DIRTY SECRETS

What our favourite MTBers get up to when they're not messing about in the mud

Growing up in New Zealand, Veronique Sandler was introduced to mountain biking when she watched the 2006 Downhill World Champs in Rotorua and was instantly hooked. She raced domestically for a few years, before starting to make a name for herself on the World Cup circuit, but then made the switch to freeride – an usual move for a female rider, but one that paid off, as you’ll know if you’ve seen her shred. So far, so gnarly, but in her spare time, Vero has a hobby that might surprise you...

“When I was five or six, Mum insisted that my brother [and fellow ripper] Leo and I learned an instrument,” Vero explains. “I picked the violin and he took the flute.” Their mother Lucia swore this would teach them discipline and coordination, and she may have been right, judging by their MTB endeavours. Vero played the violin throughout her childhood and took lessons until she was 18. She isn’t the first in her family to take to the instrument, either – her great-grandfather Albert Sandler was a renowned violinist in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s (look him up on Spotify!).

Growing up playing classical music, it wasn’t until she moved to the UK, aged 18, that Vero dove into other genres like pop. She didn’t bring her violin with her, and it wasn’t until she returned to New Zealand in 2017 that she was able to get back into it. While she’s busy on the pro freeride circuit these days, she’s still no stranger to her violin and plays whenever she gets time.

"MUM INSISTED THAT MY BROTHER LEO AND I LEARN AN INSTRUMENT. I PICKED THE VIOLIN AND HE TOOK THE FLUTE"