We the Riders have recently teamed up with Luke Meier-Smith, the lightning quick 16 year old from Comboyne, New South Wales.
2019 is going to be a big one for Luke, catch up with him below.
Name: Luke Meier-Smith
Age: 16
Living in: Comboyne, NSW
Riding: Pivot Firebird 29er
Sponsors: Pivot cycles AUS, Jet black, Stans No Tubes and We the Riders.
Catching up with Luke Meier-Smith
WTR: Luke, you had a great year in 2018, what was your highlight of the season?
Luke: Thanks, my highlight was 100% Crankworx Whistler where I finished 1st in Garbanzo DH, 2nd in Dual Slalom, 3rd in A line and 4th in Canadian open DH.
WTR: You recently got your hands on the New 2019 Pivot, whats your secret to bike setup, and getting comfortable on the new machine?
Luke: The new bike is absolutely insane! We literally got the bike from the bike shop and headed straight to cannonball! For me bike set up is all about how you feel on the bike and how it performs on the trails, I try not to get to specific on every single click, it took me around two days at Thredbo before the bike felt pretty dialled.
WTR: How was your experience traveling to and competing in the Canadian Crankworx in Whistler 2018?
Luke: It was such an awesome experience being able to compete overseas and see how I face up against the world stage, the trails where absolutely next level and the riding and racing scene was incredible.
WTR: Do you have a favorite discipline, Enduro/Downhill?
Luke: For me I love both enduro and downhill, I love the amount of riding and variety of trails Enduro gives and the speed and thrill you get with downhill.
For 2019 I am concentrating on downhill looking to do some world cups and hopefully world champs, I will see where that takes me and go from there.
WTR: Who is your biggest influence in the sport?
Luke: Definitely Sam Hill, the guy is absolutely insane, with him winning multiple Downhill World Championships and World Cups and then also two EWS titles in his first two years.
WTR: What are you looking forward to in 2019?
Luke: Riding and racing bikes! Definitely excited to see how I go in some Downhill World Cup events and hopefully World Champs as this is my main focus going into 2019.
WTR: Goals for the future?
Luke: Definitely to get a factory ride and race Downhill World Cups and / or EWS races.
WTR: 27.5 or 29? Flats or Clips?
Luke: 100% both 29 and clips.
Flats are great for learning the basics of riding a bike and 29's are where all racers are heading.
Keep up with Luke's progress on social media Instagram @luke_ms1
