Chaz: It's good to have you back. Third time lucky, he's absolutely Ed: Yeah, all right, guys. Craig: Spinner. Chaz: nailed it. Ed: Yeah, alright guys, welcome Chaz: Click. Ed: back to the I think we're at episode nine. Something like that. Episode nine of the washed up pod. Me and Charlie Murray and today we're joined by Craig Oliver. welcome Craig. S surprised you were game to do this. Craig: Thanks. Yeah, thanks for having me. Charlie's only had like ten saunas to talk me into it. Ed: this is a bit of a slow boom. Chaz: How's it going today? Ed: The scene it the sauna's so good for a a mate to mate catch up, though. Craig: Yeah, yeah. I I went alone and he left me hanging. Like it was pretty gnarly today. Like at the in everyone started talking about what they're grateful for and stuff and it was like still light outside so it was it was pretty deep. Chaz: Wow, that's- I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. Was it- Was it textile free or was it textiles? Craig: I know, you mu you dodged a bullet, bro. Ed: Yeah, what wait, is it like Craig: If it was textile free I really could have come up with what I was grateful for a lot easier. Chaz: I'm not gonna ask questions. Ed: wait, so you go you go sauntering you go to s you go sauntering with like a crew and then is it like a does someone like lead it? Craig: Nah, but there was definitely Chaz: Yeah, we take turns at leading the meditation. Craig: We don't, but there was definitely felt like there was a leader there today. She was she was definitely like Ed: Yeah. Chaz: Really. Craig: the the sauna experienced sauna person, you know? Chaz: I think I know Ed: Yeah. Chaz: this girl. Is she kind of sporty? She's kind of like... Craig: Don't lead me astray here. Chaz: I'm judging by her cover but at first glance she appears to be sporty like a triathlete or something. Ed: Ha ha ha. Craig: she never said she was a triathlete, but I'm just gonna say yeah. Chaz: Okay I think it's the same one because we went to one and there was a whole lot of things we had to be silent for like a 15 minute block and then you had to do one where you listened and it was like breathe into your body, feel the air coming Ed: Yeah. Chaz: in and out of your nostrils, feel the wooden seat supporting you, feel your body weight sinking into the earth like that. Craig: There's it wasn't quite like that, but this dude today, this is next level soldering, he wanted to know if they had crystals that you could put on the fire that mum your numb your mouth so then it doesn't feel as hot. Have you ever heard of that? Chaz: What? Ed: What? Craig: I was like I was like, mate, I think you're just across the road at Miss Peppercorns and had a bit too spicy a fucking dinner last night before you came. Like that is so random. I've never heard of it. Chaz: I reckon there's probably something you could burn on the stove that would do that effect but it's probably illegal. Yeah. Craig: Yeah. Peter. Ed: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Craig: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: What's been happening in last week, Before we any introduction, Craig: just Chaz: we're just going to dive straight into this and then we'll come back to the introduction because we kind of do things backwards here. Craig: Yeah, fair enough. Well the last week. just working, Just working, getting ready to go to China. Yeah, just not a lot really. Just same old taken away, Ed: What do you what do you do for work? Craig: I've just got like a mountain bike coaching, well, all kind of cycling coaching business, like training programmes and like skills coaching stuff, and then like work for a school and also at like a bike shop contracted doing like bike fits. It's just like not really bike set up, like fitting someone I guess to like a T T bike or a road bike or X E bike or whatever. Yeah. Yeah. Ed: Yeah. What how do you how do you fit a what's the how do what's the process of fitting someone to a black? 'Cause I'm like like I wouldn't even know if my black f it fits me Craig: it's Ed: right. Craig: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think like what you boys are working with in terms of fit, like you're not changing much. Like you'd be changing the like you have such a good idea, you'd be changing the s seat like a couple of mil here or the angle of the saddle or the reach or something like that. But with a lot of I'd say like eighty percent of the customers is like they just have their seat just slammed like this and they're like, I've Chaz: you Craig: got sore nuts and you're like, true, bro And then you like put it down at Ed: Ha ha ha. Craig: the fr You put it down at the front, they're like, Whoa, so comfortable, thanks so much. And you're like, No worries, mate, enjoy. Like Ed: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: For those on audio, Craig was pointing his fingers basically vertical. The tip, the nose of the seat is skyward. Like sitting on... Craig: Yeah, yeah. Like it's Ed: Yeah. Craig: either skyward and they're just like sliding off the back of it or it's just it's actually outrageous, like I guess it's kinda random that people have it so far out, but you know, these dudes are like aircraft engineers and then they come in and they got their seat on the wrong angle, but I guess, you know, I wouldn't know how to fix a plane, so you don't know what you don't Chaz: you don't know, you don't know. Ed: Yeah, yeah. Craig: know. Chaz: Have you ever met someone, Craig, who cannot be fitted to a bike? Like, is there any body shapes that just do not work? Craig: I mean there's body shapes are definitely harder to work. Like quite a lot of people have a different like say for me and my partner Priscilla, like we're almost the same height, but then her seat's like mega high. So then I always find that I'm like if I ride the right size bike for me then the seat post doesn't really come much out of the frame, so then I can't get the bars low enough really if I'm like on a XC or road bike, so I have to actually ride a smaller size than what would say recommend on the website to get like enough drop. Between my saddle and my bars. So like random shit like Chaz: short legs. Craig: that. Yeah, yeah, short legs, yeah. Yeah. And Chaz: Is there any like, tall people or short people harder to fit on bikes, do you reckon? On average. Craig: probably short woman because everything's just like so targeted, the classic like just middle aged dude, you know, Chaz: The dead. Craig: standard New Zealand dad, yeah, yeah. So like Yeah. Ed: Up the mammals. Chaz: Yeah. Craig: They just have like outrageously wide bars and they're just like just they couldn't even hold the position if you asked to a press up, like their hands are that wide and shit, so yeah. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: well, that sounds like good fun. I'm just thinking how deep we get off the bat but are you pretty happy with where you're at with career stuff? Obviously you've been, I'd say, pro rider or at least on that calibre in some of your racing career. Do you think the path you're on now is a good path? Obviously your brother's now, you guys have been doing the same stuff for years and now he's going for the pro road path. Was that something you would want or are you pretty happy with the settled life? Craig: if someone came and gave me as much money as he's getting paid to do it, I'd definitely do it. But I I I and I think like Ed: Mm-hmm. Chaz: you Craig: pro writing would be sick, but I've been on bo I like I mean that was generous saying I was pro, I was never pro. We'll get into pet peev we'll bring that up later in pet peeves, but anyway. Chaz: Yeah. Ed: Yeah, yeah. Craig: but like I mean I think I have a good perspective of both sides of it. Like I feel like sometimes You gotta rein my brother in a bit or something, or some mate who's pro or whatever, and be like, Fuck bro, you're doing in the weekends, but I would do like I mean, I would do what they want to do in the weekends, you know, like just Chaz: Mm. Craig: wanna go riding and shit, but they're like, I've got a four hour ride, it's pretty hard life, and you're like, yep, sick, but everyone else just wants to do that in the weekend, but you know, they wanna go do hunting that we can do, or wanna go do something else, but they can't 'cause they can recover. So there's pros and cons of everything, but I mean I think if I was living in a shit place, then I'd want to be more so like try and go pro or something 'cause you get to travel around and do shit, but being in New Zealand, there's just so much that I like doing that I just don't really care. Like I like riding, but I don't like riding enough to like just sacrifice everything until I'm fifty trying to battle away being pro. I'd say I was a professional battler, to be honest. Ed: That's a Which is a good thing. Chaz: That's a good way to look at it. Ed: Everyone ev everyone needs to be a everyone needs a battler. Craig: Yeah. Ed: that's me. But so let's 'cause I'm quite curious, like, if we start at the beginning, so how how did you Chaz: Yeah. Ed: and Ben get into writing? Craig: well we did just like we rode basically like we'd play rugby on a Saturday and then we'd just go ride with my olds on like a Sunday just at like local, I guess like regional, flat, easy mountain bike parks and we went and did stuff like a Targo rail trail over three days and just smash Raro and, you know, battle away and did it for fun. And then and then I think I like did a cross country running race or something with Anton Cooper who people would know. And then he asked Ed: Mm. Craig: me to like take my bike or something up to Hamner or something. And I rode with him and then I went to another race with him and then I end up like winning that race. And then I just enjoyed that mountain biking was like you could go so many other sick places where I was doing a lot of running and rugby at the time and I'm like, you're just running around like a flat field, it's pretty boring. Every track you goes through the same. And then like mountain biking was way more appealing. So I just put a few more eggs in the the basket of mountain biking and just did that more, I guess, and just phased out from running in rugby. Ed: What position were you playing Chaz: Craig was Ed: in rugby? Craig: number nine halfback, just the most pesty Ed: Nice. Craig: pain in the arse. yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Chaz: You'd be a good halfback We Ed: Yeah, yeah, just chir just chirping away. Craig: Exactly, chirpin away, do one big tackle and then hide behind the rock again. Chaz: You Ed: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: So Craig was a pretty phenomenal athlete in many ways, but I remember, I think Craig, must have been like year seven or year eight, so what's that about, like 11 or 12 years old, we went to the running Craig: Yeah. Chaz: nationals for Canterbury. We were representing Canterbury with Paul Norton, and we traveled Craig: Yeah, yeah. Canary primary schools, yeah, yeah. Chaz: with, they selected 10 boys, 10 girls from two different age groups, and we went and raced at nationals, I think, That was the first time I was Craig: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So they had that. Chaz: really hanging out with you. Craig: Yeah, it would have been. Yeah. And then they had like one in Hamner, one in Canterbury, like Blenheim, all through sort of primary schools, years. But that was pretty good trips 'cause you like it wasn't necessarily everyone wasn't like so focused on running. You just got to meet like other people from other schools who are kinda like good athletes and you just would like run and then you just go on a sick trip together. Chaz: I remember you, I think you smoked me in the running and also you were super confident so you were chatting with all the girls and I was too shy to talk to any girls so I was just thinking that you're the man. I'm like, man, crazy. Craig: Right. Chaz: What's that? Craig: I said I don't think Priscilla would believe that, I I was just a Chaz: you Craig: shy, innocent boy, Charlie, come on. But I I'll take I'll ta I'll take it. Nah she's not in the same room but she could be if you wanted to be. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: Is she in the same room? No, no, we're good. want to keep it. What happens on the podcast stays on the podcast, which may be incriminating. Craig: Yeah, true. Ed: Yeah, exactly. Very well. Craig: Yeah. Chaz: But so yeah, obviously the cross-country career, you've always been quite a good athlete, good cardio capacity, movement of racing, XC, which was just XC back then, it's now called XCO because they put it into the Olympics. but you're winning a lot of the races more than national cups and national champs and stuff and you always what one-age group young man and all so going through those years Craig: Yeah, so I'm like a year younger than Anton. There's some weird thing between like me, you, Weezy, my brother and Anton who are all like about half a year difference between us all from Anton being the oldest, I think. Chaz: Yeah. Craig: Something like that. Chaz: So and then you went and raced for New Zealand in the World Cups and the World Champs as an under 19. Craig: Yeah, so I did. last year under nineteen I didn't have my shit together first year, got selected but had no idea what was happening really with mum and dad. They're just like, you can go to worlds And then I'm like, true. Ed: Yeah, can you can you tell us about your first tell us about your first world champs because it's always it's the they're it's always pretty interesting. Craig: my first world champs was South Africa, Ed: Like world like your first like kind of world event. Craig: my first world of event was in Alpstadt, I think, in Germany. And me and my brother just flew over, stayed with a German family, just the two of us, only like their son really spoke Chaz: Thanks Craig: English, and they picked us up from the airport. We went to like the German marath Chaz: How'd you find them, Craig? Craig: they were they were real nice. We actually met the dude who was Chaz: No, no, do you get connected? Craig: the son was bike packing around New Zealand and then like we picked him up or something and he was just a mountain biker and then we're like got talking and then they he was actually real good at mountain biking and racing some team and then we're like, I think, you know, just connected the dots, like a World Cup's in Germany and then he offered us to stay and then we went over there and stayed for like two weeks and raced, yeah, like three races or something like that. 'Cause we did like a s little stint to Europe and then came back and then went to Peter Marisberg Worlds? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Chaz: How did you go in those first Ed: Twenty yeah, twenty thir twenty Chaz: wheel cars? Ed: thirteen. Chaz: Do you have any mirrors like mechanicals or just crack up situations? Craig: Bro, I was yeah, I was basically a hero one weekend, like got second at the European sort of junior marathon race where all the top dudes are at, like, out sprinted this derma German dude up this climb, so stoked with myself. And then he got he got like third at the World Cup the next weekend and I just basically spewing and shitting myself in a foreign person's bathroom for like a week before the race and was just written off. So Chaz: Did you still rise? Craig: yeah, I still raced. I was like absolutely crippled, but I still raced, Chaz: I'll go. Craig: and I remember just going down the start straight, like just ripping, like, nah nah, you've got this, you got this. And this dude just T-boned me from behind and just ripped off my rear Chaz: no. Craig: derailer. And at that stage, I was like, it's just not meant to be today, So Chaz: You Craig: yeah. But Ed: Yeah. Craig: then I was just like so dark because the guy that I beat the last weekend before, like, like got third at a World Chaz: Go third. Craig: Cup. And for me was I was like I c I was just like, you know, telling myself, Well, I could have won that World Cup but, you Chaz: Yeah, yeah. Craig: know, a lot of that shit happens. Ed: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: And then did you recover from the sickness or did that kind of set the tone for the trip? Craig: that kind of ripped off the l next weekend in Novomesto as well. Like I might have got like t maybe top thirty or something like that, but nothing like crazy good. And then we came back and went to Peter Marisburg Worlds. Ed: Yeah. Craig: I couldn't even tell you where I got, but I feel like many not many people actually finished that race and are the junior men 'cause it's just mega hot. I don't remember everyone getting cramped and like pulling out and stuff. but Chaz: truck. Craig: I do remember Minar winning at home. That was sick. Ed: Mm. Craig: and just like some real Pfft Chaz: What year was that, Craig? Craig: mate, I'm so bad with dates and years and shit, don't ask me, Yeah, Chaz: That 20, 20, 2013. Ed: I think it was twenty thirteen. Yeah. Craig: could have been, yeah. But I just remember staying with like the New Zealand team, like so Ed: it might have been twenty twelve. Craig: far away from like the race with just like, you know, eye opening first trip over there, bars Chaz: Yeah. Craig: and barbed wire and shit everywhere, like and we were like driving basically through some sketchy ass area with all the doors locked, and then just like see some dude wearing I think it was like Mick Hannah's race jersey, like just in Chaz: Hahaha Craig: the town and he had just stolen it Ed: Yeah. Craig: and just walking around the town and then it was like some article about like kit got stolen from the pits or something and there's all these dudes just stoked as walking through the town in jerseys. Chaz: you Ed: Yeah, 'cause Merrittsburg's quite s Chaz: that would be eye-opening. Ed: Meritzburg's quite sketchy, I remember when Craig: Yeah. Ed: we when we went there for the World Cup in twenty fourteen. you're like you're staying in all these gated communities, but then when you go outside the gates, you're like it it couldn't be more contrasting. 'Cause the inside these gated communities it's like idyllic. It you know, everything's just perfect and And then you go outside the gates and you're like, Whoa it's pretty coming from New Zealand especially. Craig: Yeah, a hundred percent. It's like where the race was was like Yeah, when you're that young Chaz: Yeah. Craig: and then I remember it just being like, you know, you leave the Teen New Zealand hotel or whatever and you're like, What the where are we? Where even gonna race? And you get there and you're just like, Whoa, this is sick, like the nicest restaurants, Ed: Yeah. Craig: real cheap. We're just like eating out every day. Like it was yeah, it was pretty sick. You learn heaps. Chaz: So did your parents, so you said the first year you got selected, first year of 19, so you would have been what 16, 17 at this point? Craig: Yeah, something like that, yeah. Chaz: and then they said you could go but you just didn't have a shit together, you obviously have to fundraise some money to get there. How did that work? Craig: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: then the second year you obviously made it work. How did that all come about? Craig: I guess we just knew it was more in the pipeline, like in the second year, to be able to make it happen. Like I think, I don't know, where I got in the nationals and rounds and stuff, but I got selected first year under nineteen. Didn't go, because we didn't know what we're doing really. And then that was the second year that I went over to do that first Europe trip and then to Peter Marysburg. And then Ben came as well, 'cause my brother's like what, a year and a half younger than me, so he's kind of just like in the age group with me, not in the age group with me, in the age group, not so on, like Chaz: Yeah. Craig: through under seventeen, under nineteens, under twenty threes or whatever. so it was probably a bit easier having us both, but I remember always just being real pissed off that he got to go in his first year under nineteen and I didn't Chaz: Yeah. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: And how do you guys fundraise to get there? Because it's probably, it's not cheap to do an overseas trip. Craig: we did we did all kinds of shit, man. Like we had paper rounds. I worked in not when I was that young, I didn't work in a swimming pool, but I think we did like c it was like catering. So like we'd go to these massive events and mum would come with us as well and we'd work to like two in the morning just like plating up I don't know, these like rant you know, like one hand steak, one hand spinach, la la la slide the plate across and then the chefs would like take it out. you Chaz: Yeah. Craig: know, it'd be like kind of functions with five hundred people and you could like I think we put it down as like some sort of I don't know, we're some sort of charity case or something so you could just not pay tax or whatever. I got no idea how it worked really, Ed: Yeah, yeah. Craig: I was just young. and then yeah, we just did heaps of random jobs for like yeah, Chaz: Yeah, I innocence. Craig: yeah, and then we did like even just like going down to Bunnings and selling snags and all sorts. And then like, to be fair, dad was like pretty on to it, always doing like funding applications for us and random stuff like that. Chaz: Yeah. Craig: Even making the New Zealand seasons happen like we'd travel like I think on one year we did like five trips across on the ferry in a season. Just like national secondary schools, Levin, back, back up to Auckland, back, back up to Wellington, Rotorua, like so there's Chaz: Holy. Craig: some pretty sick travelling around when the we had a good national series. Ed: Mm. Chaz: And did you win the national under 19 title? Craig: no, I don't think I've won under nineteen. I won under seventeens and I won Oceania's in that yeah, that category as well. I don't th yeah. I've had a few mires, man, but I've had I've had a few good ones, but a few mires. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: What about, I was playing this video the other day and it was us racing, think under 17s at, Craig: Yeah. Chaz: either Nelson or Dunedin, I can't remember, and your dad's filming. And Craig: That's I I know this is a video. Chaz: it's me, Ed: Yeah. Chaz: it's me, me and you going past the camera. And then I'm shouting Craig: Yeah. Chaz: some obscene words about finally overtaking Ryder X and Ryder X Craig: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: have been blocking us the whole race. and Craig: Yeah. Chaz: he was fitter than us, well definitely fitter than me, you guys might have been on par, but anyway, Craig: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: he was real powerful, would sprint past us at the top of each climb, and then just be so slow in the downhill, and we couldn't get past, so we just shout abuse Craig: Ha ha. Chaz: from the top of the hill all the way to the bottom, these 15 year olds just swearing. Craig: Yeah, it was just like a party train of abusive language. But I remember that Chaz: Alright Ed: That's so good. Craig: and I yeah, 'cause I f dad and my granddad used to be real into like basically what we'd call a dad cam now. Like they'd film a bit each and before you could upload all sorts of shit they would like granddad would put both the cameras together and we've got all these sick DVDs of these old races and yeah, that came up as like some memory or something the other day. But yeah, I rem I know the exact thing, yeah. I think like He was definitely stronger Ed: Rider X. Craig: and I and I just probably was like I think I was pretty fit, but I remember I just like couldn't sprint because I was just like a small boy and I think he was a bit of a man. Man child. Right X the Man Child. Chaz: Yeah. Well massive shout out, yeah, respect to Ryder X because he was a good lad and I think he's doing well now but that particular race day, I would have... Craig: Yeah, nah, he's a lad. Good he's a good lad. It's just funny to look back on. Chaz: Yeah, it is. Ed: what Craig: How how much that race meant to us. Ed: Yeah. Craig: Yeah. Ed: so 'cause Anton was Anton was junior world champ, huh? Craig: Yeah. Yeah. Ed: So were you guys were you guys using Anton as like a benchmark? 'Cause you know how sometimes and it happens in downhill heaps, like an it's some international guys will come out and race the nationals and then Chaz: Mm. Ed: you might get like I don't know, I might be like within two seconds of someone in New Zealand and you're like, sick, when I go to Europe I can be two seconds in front then you go to Europe and they beat you by twenty seconds and you're just like How did how did that happen? And so I was Craig: Yeah. Ed: I what I what I kind of mean is like were you using Anton as a benchmark of like what you could kind of achieve? Chaz: In New Zealand, mean? At the New Zealand rounds? Ed: Yeah, just like having someone having someone like of his calibre. So he's like achieving good results overseas before and then when you guys go over you're like you kinda have him and you're like, you know. Craig: Yeah, I definitely know what you mean. It definitely helped because you're like you'd obviously we were good mates and you'd go riding and stuff, so like you'd get a bit of a concept of that you weren't like so far off the ball and it opened your Ed: Yeah. Craig: eyes to like what could be achieved and you're like, Shit, like I actually am half decent at this, you know, and he's done well at these races and stuff and you'd train with him and that sort of thing but also because you were mates, like you were I think I was always pretty aware of like all the things that can add up to, you know, like start position or having the races over there and people telling me how hard it was and stuff there. Like I never I don't like I think I always was like confident, like, yeah, you I never I always raced to win, right? But like I never really thought I was actually probably gonna win like a race in Europe. But I Ed: Yeah. Craig: I mean I had a few good races there, but yeah, I guess like you've got the stars have got a line as well. Like, you know, maybe that time there's a lot of maybe that times, I guess. Like the time I Chaz: Yeah. Ed: Mm. Craig: nearly Died Nandora into a card or when you're in the form of your life or the time that I bet that dude and then he got third at a World Cup but I shat myself instead, like it's just that's just what happens. Ed: Wait, s Chaz: Wait, tell us about the car. Tell us about the car in Andorra. Ed: pump yeah, pump the brakes, tell us about the car door. Craig: we were like doing altitude training camp thing in Andorra, like before Andorra World Cup. It was like the year World Champs was in Ken's and this is like my last year, U twenty three. So we're doing like two World Cups, Ken's and something else. Me and my brother and another mate were like hooning down this hill near Lamasana. And I was behind my brother, like as you do on like a road bike or whatever, like mega close behind each other, probably going like fifty K an hour, I reckon. And we turned around this right hand corner. can't remember that well because it got KO'd big time. But apparently Chaz: Ha ha! Craig: the car door opened like in like hundredths of a second, like between his back wheel and me. So like completely missed my brother, Ed: Yeah. Craig: and then opened, and I just slam into the car door. And then Ben reckons all he heard is just this massive bang, and he just looks back up the road, sees me flying through the air. Towards another car coming up the road, get hit by the car coming up the road and then just like lie flat my back unconscious on the road and I've like ripped Chaz: my god. Craig: I've ripped the door off the car that I ran into with my shoulder. Yeah. Chaz: So Craig, so when he opened the door, was, you went on the inside face of the door. Or the outside face. The inside face. So it ripped it off, like, yeah. Yeah. Craig: I p yeah, I'm gonna say yeah. No no the inside face I'm pretty sure. Yeah, yeah, because he was facing down the hill the same direction Ed: Yeah, 'cause it Craig: as us, but he also like the an the cops tried to do him Chaz: my god. Craig: because he was like illegally parked on like a blind bend or some shit, but it's more the fact he opened the door on us that we hit the car, not the fact that yeah, he was where he was parked. But yeah, anyway, so I just remember waking up and then in the hospital just seeing like the bright lights and being like, Holy, this ain't good. But yeah. And then I flew home like two days later. Probably the exact thing you shouldn't do when you've got a concussion, but I was like fully pumped on gotta make it to Ken's World Champ Stuart's my last year under twenty three, my last chance to go pro. my god. Chaz: So you've what was the injuries? What was the what was the damage? Craig: just like a s ruh I was like KO'd for ages. like broke three fingers, got six stitches in the top above my collarbone and my shoulder. H my jersey like melted to my back from like the road 'cause it was like thirty five degrees or some shit that day. So I had all these burns on my back and stuff. yeah, Chaz: All right. Craig: just a whole lot of random stuff, But yeah, I just remember being in Andorra and not really knowing what they're gonna do or what the prognosis was, so just like flew home super quick. And then I was like Just that mum and dad are just like, Yeah, when you got home lights are on but no one was actually home Just Ed: Yeah. Craig: like I was real spaced out for ages. And this is like way before concussion is actually like talked about or known it's bad really. Yeah, yeah. It's like not even a thing. Ed: Thing. Yeah. Chaz: Yeah. Yeah. Craig: It's like mate, you smack your head, you'll get Ed: It's pretty crazy that Chaz: So then you came to... Craig: Yeah. Ed: it's pretty crazy that that's Chaz: Go ahead. Ed: yeah, like what you're saying about concussion. You know, that's still twenty sixteen, twenty seventeen and it just still wasn't really a thing then, you know. And that's not actually that's that's Craig: Nah nah nah, it's crazy. Ed: only yeah, that's only ten years ago. Everyone's still like, you'll be right, get into it. Yeah. Craig: Yeah, yeah. I remember like getting home and like the only thing I remembered is like someone telling me not to watch screens. And of course like the only thing you do on a plane is just slap movies the whole way back. Like s yeah, it Ed: Ha ha ha. Chaz: Is that what you did? Craig: just probably just I was like, Well I'm so bored, like I just watched movies, like whatever, got home and then but then also I remember like they saying you gotta like stay in a real dark room and I was just like cooked from staying in a dark room for ages 'cause I was trying to do it as good as I could. Chaz: Mmm. Craig: And then I Ed: Yeah. Craig: remember just like going out for a ride real chill and that's when I actually started to get better. I think it's so different for everybody A, but their protocols are definitely better now. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: Yeah, we probably came to one of the, the Mas Boys lock ins just when you got home straight in. That's a good, that's a good segue Craig: Probably. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: actually Craig. like, you know, growing up, like, and we see this with Anton, you know, you have to be so focused, especially in XC and downhill, you can still go Craig: Yeah. Chaz: out and socialize and stuff. Well, you definitely used to, maybe less now. Used to be able to have some beers and still be able to race well, but with the XC it's sort of always been, you have to be pretty serious and focused. What was it like when you Craig: Yeah yeah. Chaz: sort of... started to see what some of other crew were like obviously I was racing with you and we were kids and then I sort of went down the uni path and we still remained friends so then you kind of pretty early on get to see the two sides of it. Craig: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: What do you reckon? What's thoughts on that whole setup? Craig: it's pretty easy to get too narrow minded and just too locked in on trying to be one thing when the chances are pretty slim. But it's like hard to tell someone not to do that 'cause in a roundabout way and maybe even more so now, if you want to be that good, like you have to kinda make those sacrifices. But there also has to be this like real tricky balance 'cause if you're too much like that then it's like probably detrimental to what you're doing. But I don't know, like I definitely was Probably too focused at times I reckon, but I also love to just say like, Yeah, yeah, nah, sweet, see you there. Yes, that's good. Like, you know, you'd say, Come to King of the Mountain, I couldn't ski and I'd just be like, Yeah, yeah, sweet, I'll be there Or like, Come to some flat party which I know no one and I'm like, Yep, sweet, see you there or whatever, like but then Chaz: Hmm. Craig: you do it and you just feel so much better. Chaz: Well those are the sort of memories that you I probably remember some of those ones you've just mentioned forever and I'm sure you would as well. Craig: Yeah, definitely. Chaz: But then you also remember some of the races and obviously not getting hit by the car door because you were asleep. But like those sort of things, that's what makes the good stories at the end of the day and that's sort of what life's about. Craig: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Like, okay, maybe sometimes the racing went to shit or maybe you could do something a bit better, it could have worked out differently or or whatever. But it's been pretty sick, like the amount of random stuff that's just happened. Like, yeah. I you can't even think of it away. It just goes on forever. Chaz: off. Craig: That's why you just get deep into it in the sauna every Thursday. Which go go live fr I reckon you go live from the sauna. Chaz: I know, we might have to do two episodes. Ed: Yeah, go live from the hot box. Chaz: So we can have a brief work and gratification practice. Craig: Yeah, yeah. But even like I was thinking about this the other day, like at Cape Epic, I like, I'd love to do it again and like, you know, doddle the I's and cross the T's a bit more. But then I'm like, the way that we did it was actually just proper just Chaz: a Craig: I've never done it any different, like my whole time I've ever raced. Like just kind of the Kiwi way, battled super hard and it was like probably the funnest way you could do it. Chaz: Talk us through a KVVC. Ed: Yeah, definitely Craig: wow, it's just kinda like Ed: definitely want definitely wanna hear like was that th is that kind of like a bucket list thing you've wanted to do? Craig: Yeah, but like not for a massive amount of time 'cause I guess we was just so invested in doing like World Cups and all that kind of things. It just kinda seemed like the thing to do at the time and then as I kinda stopped doing World Cups or I after I kinda basically long story short, after I had that stack in Andorra, under twenty three worlds didn't go that good. I took like two years off and then it came back to like national champs being at home. So I like, fuck, got to train for it. Like it's at home. I've never raced nationals at home. Did that and then like wasn't actually that far behind my brother and Anton and got third. And then kind of that rebooted my whole like cycling career again. And Ed: Yeah. Craig: so then Chaz: Actually. Craig: yeah, I in I ended up like racing, going to Morzine, parking up there, doing World Cups. But like yeah, I reckon doing Cape Epic like probably came about maybe in the last three years where me and Ben have We're just sort of like the timing. Ben, my brother is like, you know, we we could do it when we're old and stuff and that would be sick, but while we're both fit and capable, we really wanted to like tick it off and see how well we could go to like together as a team. Ed: Like I have a proper crack. Craig: Yeah, have a proper crack, like while we're still, you know, fit and able and in the position we could do it. Chaz: Just Ed: Yeah. Chaz: to dig in on what you just said there, Craig. So that two years you had off, I remember Craig: Yeah. Chaz: you did bit of Enduro racing and stuff as well. What was the story? Craig: Yeah. Chaz: Because I remember you telling me there was something like you had an injury, it might have been that Enduro thing, they x-rayed you and they were like, holy shit, Craig: Yeah. Yeah. Chaz: you still got growth plates and you were probably at what, 22? How did that work? Craig: Yeah, twenty two or something, like the growth plates or something in between my fingers had like massive spaces, like the same as what someone would when they're like sixteen or something, and I was like twenty something. And I've always been like pretty short and I like, yo, I'm still gonna grow. but yeah, that's basically all the reality is to that. Chaz: But what did the doctor, didn't the doctor say in your home, like, all right, I want you to do no training, just eat and sleep for the next six months. And then you grew like five centimeters or something. Craig: Well, I I did grow a lot when I didn't when I didn't race at all. Yeah. I grew a lot out as well and up at the same time. But Chaz: Do you know how Ed: Ha ha ha. Chaz: much you grew up in that? Because you probably thought you were done growing at 18. Craig: I don't know, when you're short, it's not really something you want to do is measure yourself, you know. So I wouldn't know how much but or Ed: Ha ha ha. Craig: or what I remember as being like, you know, there'd be say like some chicks you went to high school with or whatever and they're always way taller than you and then they go to uni or whatever and you go racing and then I had those like a couple of years off and then you run into them again, you're like, Yo, I'm actually the same height now or I'm taller and I was like, Fuck, I must have grown. Like you don't even think about it at the time, but then you're you just You grow a bit, I guess. Ed: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: Your body was obviously just hanging out for a bit of rest, Craig: Yeah, yeah, just chilling. But no, I'm jury was good. I I liked it when it was big days and you couldn't ride quite as fast probably. When you needed a bit more fitness. I not that you don't need to be fit now, but when it was like big gnarly big missions. Chaz: Yeah, well it's just a second venture on the bike. Ed: Yeah, and it was good 'cause you it was it was just who could ride the fastest the most fucked. Like Craig: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: Yeah. Craig: You like if you could just hang on to the bars you'd be doing well. Ed: Yeah, yeah. You just the you Chaz: Some of those stages you'd be going so slow by the bottom. Yeah. Craig: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Ed: that's embarrassing, You're like Yeah. Craig: Yeah. Ed: But then yeah, no, it was good. But we need to go keen to hear about the KP Chaz: But wait, Ed: pick. Chaz: yeah, before we get to the K-Bit though, just want to hear from Craig. So you had those two years off, and then Craig: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Chaz: this is in my distorted, you know, one of my best mates view. I'm Craig: Everything blends into one. Yeah, yeah, same. Chaz: obviously a massive Craigslist fan since day one. Basically, Craig: Mm. One of you. Chaz: you came back two years after you had, you know, we had two years Craig: Mm-hmm. Chaz: off to recharge and to grow. 10 centimeters, whatever, and you came Craig: Sort my life out, not live at home with my parents. Ed: Right. Chaz: back and you were just smashing it. you Craig: Yeah. Chaz: were, yeah, I reckon you came back a lot stronger than you would have if you just kept training through. Would that be fair? Craig: Yeah, I reckon it's just bec I reckon it's because like how you're saying before, like I kinda it wasn't just like I don't really care. Like it wasn't like I was going to race like to be pro. Like I was more like I'm going to race 'cause it's fun and I'm I've got not really anything to prove. Like I kinda thought it was unrealistic and Chaz: He just kind of seemed it. Craig: like other areas of my life were like I liked, so it wasn't like you know, Ed: Mm. Craig: I was just like, well worst case scenario is I go back to doing something I like anyway, like I've got a mean partner, Chaz: Right. Craig: it's fun what I do. Like it was kinda almost like hard to be away. Like I so I was just like, I've got to make the most of it 'cause it's sick that I get to do it, but also it's hard to be away from New Zealand as well. Chaz: So yeah, was nothing hanging on it. The results, a Craig: Nah. Chaz: good result or a bad result, really didn't change your life at all. Whereas with some people, that's all they're focusing on is getting that good result. Craig: Yeah, yeah, it's just sort of like a little bit, you know, bit of a bonus extra. Chaz: Alright, well we can get into the KBWick stuff now. Ed: Now well no no this but something you said before which I Chaz: All right. Ed: thought was pretty interesting is like how you were saying that you kinda you kinda have to tell anyone young nowadays that you kinda have to tell them that they have to be like completely locked in. But but then it is actually for s for the for probably ninety five percent of the people the locked in approach isn't gonna pay off but fifth five percent of the people being fully locked in will get them like a pro career. And I s I think that like now that's like even more so 'cause like you got those all these like phenomenal young guys coming through and y yeah, Craig: Yeah. And Ed: so like how do you it's funny like you're you're like on one side of the coin you should Do all this other stuff and like have every other aspect of your life f complete, you know, so you're the full picture. But then you also to be the best nowadays, you kinda have to put everything into this one basket and fuck all the rest. And then you're like and then Craig: Yeah. Ed: when they come and then they kinda come out of it and you're like, you've missed out on a lot of other stuff, which is you know. Yeah. Craig: Yeah, yeah. I think like the locked in approach works until it doesn't and then it really goes to shit. Like it's either gonna work out Ed: Yeah, then it just fully backfires. Chaz: It backfires, yeah. Craig: Yeah, yeah. It's either gonna work out and you're gonna be a hero and everything works out and it's mint or you're gonna be fighting some demons for a few years until you find that balance again, you know? Like Ed: Yeah, and that and often it's it sucks 'cause it's like they've put their life and soul into this Craig: Yeah. Ed: and then when it doesn't work, you don't have friends, social life, stuff like that to fall back on and then y you're just like fucking Yeah, yeah. And then it would be a few years of demons before you start sorting it out. Craig: It's as Chaz: Yeah, don't have another career, Craig: Yeah. Chaz: don't have other hobbies, you don't have a way to get satisfaction. Ed: Yeah, even just like no hobbies. Like yeah. Craig: But then also like what was your hobby that you were locked in on? You just hate 'cause it didn't work out. So it's just shitcha for a while until you figure it out. Chaz: Yeah. Ed: Yeah, like the last thing Craig: But then if you don't lock in, Ed: Especially Craig: you yeah, you you're screwed as well. So there's there's no real perfect answer, It's so tricky. Ed: Yeah. And especially with the endurance Chaz: If someone was to ask you... You go, Eddie. Ed: kind of stuff. I was just like especially with like what you guys you know, you can't you can't be a pro roadie without doing the miles. You know, you can't be a pro X E rider without doing the work. But yeah, when you when when you're like locked in and then it doesn't pay off, the last thing you want to do is go and ride, you know, five hundred K weeks. Or something like that. Craig: Yeah, yeah. Ed: Yeah. Gochez, Chaz: Yeah. Ed: you're up. Chaz: Well, I mean, both of you, both of you guys, interesting one. If someone wants to walk up to you now, someone like, say your son or one of your best mates or someone you really care about and said, what should I do? Option one, try and be a professional, let's say mountain biker or athlete. Option two, have a well-rounded life, have three or four different hobbies. put down some roots somewhere, get a bit of a community around me, what would you say? What would be your advice? Ed: That's a hard one. Craig: It's it's that's I I th yeah, I think if they were young, like just give it a crack 'cause like worst case scenario you do just fight a few demons for a couple of years and you sort your shit out anyway. But it's definitely tricky because if you do have a good base and foundation of people, then you could probably then go and do it. But I think if you're lucky enough to have like a good family and stuff that are pretty supportive, then definitely just like send it 'cause you can always fall back on them which is real lucky. Which is probably what I did. Chaz: Mm. Craig: But yeah, it's it's so hard to decide 'cause also having a well rounded life is also pretty sick. Ed: I think I think if it was like Chaz: i guess you appreciate the well random life more once you've done it Ed: Yeah. I Craig: Yeah. Ed: think I Craig: But then Ed: it's tricky. I think if I you know, if it was like your son or something coming and asking you that, I'd definitely say go and do it and you'd hope that you've like raised them with you know, the the kind of foundation that, you know, life isn't race results and stuff, it's about all the other stuff that goes into it. So Have a crack and if it doesn't work out, there was still a lot of positives to come from it. Rather than, you know, if you if you can teach someone to spin it the right way. Yeah. But always have Craig: Yeah, 'cause I guess he learns so like Ed: you've always gotta have a crack. Even just travelling by yourself and Craig: Yeah, yeah. Ed: stuff, it's like it's awesome. Craig: Yeah, I learned more from travelling around and stuffing stuff up than I did at school for sure. So I it teaches Ed: Yeah. Craig: you heaps. Even if you you're not pro, it doesn't really matter. Like you've still got heaps out of it. Ed: Even like budgeting and shit, like yeah yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Craig: Yeah, big time. And the value of money. Yeah. Chaz: Yeah true. Yeah. The value of money is an interesting one It's always changing. What about the Craigler and the Hardway that New York and Newark are two different places? Ed: Ha ha ha. Craig: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I was when I was travelling a Chaz: That was about new work. Craig: solo just randomly linking up this person here, a few legends here, a few legends there, l getting me around, and then I think I was really struggling for a ride after the Wyndham World Cup, to get to the airport. So I hit up Anton. I was a bit scared 'cause he was like the Cannendale team and I didn't want to like mess with his like pro vibes, you know. But Ed: You don't wanna miss the feng shui out. Craig: Yeah, yeah. But like they were good buggers and yeah, yeah, they Chaz: It was a last resort at this point. Craig: were good buggers and they looked after me. I remember just like them having like breakfast all set out for them in the morning and they're like, you can have some and I was just like P Holy shit, free breakfast, all good and probably just like ate double the amount I had in like a long time for breakfast. It was so random. But anyway, to the the interesting bit I guess is that Anton always has like kinda crack up abbreviations for places. And so what had happened is that I was flying out of Newark Airport and he was flying out of New York, but I asked him where he was flying out of. And or maybe it was the other way around. Anyway, the long story short is the cock up is is that I thought it was the same place. So I think we ended up in New York Airport, which I think Anton was just like, Yeah, yeah, we're flying out of Newark and I was like, yeah, sick and then lo I got there Well, he luckily heaps of time. Chaz: Did you go into the thing and just start trying to find your flight? Craig: Wow, it started like rocking me a bit as Chaz: Thank you. Craig: we're going past signs on the way to the airport, like and I'm like, pfft, that doesn't look like the right spelling. that doesn't look like the right spelling. And then sure Ed: Ha ha ha. Craig: enough, I got in, went to look for my flights. Like we got dropped off on these sick trucks that I'd been you know, rented or whatever as a pro team. And then I was just like, They got their flight, and then I'm like, fuck, I'm on my own now and I'm at the wrong airport. And luckily the other airport wasn't that far away. So then I did like a online survey, 'cause I didn't have Wi Fi or an e sim or any of that shit at that time, on some dude's laptop at the airport, which gave me like five minutes of like data or something. So then I was like looking at it all, like trying to figure it out. And then I figured out that I could get a shuttle, but then it was gonna be like cra like I think it was like three hundred US, which was like crazy money Chaz: my god. Craig: for me then. And I was like, I have to do it, like, otherwise I'm gonna miss my flight. Like I was flying to Europe and someone was picking me up and I would have just cocked it. So anyway, I got on this, this van, it was like a private shuttle, sat in the front of this dude, yarned him for a while. Turns out he's like a crazy diehard V8 supercar fan. And I knew like Ed: huh. Craig: not that much about V8 supercars apart from like Bathurst or something. And I was just like, just Really chewing his ear off about like bat supercars in New Zealand and Australia and Bathurst and la la la. Probably talk shit to him that I didn't know anything about. And then he's like, can we go to my house? Like I need to pick up lunch. And I'm like looking at my watch, like, nah mate, we've got to get to the airport. He's it's not far out the way. And I'm just thinking to myself, this is how you die, you know? Like he's just gonna take me to his house and abduct me. This tiny child. Chaz: Harvest your organs. Ed: Yeah. Craig: Yeah, yeah. And then but I'm like, yeah, no, kinda trying to play it cool, yeah. All good, go get your lunch. He gets his lunch. I'm like sitting in the van re with the door open, ready to like run for it, you know. But anyway, gets back in, eats his sandwich, we get to the airport and then he's just like, No charge, mate. It was good having ya. Good good chat. But I'm just like, yo Chaz: No. Ed: No way. Craig: Yeah, yeah. So I didn't pay a cent and like I think now I think back Chaz: What? Craig: to it, I'm like don't even know if I had like enough money in my bank account at that time to like pay him. Ye y I don't know what I was gonna do, like but Chaz: You just can do a runner anyway. You can tell. Craig: Yeah, I just had to get to the airport I guess, but yeah, he was just a legend. He's just like, no one ever lets me go get my lunch, no charge. Like, sick. Chaz: Don't think Ed: No recharge. Chaz: that's cool that he's had that profound impact on your life, that one experience. Isn't that cool? And you can share that with someone else now. Far out. Craig: Yeah, yeah. But it'd be sick if I wish I had his details, just let him know now, you know. What a good thing he did for me. Chaz: We might be listening, we get about Ed: Yeah. Chaz: 50 people listening, he could be one of those. Craig: He definitely could. How big is it in Newark area? Ed: I wanna know I'd be kinda interested what he had for lunch. I'd be he was he was real keen on that lunch. No Craig: bro, I can remember it vividly. It was jam and peanut butter sandwich. Chaz: mate. Ed: way. Craig: Yeah. Yeah. Chaz: peanut butter and jelly dude Ed: that's fucking good. Chaz: mom Craig: Yeah. Chaz: yep definitely I was gonna say mom likes peanut butter and jelly Ed: It's Chaz: too it's a big American thing Ed: And she's from New York, isn't she? Chaz: No or Newark. JFK. JFK Ed: Yeah. I mean they Yeah, they're they're pretty Craig: Same place, I heard. Chaz: is the New York one. So everyone just calls it JFK. Ed: Yeah. Craig: Yeah. Chaz: Anyway, trap for young players, I think I've almost made that mistake before, just from booking the flights. So, Craig: true. Chaz: I don't blame ya. Anyway. Ed: I'm trying to think if I've Chaz: So the story always cracks me up, Craig. I've got a big advantage here, Craig: He's the right man of us. Chaz: because I've heard all these stories before. So I spent the last week Ed: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Chaz: trying to Craig: Take advantage. Chaz: recount them. And there's so many. We're not going to have time for the flat tire and the Corolla. We'll have to come back to that next week or whenever you're back from China. Ed: Well, we've we're definitely gonna have to do part two because yeah, we've only got about Chaz: shit yeah Ed: twelve we've only got about twelve minutes left. Chaz: Craig might even get into the, we haven't even got to Cape Everett yet, or China. yeah, part two, Ed: Yeah, we might even get into part three. Chaz: maybe three, you might be our first ever three-peat. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: Craig, can you tell us, so when you start training with this Cape Everett, you're obviously going pretty hard, you're living up in the country, in rural New Zealand, beekeeping, Craig: Yeah. Chaz: work, heaps of mahi, heaps of work, so you're burning the candle at both ends, out training, sort of on dusk, on the road bike, putting in a few big miles, Craig: Mm. Chaz: and because you're a beekeeper, you sort of come across a paddock that's looking a bit... like it needs a bit of love. You want to have to walk us through what happened with the hives and the civilian Craig: yeah there's Chaz: that showed up trying to think it was an accident or something. Craig: yeah, I just it was like on dust, so I'd like a red flashing light, flashing on the back of my light, on my road bike and then like it was actually our beehive site and I seen that like a bull in a paddock had like pretty commonly they rub up against the beehives, knock them over, whatever. But if they're knocked over then it goes to shit, basically. So I was like, I should just jump the fence, leave my road bike here, run down the bank of my road shoes and my lycra, flip the beehive back up and it'll be all good. And then I left my road bike on the side of the road with like a flashing light obviously. And then I was, I don't know, way five minutes doing it, you know? And then I come back up the hill and there's just like two cars pulled up like looking for me because they've like got this road bike that looks like it's just being left on the side of the road and it's just flashing on the side of the road and they're like looking all around for where I am or where this road cyclist Ed: Yeah. Craig: is being like hit or whatever, and I just like pop over this like farm fence and I just like have no idea what I've been up to and then I'm they're like, what were you do where are you? We being then they just like of course then I tell them I'm I've stood up a beehive and they're just like, There's no way this guy stood up a beehive in li in lycra. And they're kinda like chasing Chaz: Were the bees... Were the bees after you? Craig: me as well. Yeah, yeah. So I was like trying to tell them to like get back in their cars 'cause I didn't want them to get stung, but then explaining Chaz: you Craig: that it was just a shit show, yeah. Chaz: I'm just imagining you running up the thing with the bees behind you. Go go Craig: Yeah yeah. Chaz: go! Shit that's good. do we want to... You got one Eddie? Ed: Well we've got ten we've got ten minutes to talk or shall we save Cape Epic epic for the next the next ep episode. Yeah, the next epic. Chaz: next epic. Well we've got pet peeves as well. We haven't done our pet peeves so let's rip into those and then Ed: Bro, I I'm straight off the bat with road user charges. What a fuck around. Chaz: I was thinking about that the other day. It's just for the farmers though So the farmers get cheaper diesel. Ed: Nah. Yeah, but like, it's just put it on it's just sucks having to buy a road user. I had to put spent twelve hundred bucks on road users the other day 'cause I was out by so much. Chaz: Do know what sucks? I Craig: Yeah. Chaz: put 1200... Yeah well I paid 1600, Ed: Paying twelve hundred bucks for twelve for road users. Chaz: 1600 bucks, put 20,000 K's on my van and then sold it and forgot that I put 20,000 K's on it. So I'm Craig: Ho ho ho They don't get ya. Ed: That's a pave. Chaz: in the same boat Eddie. But I do think it's a good system because like all the ski lifts at like Temple and like the goods lift and shit runs on diesel. and because we're not on the road, we don't have to pay more for the diesel. So we actually get cheaper diesel. But then all the cars that are contributing to wear and tear on the roads, they pay to fix those roads. But the petrol stations should just suss it. And if you're ordering diesel for your Ed: Yeah. Chaz: farm or your goods lift at Demo Basin, you just order the diesel from a wholesaler. And then the petrol stations that fill up the commercial, what do call it? personal motor vehicles, just your normal cars. Just have a tax on the... Ed: And they wonder why people Chaz: like Pitcher has. Ed: switch their speedos off, allegedly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Chaz: Yeah, right at X. Ed: No, Ryder X hadn't switched his speedo off and trust me, he's booking it in. It's getting turned off. But yeah, that's my pet that Chaz: Have you got a pit pit, okay? Ed: Yeah. Craig: Pet peeve. We've disc me and Charlie have discussed this before, but it's in the Chaz: In the sauna actually. Craig: just when people put like a a post on social media, which can be criminal at times anyway, about a huge retirement post, and it's like they've never Chaz: . Craig: been paid a cent to ride their bike. And you're like, mate, you can't retire from doing club races. Like you're giving up is what you're doing. It's like a builder Chaz: I'm Ed: Yeah. Craig: saying, sp Big building recre r career, so stoked to retire and no one's ever paid him to build. Like that's not a thing. Chaz: That's like me, I've never been paid to build, I'm claiming builder. Craig: But you're not retiring, they're still in it. Chaz: No I'm not retiring, I'm balls deep actually. Ed: Yeah. Craig: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: No I think that's a great one Craig. I mean just social media in general and like, And Ed: it's painful I Chaz: you see these people and like, I'm not gonna name names here but, know, Ryder, X, Y and Z, Ed: Roderigs. Chaz: whoever they are. Doing these posts, I remember this back in the day when I started racing Enduro. Doing these posts like they should have won the Enduro World Cup or whatever race it is, could be XC downhill. They should have won the World Cup, but what a shame, they got a flat tyre here and they crashed there and then this sheep ran in front of them and took them out here and blah blah, they got heat stroke, whatever. And they got, know, surprise surprise, 60th, 100th. But then every week of the whole season they get 60th or 100th. Ed: Yeah. Craig: Should have won, but I had Chaz: Wait a minute. Craig: bad legs. Chaz: Like, it had, like... Are you delusional? Like, do you... Ed: Yeah, social media social media is not the place for it you know, it's not the place to air your excuses. It's just it 'cause it doesn't it Chaz: not assisted union Ed: Yeah, yeah, like it everyone can just see you're like Well yeah, no shit. If you had hadn't lost a minute, you would have won. Yeah. Chaz: Yeah but because you lost a minute you're not the Craig: Yeah. Chaz: best writer. The best writers don't lose a minute. Ed: Yeah. Craig: That that is the whole race. Yeah, yeah. Chaz: Yeah that was always a pet peeve for me because Ed: Yeah. Craig: I just love the Chaz: it's like... Craig: ones that are I just love the ones that are like I would have w won but didn't have the best legs. And you're like, well so you weren't Ed: No shit. Craig: fast enough. Your legs weren't strong enough. Like Yeah. I don't know. Ed: I'm sure everyone w Chaz: Yeah. Ed: even the guy who won probably wanted better legs. Craig: Yeah, yeah. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: Well never have the perfect race do you? Yeah. But I just think it's funny like, Craig: No. Chaz: yeah just people, you know, it's quite good to know where you're at and you don't have to be the best at all. I guess a lot of people think they have to either think they're the best or pretend they're the best so that their sponsors also think they're the best. I don't know. Craig: Yeah, I think that's why they have to justify that something went wrong or something happened or I guess it's interesting to know a bit of what happened during the race, but I guess it's the way you put it that makes a difference. Ed: I liked Chaz: Yeah. Ed: the young guy on Common Sale, Max Alran. He didn't make the finals in Andorra. And he's you know, like I mean he won Leger in elite, first Chaz: Yeah. Ed: year elite. So he's but he just put up wasn't fast enough this weekend, didn't deserve to be in finals. Done. Craig: I'll write that. Ed: Yeah, yeah, I I was like that. I I actually rate him Chaz: Yeah. It's like... Ed: pretty highly. I reckon he's a bit of a legend. But yeah, just straight up owned it. I wasn't good enough and I shouldn't shouldn't actually be in there. Boom. Chaz: Yeah well if you're not in there then you probably shouldn't be in there that weak. know, whatever's going on. Yeah. Ed: Yeah. And like you know, that's what I mean, is like the next race he won it. So it was he obvio yeah, yeah, he obviously knows. Yeah. Chaz: Crazy, He was fired up. He was obviously fired up. Ed: Yeah. And it was quite interesting. He actually he was there's there's only been a handful of people who have he won time training, quality and finals in Leger. He was he was the man on that track. Chaz: Yeah. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: And that was the real muddy Ed: Which is right. Chaz: one, Ed: Yeah, but obviously pretty varying conditions throughout the week, but to he was the fastest guy, you know. But to put down to win to win all three Chaz: which is consistent. Ed: to w win all three timed sessions is pretty impressive. Chaz: What's even more impressive I reckon is because it was wet, it's actually probably harder, well because it changed, you know? Like if it was a dry track and he's just the goat on that track, say like some people are in Val de Sol, Ed: Yeah. Chaz: and it's dry all week, you can kind of see how someone could win time training, quali and race. But when you have like a complete mud bath and then you have a real sticky track and then you have a semi-dry Ed: Drawing track. Yeah. Chaz: kind of meat, kind of good track, like that's impressive. Ed: Yeah, it's yeah. I it's it's like yeah, good for him. Craig: Good for some. Yeah. Yeah. Ed: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what I always I'm always I always say good for good for him. Yeah. Nice. Chaz: Yeah. Ed: I love I love that for him. Chaz: well, it's actually Ed: Yeah. Chaz: good to have a washed up episode. Well, with three washed up writers. Ed: Yeah. We've it I'm trying Craig: Yeah, yeah. Ed: to think who I get yeah, Hammy Hammy's not washed up, he's still most definitely in it. Chaz: Well, we've probably had a Ed: Yeah. Chaz: max haven't I've washed up and non-washed up, but I think being washed up's meant I'm actually, I was gonna say this earlier and I hate to make it about me because this episode's about Craig, but you've got two more Craig episodes coming right up after this. Craig: Ha. Chaz: Maybe five, if we get Craig Murray on for a couple, we can do five back to back Craig episodes. But Ed: Yeah. Chaz: I was gonna say like, you were saying earlier Craig, that people who put all the eggs in one basket, or maybe it Eddie. And then you sort of finish and you have some, you know, a few demons to figure out. And I was racing for only five years. And I've found this year super hard to like figure out what's next, what motivates me, basically what's the reason to get up in the morning and get after it. When you're so used to just chasing those results and those goals. And I'm thinking, man, I'm so lucky. because I've got other hobbies already. I've got another career, like I did my engineering stuff at uni. You know, decent family, like you said, that's a huge part of it, but I've still found it fucking hard. So I Craig: Yeah, yeah. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: really feel for some people, and I'm kind of worried. I'm gonna see some of my mates, some of my close racing friends going into retirement and just being pretty lost, I reckon. Craig: Yeah, I th I think I've figured out I think I've figured out for myself as well what what it is is like it doesn't really matter what I'm doing, I have to even if I'm not getting after it, I have to at least feel like I'm getting after it. Like let's say if I was building a house, I'd have to feel like I'm like just sending it, like going real hard building the house. 'Cause I feel like that's what makes me feel good. Or like Chaz: Yeah. Craig: if I'm doing a hunting mission, it has to be like a gnarly hunting mission that kinda like pushes me or is like challenging or or whatever. But if I'm just like going along ho hum, I'm just like pfft, I just don't care. But like if it yeah, yeah, but if Chaz: is that's the lowest there. Yeah. Ed: Mm. Craig: you just like feel like you're getting after it or you are getting after it no matter what it is, I'm like, I still feel good. Chaz: True. You don't have to be riding the furthest or the fastest, but if you like, are trying to, you know, learn a new activity and getting real hundies at that hobby or, you know, like our tennis Craig: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Chaz: career that has just taken off, we're to be kind of filling those footsteps left behind by Federer or whatever. Craig: Yeah, or my kayaking career or whatever, or, you know, my skiing or yeah, yeah. Chaz: We've been a guy on a minute but you've got one minute to explain what's happening with China because we haven't even touched on that and that's obviously getting after it. That's something that you put yourself in the deep end. Craig: That yeah, yeah, that's another one that I just said yes to. Nah, I'm so I'm flying out to China doing Wulong mountain quest, I think it's called. with a few of New Zealand's multi sport goats, I would say. All of them have won coast to coast, apart from me. longer stay. Ed: Yeah. Craig: So it's kayaking, ab sailing, mountain biking, rafting and running, and it goes for four days. yeah. Chaz: it's stage race. Craig: Yep, stay dress. So Chaz: So what time do you kick off in the morning? Ed: As as as like a team or as individuals? Craig: Nah, it's as a team, so we've got to stay together, three males, one female. You've got to stay together the whole time. Yeah. And then it's just like a cumulative time. I think there's like thirty other teams or something. But I'm really taking their lead. I'm just turning up and hoping I don't suck, really. Chaz: you'll be good. How's the training going mate? You feeling ready? you any biking or just Craig: Yeah, it should be good. Chaz: relying on your history? Your accoladed history? Craig: nah, just the biking though, the bike only real biking I've done is when I'm like coaching at the moment, but just trying to like run and and kayak. I mean I haven't didn't really start kayaking until like maybe four weeks ago, five weeks ago, so but I think Yeah, but Chaz: You're going up against the best in the world, Craig: I'm in a kayak for another person, so it's only half up to me. Ed: Right. so when is this? Chaz: So when you tip upside down... Craig: Yeah, we'll fine. I leave I leave on Tuesday, so it it starts next Saturday. Ed: sacks. So the next Craig episode will w be out of hear all the juicy goss out of China. Craig: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. Chaz: Fuck, that's gonna be real good man. Make sure you remember or write down some of these stories because there's bound to be some fuck ups and hopefully not some food poisoning so watch out for the water. Craig: I'll just be trying to survive it, mate. Ed: Yeah. Make sure you get on get stuck into the chicken feet too. Every when I fly through China I I always run chicken feet. all right, we gotta wrap it up. Chaz: Anything fried is safe. Craig: Yeah yeah. Anything fra Yeah. Nice. Now it should be sick out near the bang to China. Chaz: Hey it's been a pleasure Craig, thanks for sharing your wisdom with us and big Craig: No dramas. Chaz: shout out to the loyal listeners, we do appreciate you. If you have any questions for Craig, can you send them to either WashedUpPod on Insta or me and Eddie on Insta and next time we're going to hit him with a whole lot of stuff. Craig's one of the people with the best life advice I reckon, so definitely get in there if you're feeling a bit lost. Ed: So yeah, if you need me. Chaz: Relationship advice too actually, a bit of a guru when it comes to relationships so he can talk you through it the sauna. Ed: Ha ha ha. Chaz: And we're out. Thanks ladies and gents. Appreciate Ed: No Chaz: it. Craig: Thanks, lads.