An evening with Charlie Murray and Tom Prier.

Charlie and T.P arrived in a blacked out vintage Cadillac with a north shore rack on the back, so we knew one way or another there was going to be some character on show; and safe to say Charlie and T.P didn't disappoint. We started the night learning about their early lives, where they grew up and most importantly - a pie or a pint? Both chose a pint, but Charlie said 0% alcohol. This was one of the first insights into what makes him so good at what he does; explaining how giving up casual drinking allows him to train harder, stay fitter and perform better. Interestingly both Charles and T.P had very outdoor-oriented upbringings, with both having a long history with skiing. The parallels between skiing and mountain biking popped up several times over the evening, not least into their lives off the bike and how they relax and have fun.

Next we asked about the how? How did you get to where you are? For those in attendance some of the stories and insights were incredible, and the coincidences that led Charlie and T.P to work together were uncanny. The story that stood out the most was how Charlie got signed by Specialized which basically involved the other Kiwi's on the Enduro series giving him too small a battery for an E-Bike race he entered for a laugh. While Charlie was smashing his way round the course seeing his battery get lower and lower it finally dawned on him that he'd be doing the last lap unassisted and purely under his own steam - so what to do? The race didn't mean anything as such, and as anyone who's ridden an E-Bike without a battery knows it's not much fun; but Charlie being Charlie decided to complete the race anyway. The final lap took him so long that the only people left when he finished were the guy's who'd set him up with too small a battery, laughing away at a very tired Charlie; and 2 other random people standing a little way away. As it turns out, one of those randoms was the head of the Specialized racing team who called Charlie the next day having seen his attitude in the race and asked if he'd like to meet - the rest as they say is history. The story encapsulated what it is that set's Charlie apart and combined with his other tales from the evening shows what it takes to stand out from other talented riders. 

After the personal stuff we moved onto the tech. Safeto say Charlie is in very good hands with T.P as his mechanic. T.P is meticulous, to the point where he won't ride with someone if their bike is noisy (and rightly so). An interesting aspect raised was how for T.P he only has to learn one bike for a season, but he has to know it inside out, upside down and the wrong way round; where as mechanics in bike shops have to have a hugely broad knowledge of bikes and parts, but not to the same level in terms of set up and tuning. Charlie and T.P both ride Stumpjumpers which allows them to bounce ideas off each other around set-ups. They then went through how they refine and hone their set up on the bike as well as where they like to run timed training laps. Another secret came out here: the best way they've found for timing and comparing runs is the GoPro!

We finished the evening off with some questions from the audience and everyone got to have a look and a feel of what a pro rides in the EWS. The insights given by Charlie and T.P were incredible, and sadly the stories too many to be repeated here, but we will summarize some of what we thought were the best lessons:

• Never give up.
• If you can get a job doing what you love it's a lot easier to be good at it.
• When approaching people for sponsorship ask what you can do for them, not what they can do for you.
• Gym work is important but so is bike time.
• The only way to build the grip strength you need is to replicate what you will be doing - and grip strength is key.
• Be yourself.
• Wear protection. 
• In a race a DH casing tyre may cost you seconds because it's heavier, but a puncture will cost you minutes.
• Good bike maintenance will make you faster and your bike will last longer.