SAM PILGRIM
How the dirt jump star and Haibike ambassador got his irst ix of mountain biking through MBUK
It’s mad to think that MBUK is 30 years old. I can remember seeing the magazine as a 10-year-old and being amazed by the riders and the jumps and tricks they were doing. Those mad stunts from back in the day, like riding underwater – that’s the stuff that really stands out.
I guess I’d been a riding a bit before then, but when my dad brought the mag home, it really got me inspired. My first proper bike was a Muddy Fox, but I’d owned some dodgy second-hand bikes before that. It was through reading MBUK that I learnt more about bikes and how to develop my skills.
I used to love reading anything with Grant ‘Chopper’ Fielder in, and Chris Smith and Steve Geall were always an inspiration too. Who’d have thought I’d end up riding with them in MBUK over the years!
I’ve had some cool features in MBUK, including a cover back in 2009. That was when things were going really well for me and I was winning loads of events, like the Red Bull District Ride, FMB World Tour and even BikeRadar Live’s dirt jump competition.
Since then, I’ve become brand ambassador for Haibike. I’ve really got into e-biking and am trying to get as extreme as possible on them. I reckon I’m fitter now than ever and love changing people’s perceptions of them!