60 Seconds RIC with... MCLAUGHLIN
Flying around the globe to all the Enduro World Series races, riding the tracks and hanging out with the pros doesn’t sound like a bad gig, does it? The man with this enviable role is Ric McLaughlin, who started his career right here at MBUK. After four years as our staff writer, Ric was sick of being persecuted by Jimmer for his Northern Irish accent and took his dulcet tones somewhere they’d be more appreciated. That place was Red Bull, where he ended up being the man on the mic in the finish arena of the World Cups, interviewing the riders. Three years later Ric was offered the chance to be the face of the EWS coverage and “grabbed it with both hands”.
Who is Ric McLaughlin?
A 35-year-old bike geek/ journalist who covers MTB racing for TV, online and print media.
Where do you call home?
Dunkeld in Perthshire at the minute, but ‘home’ home is Lisbane, County Down.
First bike?
A Giant Boulder with a fluoro pink-to-yellow fade and tan-wall tyres.
Current go-to bike?
My fry-sauce-pink Santa Cruz Megatower, which muscles its way around the Dunkeld steep stuff nicely.
Favourite rider to watch?
Brendan Fairclough, Sam Hill, Dave McMillan or Matt Walker.
Favourite bike film? 3 Minute Gaps or Earthed 5: The Law of Fives.
Best trail this year?
Chimney Beach in Lake Tahoe – a seemingly neverending 4.5-mile downhill. Fairly mellow, but flat-out all the way with big sandy turns and natural kickers. The craic with the boys was amazing, and it ended with a few pints of ice-cold Cali IPA. Days on the bike don’t get much better.
Scariest time on a bike?
Following EWS director Chris Ball through a Colombian favela, dodging neck-high corrugated metal while riding a foot-wide concrete stairset at full chat.
Worst crash?
In Madeira this year, when I tore the AC band in my shoulder. I’ve had bigger crashes and broken bones before, but in this one I got chucked out the front door at the top of a rocky chute and had a lot of time to think about how horrible it was about to be. Luckily, I got off fairly lightly.
Biggest ride of your life?
The Big Beastie – an annual 88km loop round the Tweed Valley with 3,000m of climbing. Last year my team got to 75km in before we called it a day. Pitch black, sideways rain and watching a grown man eat hummus with his fingers – enough was enough.
Clips or flats?
Clips. Better control, more power and your feet are always in the right place so you can focus on steering/ crisis management.
Bike park flow or natural gnar?
Natural gnar every time. Why would I want to travel to another part of the world to ride staircase berms?!
Desert island luxury?
A safari-spec Subaru Impreza S5 World Rally car. And lots of petrol.
Retrospective advice for your 13-year-old self?
Buy stocks in Facebook, and learn to wheelie properly.
What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this?
Running a pub in Northern Ireland or about to go into a title-deciding final round of the WRC. One is a lot more plausible than the other.