Andrew Neethling

Vernon, New Jersey

Mongoose’s downhill ace Andrew Neethling spends most of his season meandering around Europe on the World Cup mountain bike tour but one of the most hotly contested downhill events of the season takes place on US soil in of all places, New Jersey. Just because mountains don’t come to mind when you think of New Jersey doesn’t mean that they don’t have some serious elevation drops. The Diablo Freeride Park in Vernon is the home of the US Open of downhill racing and the place is an amusement park for mountain bikes. The hill offers miles of trails that are littered with jumps, berms, ladders, wall rides and rocks and offers trail riding for all abilities. With a hospitable staff, great terrain and mild weather it had the makings for a great weekend of racing.

Andrew had just returned from Lisbon Portugal after competing in the Lisbon Downtown race which is very different from the courses he races on during the season which is good for a little variety but Andrew prefers the gnarly, technical, steep and fast downhill courses.

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Lisbon Downtown, 17^th may 2008:

The ninth annual Lisbon Downtown race was held on Saturday 17^th May. A packed field took to the infamous cobblestone stairways winding down the old city of Lisbon, Portugal. The race way different to the normal DH Race we do and was a mixture of slippery tight coble turns, car jumps, and huge stair cases. Tons of spectators and old ladies hanging their washing with it dripping on the course are things to look out for on the course.Team GT team member Bryn Atkinson and I embarked on the city of Lousa, Portugal for some training before Lisbon. There were so many trails to pick from. We were shown around by the locals and did so many downhill runs that after 2 days we were feeling it. The Lisbon race is run on a tight schedule. All the riders walk the track on Friday evening and get shown where the track will be marked. (more…)

The 2008 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season is upon us again. For those on the outside looking in they may think that the life of a Pro-Mountain biker is glamorous with its globe-trotting travel to some of the most beautiful locations in the world that most only get to see in books or on television. When in reality the life of a Pro-Mountain biker is filled with variables that are beyond their control making their lives on the road chaotic at times. Being a professional athlete you have to maintain a positive state of mind to keep mentally prepared to perform at your best and it can very difficult keeping your cool when you have to deal with lost luggage or bikes, getting lost driving in a foreign country, language barriers, drastic change in culture and foods, jet lag, inclement weather and many more issues.Mongoose’s World Cup downhill ace Andrew Neethling is as well seasoned traveler and at 23 years of age he has already settled in on the World Cup scene and handles all of the mishaps and pressures with the ease of a veteran. His laid-back approach is deceiving when it comes to his racing. That is when the happy-go-lucky Needles puts on the game face and charges every course with the aggression of a LA rush-hour road-rager. But the determined South African is also known for his flowing style and skilled prowess and the combination of the two very different traits balance out Andrew to be a downhill dominator.The start of the 2008 World Cup fired up on one the most historic courses in downhill racing history, on Pahorje Mountain in Maribor, Slovenia.
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