalism of the riders .
What ’ s great to see though is that Greg - much like the ‘ elder statesmen ’ of other actionsports - isn ’ t looking out and complaining that things aren ’ t like they were in his day . He sees the positives of improved safety and the growth of the sport he loves .
Elsewhere this issue we caught up with friend of the company , Eugene Laverty , who spoke to his brother Michael for an interview on page 80 . Eugene appeared in our very first issue , and has since seen two seasons of the MotoGP , impressing us immensely this season especially , as he ’ s held his own against the factory Ducatis on a two-year-old bike .
So here ’ s to the future , another issue , and hopefully at some point some sleep …
A very tired …
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© PETER KUTALEK