Horsfield Heads Home To Defend Title
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Robin Horsfield is aiming for a fifth successive title in the Winners Edge Mountain Bike Cross Country National Championships in Southlands, Warwick, next Sunday [March 24].
Horsfield will return home for the annual race, which he has dominated in recent years, his sequence of wins only interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
For Horsfield, a student at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, it will be his season-opener, and he is keen to get off to a flyer.
“You never know what will happen in a mountain bike race, but I’m prepared and looking forward to seeing how it goes,” Horsfield told Bernews.
“I’m hoping for another win and start my season positively.”
The 24-year-old, who will compete in the Open Male Division, will be the overwhelming favourite to retain his title but knows he cannot afford to rest on his laurels.
“Kavin Smith, Jackson Langley, who won the Fat Tire Massive Mountain Bike series, Che’Quen Richardson, and Alan Potts are all quite strong,” he said.
“Being the favourite doesn’t bother me. It’s nice to return to Bermuda, put in a good effort, and display what I’m up to overseas.”
Horsfield, who competes for Royal City Racing in Ontario, has committed the next two years to chasing his dreams of turning professional.
“I’m hoping to move up the ranks and get noticed by a higher-level team,” said Horsfield, who graduates next month.
“It’s not easy becoming a professional. There isn’t a significant team aspect to it – you must do it yourself.
“There are different levels of pro teams. I wouldn’t go straight from my level to a full-time pro level where they compete in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.
“There are intermediate teams, however, and you can move your way up.”
Ranked as the top rider in the province of Ontario last season, Horsfield will again compete in the seven-race Canada Cup Mountain Bike Series as he builds towards the Pan American Mountain Bike Championships at Soldier Hollow in Wasatch County, Utah, in May.
“I competed in the championships last year [in Minas Gerais, Brazil], but unfortunately I had a mechanical, which put me out of position for points,” he added. “I’m hoping to represent Bermuda at this year’s championships.”
Horsfield is sponsored by Fat Tire Massive, the Bermuda Bicycle Association, Northshore Pharmacy, and Butterfield and Vallis.
