INTERVIEW: Mike Ross on Slopestyle and a life of bikes

Words: Mike Blewitt | Photos: Piper Albrecht

As the Crankworx Cairns venue shifts into high gear, the natural amphitheatre of Smithfield MTB Park is throbbing with the unmistakable pulse of a mountain bike event. With the hum of generators as a subtle background noise, MCs voices boom over the speakers, and the crowds roar whenever an event is in progress. The expo is a flood of people moving between the pump track, food trucks and main arena. I've got a meeting with the sherrif, and I need to escape the tide that is flowing back towards the arena (and beer tent) so I'm not late.

I escape the mass of mountain bike fans and duck into the side of the Trek tent, sort of like moving into a green room. Trek's all star riders and photographers are sitting with fans blazing and bottled water – a perfect chill out zone while doing a highly demanding job. I'm here to meet Mike Ross, nicknamed The Sherrif by friends. And like the sport of slopestyle itself, Mike isn't what you'd expect.

Slopestyle had a relative boom in Australia in 2022, with a slopestyle tour running, the Momentum development camp, and Crankworx landing in Australia for the first time. Crankworx was my first time watching any sort of slopestyle event in person. I've been on either side of the tape at just about any kind of cycling event around the world, even watching a weird mix of trials and fashion, but not slope style. Given the extremely technical nature of the sport, I expected it to be full of big, brash personalities to match the skill set. Riders who may figuratively (and literally) elevate above the rest of us, with egos the size of their social media following. But this is not what I experienced, and as Mike Ross got chatting I learnt more about the rider, the sport and its culture.

Meeting Mike Ross

So, it turns out Mike Ross is pretty regular size, despite a super human bag of tricks. He's also soft spoken and considered, far removed from what you may imagine someone who has a fine ability to combine bike riding with gymnastics, without the crash mats. I have always been stuck on what steps a rider takes between riding trails, to doing backflips and more. For Mike, he started on small wheels.

'I rode freestyle BMX forever, and then I started riding mountain bikes. And at that time there was only races to go to. So I just rode downhill, and enduro and basically raced anything I could. I eventually got my hands on a dirt jumper and progressed into slope style.'

We chat a little further about riding, and it's clear that being on a bike is the clear motivator for Ross. And if it's in competition, that's even better.

'I like competing and I think it's really fun. It's one reason I'm still riding. I love competing and pushing myself,' Ross admits. I doubt pushing himself is something he really needs help with, but progression and slopestyle go hand in hand. Given it is a sport that is based on your scores from judges, you do need to constantly improve. And that means being able to do new tricks – or even devising something new. And it's far from something you just try at an event to get a better score, as Ross explains.

'A good example is my cash rolls. I learnt them sort of by accident. I tried them on BMX for years, and I always just landed on my head. For some reason I tried one to the airbag again, because it's nice and safe. You should always try things with an airbag first, if you've got one.' 

'Then I started doing them and all of a sudden I was getting people to film it, because I wanted to know what it looked like. I knew I was doing something and then landing, but I need to know what was happening. I did that 50 or 60 times in a row, just to make sure it was muscle memory. The key to learning new tricks is repetition, so you can do it in your sleep. Some tricks are a lot harder and more technical, so you have to be able to do them without thinking. When you've gone up to a massive ramp in a comp, there's not much going on in your brain. You have to rely on yourself and your training.'

Any bike rider will know what competition nerves are like. Some of us lift with the pressure, some of us fail. For Mike Ross, a life of competition has meant he feeds off the pressure.

'It's funny how when you start doing competitions you have a competition nerve and you're' afraid of them. But the more you dig into it, when you get into the gate you have the same nerves but they're turned on their head. You use that energy to push yourself and to do stuff that you'd never do if you were just chilling outside of competition.'

The Slopestyle community

While wtaching the Speed and Style, Whip Offs and Slopestyle, it's clear that the riders are highly supportive of each other. This isn't what I would have expected with an event where they compete directly on judging. We've all seen I, Tonya, right? While some riders did hit practice with a little secrecy, sensing features for the speed needed and keeping moves under wraps, overall the riders seem like a cohesive bunch of global gypsies from the outside, which Ross confirms.

'I don't know if it's because it's a small community, that definitely has something to do with it because we all know each other. When you travel around the world for these events you meet the same people.'

Still, it's a competition, right? Ross points out that Slopestyle is about the tricks you can do, not trying something new in the event. And getting through a run clean is celebrated by everyone.

'Everyone has their own goal. In a sport like slopestyle that is quite dangerous, where anything can go wrong, when you see someone land their run, and do what they set out to achieve, everyone is happy. Whether you come first or last, if you tick that box and put the run down that you wanted, that's what counts. It's probably one of the best things about slopestyle as a whole, it is always very inclusive.'

And that vibe spreads beyond the riders in the competition to fans. The masses of super fans along the barriers who went off when riders completed a clean run was phenomenal – matched only by the silence and concern when riders crash and don't move. There is a lot of energy at a slopestyl;e event.

'I've finished slopestyle runs and ended up having a 20 minute chat with someone in the crowd. I'm stoked, their stoked, and we are just sharing the energy.'

Slopestyle is just firing up here in Australia, so for much of the year riders like Mike Ross have to head overseas to compete. And it's a totally different scene in many other countries.

'It's a lot bigger overseas for sure. Here in Australia we have Downhill clubs and stuff like that. But overseas, they have slopestyle clubs. Australia will get there but we are just a little bit behind. The scene at the moment is really inviting. A lot of us get invited to the events overseas, and then to people's backyard jams, where they have their own setups.'

Crankworx is having an impact locally, and with the event coming again in May 2023, those who felt the FOMO too much in October should be in Smithfield to see the show. And Ross reckons it is a big part of the growth here, and to help people like me understand the slopestyle.

'Having Crankworx in Cairns is changing how Australia is looking at mountain biking. We've had a lot of very successful racers, but the slopestyle and freeride scene is very small, but it's growing quite rapidly which is cool to see. It's sick to be in front of a home crowd.'

Building Momemtum

In early 2022, The Trek Momentum camp took a bunch of top mountain biking women to the Highline MTB Park for a development camp. To say it was globally unique wouldn't be far-fetched – you can read about it here as our Deputy Editor Georgina von Marburg attended to learn more. Mike Ross was there to lend a hand, and was surprised how readily riders adapted to slopestyle.

'Haz (Harriet Burbidge-Smith) held the Momentum camp in Victoria and we had a whole bunch of girls down there, it was incredible. All the riders got through a course we had set, in the first day. All within about an hour. The day before we had done a track walk and riders said they'd be happy to complete one or two features. But an hour or so in, everyone was riding it all.'

While riders like Mike Ross and Haz were there for guidance, the progression was self-paced and in a really supportive environment – and Ross is sure that fast-tracked their progress.

What's training for slopestyle look like?

'I do a lot of gym work and a lot of cardio as well, but bike time is really important. It's not just the slope bike. I ride trails, I ride downhill, anything going fast. All your skills are what make you a well-rounded rider, you can't pinpoint one thing. All bikes are fun so why not ride them?'

'For slopestyle, most of my training has been with Caroline and her boyfriend. We have built a bit of a compound out there with airbags and ramps. We don't have anything like that at a bikepark, so we had to build it ourselves.'

'A lot of the riders were held back by fear at first, and they didn't believe in themselves. All the girls could ride downhill flat out, or were XC riders who could command a World Cup course. Just having that environment of everyone there being great riders, it was overwhelmingly positive. Everyone was encouraging each other and it the confidence built from there.All the riders pushed themselves, but we just gave them guidance. It was so good to see those girls get through and then see them in the competition a few weeks later. The 2022 Highline Festival had the largest group of girls competing in a slopestyle competition in Australia.' 

The next generation

With the slopestyle seeing an uptick of uptake, primarily as what riders are happy to do in jump jams progresses, I do wonder what Ross would recommend for a slopestyle aspirant.

'I reckon ride everything,' he states. 'Don't just stick to one thing because all the skills transfer. From braking points, to speed control, to jumping. Everything relates.' But the big thing, is keeping it fun.

'Don't get caught up in what your mates are doing. That can be how you get hurt because you're using an external source to push yourself. I feel the most positive way to push yourself, and the safest way, is for it to come from within. It has to be about having fun.'

My time with Mike is up. When we spoke at Crankworx he was only just back on the bike after injury, but he was set to prepare for a big 2023.

'I know I have more to deliver, and I love pushing myself. So I'm going to do more, it's as simple as that.' As I stand up to go, I have to ask him about the nickname, The Sherrif.

'A mate Dave nicknamed me that. I'm not a cowboy, I grew up around the Canberra region. But I love the western vibe and feel and working hard.'

I don't think anyone would question the dedication and work ethic Mike Ross has – I'm keen to see how his 2023 plays out.

Mike Ross would like to thank his Mum and Dad and Trek for helping out so much in 2022.