{"id":1027,"date":"2024-03-20T11:31:51","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T11:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/csol3\/?p=1027"},"modified":"2024-03-20T11:45:48","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T11:45:48","slug":"rise-with-us-series-1-chris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/csol3\/2024\/03\/20\/rise-with-us-series-1-chris\/","title":{"rendered":"Rise with us Series 1 – Chris"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why? It\u2019s a powerful question that often leads to some of the most insightful stories that have shaped our human history and it\u2019s the question we asked local riders here in South Wales. Since autumn last year we\u2019ve been meeting bikers on the trails and pump tracks and asking them the simple question of why. This first series of Rise With Us seeks to unpack why rising to ride brings joy to people\u2019s lives; it\u2019s a personal yet inspiring decision to simply put foot to pedal and get outside. So, join us for a whistle stop tour of some inspiring stories of risers from across the South Wales corridor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Northover<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The cliche \u2018eat, sleep, breathe bikes\u2019 is so overused in the two-wheeled world, but if there was ever someone to epitomise this quip, it is Chris. Based just outside of Senebridge, South Wales, Chris has been riding bikes for as long as he can remember. From jumping off old kitchen cupboard doors stacked on bricks in his parents back garden to downhill racing in his mid teens and obsessing over legends such as Martin Ashton, Martin Hawes and Chris Akrigg, Chris now coaches, test rides and presents for a TV channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf there are wheels involved, I\u2019ll try and do it for a living that\u2019s for sure!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He truly is a fount of knowledge built on a deep foundation of experience. Chris is also one of the smiliest and most joyful riders you\u2019ll ever meet on a wet, windy and muddy trail. We asked Chris what mountain biking brings to his life, his answer was simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCycling makes me feel, tired, wet, cold and ridiculously happy. That\u2019s probably the most honest answer I can give you. I\u2019ve always ridden bikes; it\u2019s been a huge part of my life. I don\u2019t know how to explain how it makes me feel as I can\u2019t imagine my life without it. It\u2019s just what I do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Today I\u2019ve been riding a Merida E140, trail e-bike. I use that as my go-to-ride-anywhere-bike. It tackles gnarly descents and it tackles uphills. It\u2019s not the most aggressive bike but it\u2019s a great do-anything bike and it\u2019s the one that makes me smile for exploring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I\u2019m not on that I\u2019ll normally be on a little jump bike. I like riding skate parks and jump parks; that\u2019s the other end of the spectrum. So I jump from the E140 Merida to a DMR sect little short travel hardtail jump bike and I\u2019ve also randomly got an old 1999 GT Karakoram cross country bike that is actually still good enough to put a smile on my face! So it\u2019s a bit old, bit of new, bit of jumps and a bit of e-bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I\u2019ve got a day off and I want to go riding it\u2019s normally the mountain behind my house. Just big open moorland, tracks that no one else rides and sketchy, slippery and technical stuff that all my friends moan about but that\u2019s my idea of fun! Getting stuck hiking, bike on my back and clambering up a rock face, that\u2019s a great place to be!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s a simple one. Honestly, the fitness side is great, especially once you get to a certain age, in your 30s, and you start feeling guilty of every burger and every pint of beer\u2026 cycling eases that out. It gives you guilt free burgers! That\u2019s probably one of the best things about mountain biking. But seriously, I just love being out and exploring the countryside. I keep looking and I haven\u2019t yet found a better way to explore an area than particularly an e-mountain bike now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve done quite a lot of riding in the Algarve in the South of Portugal. It\u2019s nice riding a totally different terrain that takes you a day to get your head around. Living in Wales, it\u2019s great to ride somewhere where you don\u2019t have to wash your bike every day: that\u2019s a rare treat! But I\u2019d have to be honest, the more I travel riding the more I realise how lucky we are here. The riding near home is so good that I like to see other places but I\u2019m never disappointed when I come home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Want to #RiseWithUs in our next season? Apply below to become one of our brand ambassadors!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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