Brothers take on the tough trails
They say they want to push themselves beyond their limits on their bicycles and be the best at the sport
Downhill mountain bikers and brothers Struan and Cullen McMaster are really making their mark in the world of downhill mountain biking.
Both Struan (19) and Cullen (17) were born and raised in Ladysmith.
Struan has completed home schooling and is busy doing a private course training as a graphic designer.
Cullen will complete his home schooling over the course of this year and the next.
The boys have always had a passion for bikes and started riding off-road at a young age.
One of their friends told them about downhill mountain biking and they immediately fell in love with the sport.
Struan belongs to Elite Men, while Cullen still falls under the Junior Section.
The boys were selected by the country to compete in Europe. While they were both in Europe, Struan was able to race two out of the three races. The race in Val Di Sole only Cullen raced, as he was chosen as part of the SA team.
The reason they were both sent over for a month was to give both brothers an opportunity to race internationally.
Struan raced in Andorra and Leogang, and Cullen in Andorra, Val Di Sole and Leogang.
The Andorra race was a World Cup Series event, Val Di Sole a World Championship race, and Leogang an IXS Cup Series.
They got themselves ready by training in Pietermaritzburg at Cascades, or simply going cycling to keep fit.
The aim is always to finish races in the fastest time. They say they want to push themselves beyond their limits on their bicycles and be the best at the sport.
There is a bit of healthy competition between the two brothers, as there naturally would be.
The boys say it is a very expensive sport and they would not have been able to do it without support from their parents. These two look up to Greg Minnaar, who is an accomplished South African downhill mountain biker and no stranger to winning races.
Both Struan and Cullen hope to take the sport further and become professionals.
They really enjoyed their time in Europe.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The breathtakingly beautiful countryside, the next level tracks and the friendly people really made it pleasant,” say the boys.
Struan’s motto is that “big is always better”, while Cullen just lives life day by day.
This was their first time competing outside of South Africa; they have done the South African KZN National Series.
Cullen has had a broken wrist due to the daring sport, but Struan has luckily only injured his hand and sustained no broken bones.
“To everyone who wants to do downhill racing, don’t be scared, follow your passion and do not give up,” advise the brothers. These boys are not going to stop doing what they love any time soon, and we hope to see them next year accomplishing more in this sport. They are really making South Africa proud.
Well done, guys, and good luck for the next race!
The following two videos takes you on a the same trip the boys went on and shows you a warm up on the trail:
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