STEVE PEAT
Peaty takes a fond look back at what MBUK means to him
Where do I start? It must have been the late ’80s when I picked up my first MBUK. Tim Gould and David Baker were on the cover. They looked cool and Baker was a Sheffield lad so it resonated with me straight away. I wouldn’t say I suddenly decided I wanted to be like them, but the mag defo got me fired up to ride at weekends and buy fluoro kit to match my Muddy Fox Roadrunner! That was my first MTB, which I still have. She was white with a pink BB area. I accessorised her with other pink parts – cables, carry pads, seat bag and the rest, ha ha!
Those early days helped me forge myself – the mag gave me heroes I’ve looked up to ever since. I feel so fortunate to have been able to race some of them, call quite a few of them friends, and also be on teams with the greats. David Baker and Tim Gould were just the start, then Jason McRoy, Johnny Tomac, Missy Giove, Mr Crud (Pete Tompkins), Brian Lopes, Mike King, James Blackwell [yes, our very own art ed!], Eric Carter, Hans Rey and, a little later, Shaun Palmer, Kirt Voreis... even bloody Rob Warner for that matter! The mag delivered these heroes for me, built characters and gave me things to look forward to, things to aspire to.
These days I’m overloaded by social media, and because I can see what everyone does each day, it’s hard for me to build up the heroes I need. Or maybe I’m just knocking on a bit!