Pinkbike interviews Bodie Heflin Les Gets

This interview is from: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/it-doesnt-seem-like-they-really-want-privateers-here-interviews-with-world-cup-privateer-racers.html

By: Mandownmedia

Photo: Nick Bentley

Bodie Heflin, USA

 How many races have you done as a privateer?

For World Cups, this is just my second. But I mean, races overall, it’s been just the National rounds in the US for my whole life.

 You didn’t have too great of a situation in Loudenville last round, what happened?

No, unfortunately, not. It was a bummer. We showed up on Thursday, just as the schedule was lined up that was going to be track walk day. We showed up in the morning, like flew in. Then we’re just going to track walk later in the day and got the email that there are some schedule changes and that there’s a practice that same day. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it for that but that was no big deal until the following day when we tried to register at the normal registration time and found out that they had actually closed registration. So yeah, there’s no way for me to register. We tried to talk to some of the UCI officials and tried to do everything possible to race and it just ended up not working, unfortunately. Yeah, I was pretty bummed. Just had to sit out on that one. It was pretty good. But yeah, we’re here now and get to race here in Les Gets.

 Was there any kind of communication that the schedule change meant that sign-on wasn’t going to be at its usual time?

No. I mean, I thought the registration was just going to be at the same time really, I tried the day prior, but it was just going off the previous scheduled registration times and yeah it ended up not working out. The unfortunate thing was that they added a few riders on the elite teams to the start list. The main problem they said was that the start list had already been made and they said they couldn’t add me to it which later they ended up adding more people to, which is just unfortunate.

 It’s not a great situation to be in, How did that make you feel?

I mean for them to make the schedule changes but allow it for a factory team but not a privateer. It was definitely degrading, it felt like they didn’t really care too much when I talked to them about it. It just seems like everything’s fitted for the factory riders right now because you know, if you went to the previous round you’re obviously going to make it. But that scheduling coming in a day earlier for that race was impossible for us so there’s nothing we could have really done about it.

 Let’s talk about Les Gets. How’s it been actually getting to race?

It’s been so good. It’s been a week that I’ve been just wanting to get my downhill bike. Since we missed the last round I’ve just been stoked to get on the bike and ride the downhill course. Unfortunately, qualification didn’t go great with the crash at the top but you know, overall, it was a sick weekend and we’re just trying to get to these races and race as many as we can just to get this experience you know,

 Whereabouts did you end up getting to pit this weekend?

We ended up having a spot that was pretty close to the lift so that ended up being fine for us. But I definitely saw where they’re trying to put some other people I think, I think the Pinkbike tent was supposed to be by the lake.

 That’s another chairlift away pretty much?

Which is ridiculous

 How important is it to you to be close to the lift?

It’s actually so much more helpful than what you think. Just to have some tools close by and have a setup to go back and forth because it’s pretty common that you go back to make some suspension changes or fix a flat tire. If you gotta pedal a mile to go do that, it’s definitely cutting down on practice times, which are already short due to due to scheduling.
I heard some people getting three practice runs on the first day, and two the second day. I ended up getting I think, six total, which still isn’t enough for me personally, and I think I had everything together so was early the start times.

 You’re here as a Privateer. Does that mean you’re just here on your own or you got people with you?

I’m here with a filmer, my buddy Casein who works with Rooted MTB, which is just the team I’m riding for. So we get a little bit of budget and support from Specialized more to bring him over just to kind of support the series so that we can continue getting support at the races. And then yeah, some parts and tires and some bikes are there for us too. So I’m semi-supported. I still spent a lot of my own money to get here, but we do have some support, which does actually help out a bunch.

 Do you have a mechanic here?

No, but I work at a bike shop. So I’ve got some of it figured out. But we’re trying our best we got a nice toolbox here.

 How important do you think it is to the World Cup to have privateers here?

I think it’s necessary. The majority of these factory riders, Dakotah Norton came from the bottom really, that’s someone that a lot of the US guys look up to, and he had years where he didn’t qualify and now he’s getting on the podium fighting for wins. So I mean, so many of these guys have started from a lower position and just had to fight their way up to the top and I think, if it’s just cutting more to the top 30 I’m not sure how that would look with privateers trying to come up and everything.

 Yeah, especially in the Junior class?

Yeah, absolutely. I think there’s no other way to really do it for people. You have to kind of just do the privateer way for a little bit.

 What about the experience? Is this your first time ever in your race riding your bike?

This is my second time. I was at Val di Sole for my first World Cup last year. Yeah, it was a rough one for the first track but yeah, second time in Europe and it’s been sweet.

 How vital is that experience of riding on different tracks?

Oh man, I mean especially on something like this track here. It’s just you don’t get to ride anything like it anywhere else. We have a pretty small national round in the United States now so we still get to ride some somewhat decent tracks but nothing compares to the riding here and I think you’ve really got to ride these a lot to get good at them and it’s all about reps here. You can’t get good at World Cups without racing them really.

 How big is that gap from going from racing National Series to racing here?

It’s huge really I think there are a lot of people right now working to come over from the US National rounds to the World Cups and it is that big gap where you do have to race a lot of them to get good at the World Cups. I mean, it can be pretty competitive. But yeah, like I said the tracks are just so different.

 Will you be back for more?

Yeah, I’m hoping to be at Mont Sainte-Anne and looking forward to next year. Hoping to get to as many as I can really. I’m really trying to get to these European rounds because I think these are the most different than what I can get at home really. So yeah, focused on these and will for sure be at the North American rounds if there are any next year.