Mark Weir
One in a Million
Words by Cam McRae.
I had heard Weir's name mentioned by mutual friends, ridden his namesake WTB 'Weirwolf' tires and I'd also read about his domination of the Downieville DH (Mark broke his own course record in 2005 with a time of 38:32). I also knew he was equally talented riding XC and DH but I wasn't aware that he was insane. I learned that in an article in bike magazine which detailed his successful quest to climb one million vertical feet in a calendar year - much of it on a Santa Cruz VP Free. Actually he managed it in about 11 months, despite time off to take care of essentials like getting married. To put that in perspective it's like climbing just shy of 3000 vertical feet every single day for 11 months.
This was the sort of wacked quest I love hearing about. What drives someone to do this? I wanted to hear from the man himself (see below) but I also wanted to get some expert opinions.
I've known some obsessive people in my time and fitness fanatics are often about as easy to get along with as Mike Tyson after a lost bout - or a sentencing hearing. I imagined Mark might just be a little tightly strung, perhaps even high maintenance. As it turns out he's about as well loved as anybody who rides a bicycle. Andreas Hestler even went as far as to say "he could be a Canadian in my books."
A look at Weir's sponsorship portfolio makes it clear that he brings more to the table than even his fine results would indicate. He's no freerider and yet he warrants the front and back covers of the 06 Fox Riders Co. catalogue. Weir was promoted by Fox this year and his face can be seen among the team rider bios - replacing a consipicuously absent Tyler "Super T" Klassen. The other riders on the team, Cam McCaul, Carlin Dunne, Kirt Voreis, Jeff Lenosky, Thomas Vanderham and Aaron Chase no less, were all featured in Freeride Entertainment's New World Disorder 6. There's no tougher roster to crack in the mountain bike world but the Fox Riders Co. team consists of six of the movie's stars and Mark Weir.
Mark Weir doling out the hurt in Santa Cruz's Hell Ride 2. Photo ~ Forrest Arakawa
He's not going big or busting tailwhips; what is his unique appeal? According to Chris Gagan who runs the Fox clothing mtb division, "bringing on a guy like Weir is a no brainer- the imagery that I've used of him in the catalogue speaks to 99% of the buyers out there. He's easily my most versatile athlete." He then added "and I'm pissed that he won't be at Crankworx to take down Lopes in the Air DH - it's the same weekend as the Downieville DH."
Mark Fitzsimmons who juggles product development and race program duties with Fox Racing Shox has glowing things to say as well; "If you were to take the good qualities of a racer, the self-marketing ability of a freerider, and the public connection Marla Streb has and put them all into one athlete, it would be Weir. He keeps it real but knows how to swim in the fish bowl when he has too."
Scott Turner of Santa Cruz bikes continued the gush. "I think Mark is one of the most interesting people in mountain biking (if not the most interesting). He's crazy fast, has mad skills, dedicated, tireless, legendary trash talker, and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He also looks for interesting/different things to do like his million feet thing, our Hell Ride, dominating the Downieville Downhill, the Red Bull Road Rage, singlespeed events, etc. He's not your typical 'follow the Norba circuit around' type."
It turns out Mark isn't obesessed with fitness or training at all. He's obsessed with riding a bicycle, and I have nothing but respect for that.
Here's the conversation we had over several weeks and many emails.
CM - Hey Mark, can you please give me the mdub lowdown? Where were you born and when? What was your deal as a kid and in high school? Maybe looking back will give us some insight into what drives you. Freud would agree.
MW - I was born in Detroit on March 14th, 1973 and we lived on 8 mile, but we left before I could remember so my chance of being the first white rapper went to a less skilled verbal carpenter. I went to a Catholic high school which could be the root of my problems with guilt. I don’t go church anymore unless I really need to test my stamina. Going to church is like doing calisthenics for an hour with someone telling you that your life is worthless and you must beg forgiveness. If you can make it through 12 years of Catholic school riding all day is a snap. I played soccer for 3 different teams - one of them was the State team. I loved soccer but when I got to high school it just was not as cool as football - at least that's what the coach told me. I didn’t start really hearing him until I was in my second year. He started making my life hard for not playing the 'school's sport' as he called it. We didn't have a soccer team because our school was too small. I played for a district team, a traveling team and the State team so I think that pissed him off even more. When I was a sophomore I did decide to play football but I was playing soccer at the same time so I would go to 2 practices a day and also have at least two games a week. Basically I played a lot of sports. It was my main interest and the only thing that kept me going to school. I was never a great student. Sitting in the classroom was harder than anything I have done to this day. The way it was in my high school was like any other high school - there were lots of drugs and alcohol. Before I went to my first day my dad made a bet with me. The bet was not touch either one till I graduated and I didn’t have a taste or a puff. After high school all bets where off.
The 2nd annual Grappa invitational moto race. Left to Right - Beavis, Hotrod, Bart, Chris,
Me and the Mummified Cat, Hickey, Chiosi, Tim, Kirk and Matt the short one. Photo ~ Suzie Weir
Did you ride a bike much as a kid? When did something you did for fun turn into a sickness?
MW - I did ride my bike up until I was 16. What we did on bikes was much different then kids today. We used our bikes purely for transportation and going places because we really didn't have an outlet or a place to ride them other then the streets. I didn't even know that trails even existed till I was 20. I was the kid on the GT Pro Performer with all the cool stuff on it but I didn't use it. I used the pegs though. I had a best friend named Eric who always rode on the back standing on the pegs. We found out early that Eric didn't have the skill set to ride a bike. He had more crashes in a year than I've had my whole life. I would go everywhere with that little monkey on my back but it was a small price to pay because he is one of the funniest guys I know - and he might not have lived too long if we had made him ride. One of the things I realized early - around 7th grade - was that I liked pain. I used to pick up Eric to go to school and then give him a ride home. He lived at the top of a big hill - about a 700’ climb and I would do the whole thing without stopping on my BMX bike with the monkey on my back. At some points it was steep enough that my other friends would have to get off and push. I would shit out my liver before I would push my bike.
So you like to hurt (and you have complete disregard for your liver). Is that the part of riding that gives you the most satisfaction?
MW - I have always liked the feeling of suffering from hard efforts but the biggest satisfaction comes after when you know you went as hard as you could have. It does not really matter if it was a race or you just pinned it up or down your local riding spot. When you get back from that ride the feeling of being still does not hurt so bad and the goals and guilt that drive me are gone for the rest of the day.
How would you describe your 'job' to someone who isn't familiar with the bike business?
MW - Well I'm still trying to perfect that one. Basically most suits and cubical people don’t understand. I guess there are 2 types of people you are explaining it to, the way I look at it. One is the person who works for money to buy all the cool stuff; cars, shoes, clothing - you know the life-filler stuff. They might never understand because I don’t really understand them - so why would they understand me? Then there all the people who make money work for them to buy the things they need to bring them the satisfaction they need to go from day to day. It doesn't really matter what it is - a bike, running shoes, art supplies, hell even fruit boots (Roller Blades) as long as it changes the way you think about what life really is - even if it’s just for few seconds of the day. This job did not come without sacrifices. I have put up with some real Soul Crushers along the way - the kind of people that are unhappy with their lives and do their best to make you feel the same. They will never see the light and they didn't help me to find mine either. But then again maybe in some strange way they did.
Tell me some more about 'soul crushers."
Soul Crushers. These are the type of people that are ugly inside, most likely not because they wanted to be but because they have been brought up that way. The kind of people that tell you one thing but mean something else and are driven not by a common goal but by personal gain and recognition. Sometimes they will be people that you think are your friends, but they are really just people who built a life for themselves that they would rather not have. And for some reason they think you got lucky and can’t understand why you got the life they wanted. My whole life I have been called a lot of things but the one thing that always comes to mind is. “You’re not good enough." I have heard that so many times that it has made it really hard for me to trust people. Another one is I can’t believe followed by things like, "you won, you are in that magazine, you passed that test, and you got that girl.' This is not a sob story. These are just the things that have made me who I am and gave me the skills to pick the right people to be around. The grass is always greener on the other side but when you think your side is green enough that is when you run into The Soul Crusher. Happiness is beset…
More hurt from Hell Ride 2. Photo ~ Forrest Arakawa
I've read that you work as team manager for WTB. Is this just a ceremonial position? When do you find time to work when you ride all the time? Or maybe that's old news and riding is your full time gig now.
MW - I still work closely with WTB and it seems like I do more now than a few years ago. They are really understanding of what I do and that also makes it easy. Finding the time? Well right now it’s 4:45 am and I can’t sleep. Nothing new. I never sleep that good or that long. One thing that is good is that I get to give people (my friends) the Tip TOP. That is the early bird special. I call them at 4:30 am or so and let them know I am up and they are sleeping their day away and the bus is leaving with out them. So give me your number and I will put you in the rotation.
We're in a different time zone in Canada. It wouldn't work. Apparently Martha Stuart and Bill Clinton are like that. They get a lot done because they don't spend much time dozing. Speaking of icons - can you tell me who you respect - both within the cycling world and outside it? Hell if you have a fictional hero toss him or her in as well.
MW - My biggest heroes are my Mom and Dad. They made me who I am and that has brought some of the best people I have the pleasure to call my friends. I am just a reflection of what my parents wanted me to be without ever telling me to do so. They gave me the freedom to make choices but gave me the tools like being conscious of people's feeling and observent of my surroundings before you say or do something that I might regret. My wife because she is the sweetest women I have ever met and just being around her makes me smile.
As for racers I would say Miles Rockwell for his style and his love for the bike and Brian Lopes because he is a true Professional. No one even comes close in my book.
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Where do you live now? John Schafer mentioned your pump trail. How did it all turn out? |
 Building the Pump Track - nowhere near Brokeback Mountain. Forrest, Hotrod, John, Chris, and Blind Bobby. Photo ~ Colin Meagher |
Feeling the pump. Photo ~ HotRod
How did the idea of climbing a million vert first emerge?
MW - The guys at motionbased.com - they have created this sickness that was controllable before but now runs my life. There is something about seeing all your rides recorded with a GPS. Stacking up the feet like a giant Lego collection. The bigger it gets the bigger you want to go. This month (January) I have climbed 97,000’ all in 23 rides 59 hours 360 miles and all on my Nomad and VP Free. That is the most I have done on my trail bike in one month.
So the year of the million is done and you are actually more obsessed now? On this pace you'll do close to 1.2 this year. Are you trying to break last year's mark?
MW - I haven't really thought about it, but I would like to get a million feet all on my mountain bike. Last year 820,000 was off road and 220,000 was on the road. I guess it’s hard to say that I am more obsessed. I think it’s just a natural progression of sickness. Now it feels normal to climb 30,000’ a week on my VP Free.
Why is it that you spend most of your time on longer travel bikes?
MW - They are just way more fun for me. I figure I do this for exercise and I want to have fun so what’s the harm of slugging a 12lb heaver bike up the hill if it’s going to make that ride down that much more enjoyable. If you are going to suffer anyway why don’t you just suffer one way on the way up?
You race both XC and DH (and 24hrs and single speed!). Do you think that concentrating on one you could do better than you do trying to juggle both?
MW - I am sure I could be but then again what if I did focus on one and I was not any better than before? It would be a huge waste of time and a real blow to my ego. I guess the biggest thing is that I don’t want to be just a racer I want to be the guy who loves to ride and does it to motivate others to ride as well. Getting more people to understand the joy that a bike can bring and the way it can change everything is way more rewarding then winning most races.
The finished product. Photo ~ Colin Meagher
In between there somewhere is the perfect race for you. Is Downieville that race?
MW - That has always been something that has been good to me. The race itself is great and so is the trail but what really makes it the best for me is the people involved. The kind of people that I may not see for 6 months but it feels like we spend everyday together when we do hang out. They work so hard to keep the dream alive and without them I might not be talking to you right now..
They call it a DH but it's long - how would you describe the course?
MW - It is a long course - about 16 miles with 5000’ of descent and 800’ of climbing and it's mostly singletrack at well over 20mph the whole time. The trail is really rough but only if you are going really fast. If you go slow it may seem easy. I grade a course on the speed that you can carry and the potential for grave disaster. D-ville is the kind of trail that you could really open it up on but if you come unglued it has many things in your path that could be a day or career ender. I seen lots of guys talking on chat boards about how it is not technical - and I would agree if you never got over 20mph. It’s like someone throwing a 40mph curve ball at you. Yeah it seems fast but you can get out of the way in time. Now what if someone threw a 90mph curve ball at you? By the time you figured out that having teeth was cool, and having the option to give a gummer was not, the ball would be in the catcher’s hand. Speed changes everything and Downieville has speed to give it you are willing.
"There is something to be said about connecting your hair full circle. Very
liberating."
How often do you do the same ride in a given month? We've all got our favourites but you ride so much it must make it hard to spread the love around evenly.
MW - That’s funny you ask. I have a real problem with getting stuck on certain trails and I end up ridding them for months at a time. Once I get to know the trail I just keep getting faster and smoother on it and it brings more and more joy every time I ride it. I am a big fan of riding a trail over and over again till I becomes like an old friend. The kind of friend where there is no such thing as uncomfortable silence or useless filler.
In terms of a local circuit what's your favourite ride?
MW - We have so many great races in norcal but most of them are XC races. My top pick is for sure the Skyline Race in Napa - the same place where they did the World Cup for 3 years. It’s really rocky tech singletrack with steep climbs and fast rough downhills. The course is 30 miles long and climbs around 5800’and makes a lot of people go back to the drawing board trying to figure out how they could get beat so bad by people they consider less fit then them. For DH it’s of course Downieville - my own private Idaho. Hey don’t get the wrong Idea! It’s just a really good time..
And your favourite ride on this blue marble?
MW - I love my home and my trails if I had to pick one place to be this is it. I can’t tell the trails by name. I live in Marin.
Do you mostly ride alone or with others or is it hard to find folks with your need for punishment?
MW - I do ride alone about 50% of the time but I do have a buddy that is more dedicated to his cycling life then anyone I have ever ridden with. His name is Kirk Desmond. He and I started cycling together about 7 or 8 years ago and we where both on the same path of racing and ridding every chance we would have. Kirk went to collage graduated with a degree in marketing but has still not pursued on job in the field for fear he would lose the thing he loves the most his bike. He has been managing a mom and pop grocery store for the last couple of year just so he can make the schedule that works best for ridding. He rides a lot. He climbed around 900,000’ last year while working 40 hours. He does it all not because he is going to be in a magazine or going to get free bike parts (he hardly gets any) he does it for his own reasons untainted pure love for the bike. He is the reason why I am the way I am and I am the reason he is who he is and we don’t live anywhere near Broke Back Mountain.
Besides Kirk who else do you ride with when you aren't solo?
MW - Ryan Finny, rough voice Rich, and sometimes other guys will come in and join but not very often.
Refueling carnivore style. Photo ~ Forrest Arakawa
I have the impression that you to a lot of product development work. Is that true? Can you tell me about that and who you work with on those sorts of projects?
MW - I love doing product R&D and I jump at the chance to do it with any sponsor that is willing to loop me in. I do most of work with Mark Slate one of the designers and owners of WTB. He is a really great person and he has taught me a lot about life and about tire design. I also work with Hayes, Fox, and Santa Cruz.
Are you a weight weenie?
MW - Of course I love light weight - as long as it does not affect function. I am a super geek for everything Ti. I also geek out on ceramic bearings. Right now I am figuring out how to make my Nomad into a 24 hour race bike. I will be racing on a 4 man team at Laguna Seca 24 hour and we all will be on Nomads. We are going to geek out so hard that we will make the Revenge of the Nerds first day in college seem like swingers party.
Speaking of geeks, have you talked to the folks at Guinness? Is your total a record or is that something that has been tallied before?
MW - I think it may have been done on a road bike once or twice but like that counts. I never did call Guinness… I guess I need an agent you interested?
Sorry. I'm sort of busy. Any idea how many vert riders like Lance or Jan Ullrich tally in a year?
MW - I don’t know but I would love to find out. Maybe that’s why Lance and Crow broke up - he came up short in the million foot club. That explains all the calls I been getting from her. Hey baby I’m taken.
I don't really have the sense that your riding is training. I know that you race and compete at a high level - in both XC and DH - but it seems that your need to ride is even more pathological than it is for most racers. Am I onto something? Or are you training?
MW - I do train for certain events but for the most part I really don’t have a clue what I am doing. So when I am in doubt I go climbing. I race so I can ride. I never let it get in the way of what I really want to do. Doing rides that I enjoy has always been the most important thing to me not results. The other thing is I seem to always feel better when I am beat down from riding too much so that has seemed to make a vicious circle of pain and pleasure. Like when Mike Ferrentino said to me - it’s like hitting your self repeatedly with a hammer; when you stop it sure feels good.
What are your goals for this season as a rider and racer?
MW - To ride as much as I can, race all the feel good events I can and make my back yard pump track a mile long.
What do you like to do when you aren't riding?
MW - Hang out at my friend Bart’s ranch and ride dirt bikes play wiffel ball, throw horse shoes, mow the lawn and dig trails.
Tell me about the bikes in your stable.
MW - I have almost every bike I have ever owned. I hate to sell them because everyone of them was a memory that I don’t want to lose. The ones on the front line are my VP Free, Nomad, Blur X, V-10, Blur XC, and Jackal.
Have you ridden on the North Shore? How about Whistler?
MW - I never have but sure would like to. I think I’m just scared that I might get there and be the worst rider around.
We're holding the North Shore Ripper for the third time this year. There is an up/down race that most people relay - but you can also solo (April 29th) - and a Super D on May 13th. Wanna come and Rip? I think you'd dig it.
I would like to find out more about that.
There are some details here. It's as real as it gets. Okay - last question I promise. What do you want to be when you grow up?
There's gold in them hills. Photo ~ Forrest Arakawa
MW - DR. Phil. I already have the hairline so I figure I can just pick up the rest of the skills along the way.
Anyone you'd like to mention here on the intraweb?
MW - I would like to thank my wife, my family and friends and all the people that made me smile along the way.
Thank you also to my sponsors WTB, SANTA CRUZ, FOX SHOX, EAS, FOX CLOTHING, HAYES BRAKES,EASTON, GRAVITY DROPPER, Kaenon Polarized, Truvativ, Sram, Giro MRP, Thompson.
Thank you Cam and NSMB for thinking that I was a worth while person to talk to. Ride with you soon.
Thank you Mark. Come and visit the Shore soon. You'll approve.
