Adventure Magazine

Image by Dan Griffiths / Red Bull Content Pool
athlete
JESS BLEWITT
MOUNTAIN BIKER
Originally from Mount Manganui on
New Zealand’s North Island, Jess
Blewitt grew up travelling over to the
country’s South Island to compete in
ski racing with Queenstown’s Alpine Ski
Team at the Coronet Peak ski resort,
before relocating there full-time with her
family.
Jess decided to transition to downhill
mountain bike racing in 2019, but
Coronet Peak remained her training
ground of choice with its world-class
track and facilities.
After that her MTB career took off with a
series of big results such as first place
in the under-19 category of Crankworx
Rotorura, first place at Phoenix Enduro
and winning New Zealand’s national
championship title, which helped secure
her a place on the UCI Mountain Bike
World Cup roster for 2021.
Jess’s standout performances earned
her an invitation to showcase her skills
Stateside at Red Bull Formation 2021 in
Virgin, Utah. She followed that up with
a string of impressive Enduro World
Series and World Cup displays.
We caught up with Jess between race
and training to get a little insight into to
what it takes to be a world-class female
mountain biker
24//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#239
How did you get started in mountain
biking, and what drew you to the
sport? Funnily enough I moved to
Queenstown for ski racing but later on
ended up quitting. I never even knew
properly what downhill mountain biking
was but it was a pretty popular sport at
the school I went to. A lot of my mates
were racing or just riding for fun and
one of them said I should give it a go
and from there on I loved it!
Which mountain biking discipline is
your favourite, and why? Racing of
course! Nothing beats going fast and
wanting to win. I do also enjoy dabbling
in a bit of freeride stuff here and there.
What is your training routine like,
and how do you balance it with other
aspects of your life? Finding the right
balance between social life and training
is never easy. I definitely made a lot of
sacrifices but I wouldn’t be where I am
now without doing so. As long as your
having fun along the way then your
winning!
What advice would you give to
aspiring female mountain bikers who
want to pursue a career in the sport?
My advice would be to keep it fun and
to never let anyone or anything ever
stop you from pursuing a career.
How do you approach risk-taking
and pushing your limits in mountain
biking? Sometimes it’s best to not think
too much about the risk involved. The
more it gets in your head the harder it is
to want to push your limits or take risks.
Of course you do have to weigh it up
properly sometimes but you normally
know if it’s too much for you.
How do you deal with injuries or
setbacks and maintain a positive
mindset? I’ve dealt with some pretty big
injuries myself and managed to came
back from them without any setbacks.
I think it’s all about trusting the process
and just knowing that it’s normal for
injuries to take time and that your not
expected be right back where you were
before it happened.
What role does nutrition play in your
performance as a mountain biker?
It’s all about finding what fuels you for
race week and gives you sufficient
amounts of energy for a race run.
How do you manage the pressure
and expectations that come with
being a top athlete in your sport? I
sometimes don’t manage the pressure
so well haha but having the right people
in your corner definitely helps with that.
Nicolas ('Nico') Piraud watches on as Jess Blewitt
hits a feature dubbed "The Ovary" at Red Bull
Formation in Virgin, Utah, USA
Image by Catherine Aeppel / Red Bull Content Pool