Chaz: It does sort it out. welcome back, loyal subscribers, listeners, family, fans, fanatics. We Ed: Friends. Chaz: are very happy to have you here. we are joined by the world champion induro motocross Legend Hammy Mac for episode two. We only got up to about Saturday of his race weekend. or his race week last time. So we're here to finish off Sunday Mac: Ha ha ha. Chaz: and any other bits of gold, any other training tips and tricks, and basically whatever whatever people call in on Instagram. So welcome back Hammy and hopefully we get have some good Mac: What e thank you. Chaz: questions coming through. Mac: It's nice to be back. Spent a bit of time with you boys this week, so we might have a bit more Chaz: Mm. Mac: to to talk about. Chaz: Yeah, well no Ed: Mate, you're you're our first repeat guest, so congrat Mac: Right. Ed: congratulations on having that as such an allocate. What is it? Accolade. Mac: I feel ve I feel very Chaz: Echo lied. Mac: I feel very taken back by that actually. Means a lot, boys. Ed: Mm. Yeah. Chaz: You're also doing something right and w what whatever was happening Mac: Just talking too much, I reckon. Chaz: with with the five the five heads up at Olympus, that was definitely doing something right. What Mac: Yeah. That was no. What where did that even Ed: That was a world's that's a Mac: stem from? Where did that come from? Ed: 'cause F a few moons ago, probably around twenty fifteen or sixteen, we pioneered the first Baldy in Winnie's Mac: The Bodie. Ed: Yeah, yeah. In Winnie's in Queenstown where Pavel drank off my head and then obviously with Paver there, he was keen for a few more Baldies. So we How many did we get? Five or six. The Quintuple Baldy. Chaz: I've got a photo here, I think it was five. Mac: I think I Ed: Yeah. Mac: think we got five but we wanna there was a sixth ready to go but he just couldn't get he couldn't get on top. Chaz: There Ed: I reckon it could go up to ten. There's probably about five more Chaz: you go. Ed: people who should be in the baldies, but they're not ready to Mac: Ha ha ha. Ed: let go of the hairline. Chaz: I know, I was thinking that I looked around and I saw Mac: Yeah. Chaz: a few dodgy looking hairlines. Ed: Yeah. Crazy Cole's Mac: Yeah. Ed: losing hers at a fair rate of knots. Yeah. Chaz: Is he? He's quite young as well, but I think who was on the bottom, Hemi? Was you? Was it Edie? Mac: it was Eddie and then I was above Eddie and then I'm not sure who was up from there. Chaz: I think it was me and then it was and then it was me and then it was that Rory Mac: Should we have a look at the photo? Ed: Was Angus on there? Yeah. Chaz: and then it was Angus on top. Mac: The problem is we all look the same. It's all just bald heads. Chaz: Yeah, Angus was the he was the he was the stuff Ed: Yeah, yeah. It kinda I I don't do you remember the Rolo dog? Chaz: she Ed: 'Cause you know like the bull Chaz: Is that the chocolates? Mac: Bro. Ed: I d I they like the dog with the Chaz: What's a Rolo? Ed: like rolly roly skin. And that's just what that photo that's just what that photo Mac: Yeah we got the video. We got the video. Ed: reminds me of. Chaz: Mm-hmm. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: that's so good. As Mac: Ha ha ha. Chaz: for anyone who's watching, he's pouring what is it? A cup of like Jameson or something. is it? So that's ginger. The next day I Ed: It's a dark and stormy actually. cocktail. Yeah. Cause I could taste it. And it was Chaz: could taste it when I was scaring. It was coming off my neck. Ed: Yeah. It had my my eyelids kept sticking to each other afterwards. Mac: Juices were flowing. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: Hammy, what did you think about about Olympus and the way that Eddie chose to celebrate his birthday? Thirty thirty Mac: it was awesome. Chaz: obviously. Mac: Yeah. I think Yeah. It was awesome. W I mean we got hit Ed: Ha ha ha ha. Chaz: Ha ha Mac: with a bit of well y I'm just trying to think. Like we got hi hit with a bit of shit weather, but I think we made the most of that Saturday morning and then we just definitely had some good vibes rolling around after that. Yeah. Ed: Yeah yeah yeah. What a place, Chaz: Yeah. I'd say it was multifaceted. Ed: What a place. I was really blown away Mac: Did you Ed: by pretty insane setup. I it will definitely be a repeat offender. Mac: Hm. I think we need a few more nights up there. Chaz: Yeah, I reckon we should I can we should do an annual Ed: For sure. Chaz: Yeah. We'll have to this weekend, Hemi. Mac: I'm going to Auckland tomorrow. Yeah. Got the grandparents. Chaz: yeah. What's up in Walkin? Ed: Whoa why weird Mac: yeah. Heading heading north. Ed: Sure. Mac: grandparents actually passed away, so having a bit of a memorial for them and just celebrating their achievements and their good doings, so should be good. Heading up there, yeah. Yeah. Ed: Well, they brought a few McDonalds into Chaz: Well, they'd be bloody proud of you. Ed: are they Mc the McDonalds or the other side? Mac: Yeah, yeah. The McDonalds, the McDonald clan. Ed: So they're Chaz: Yeah. Ed: res they're responsible from good s for some good genetics. Mac: Some boldies, yeah. Yeah. What it what are you boys up to? Ed: Ha ha ha Chaz: Yeah, so they're responsible for for lack of hair. Phew. Ed: You go, Chiz. Mac: Skating I guess. Chaz: Yeah, I might go up to Temple, really. But I so I had one more question for you quickly, Amy. Was were they motocross Mac: Mm. Chaz: riders? The McDonald grandparents? Mac: n no. It c it sort of stemmed from Dad actually. Chaz: Right. Mac: Dad and his brother. I don't nah, granddad was into horses. Yeah. Ed: Mm. Chaz: well, I'm sure Eddie can relate Mac: He was a huntsman. Chaz: to Eddie can relate to that. Ed: Yeah, good Yeah. Big time. Chaz: What are you to, Eddie? Ed: well it's currently nuking hot pow right now. that's the new term that I've been hearing on the radio with the from the Coronet forecast is five centimeters of hot pow. So I'm probably gonna go skiing. I reckon I've got Friday off because I basically had Thursday off today because it's passing down. so I might actually try to go for a skin in the morning. Yeah. Yeah. Chaz: On the new skids, Eddie. And have you got boots that will that'll work with the skins? Ed: Well, I'm trying to go round and pick these ones up from this chick. I just need her to message me back. 'cause that that Chaz: All right. And it doesn't help that you're that you're locked into a podcast, does it? Ed: it's only a it's only a few minutes round the corner. Chaz: All right. Ed: But with all this rain, the storage facility that me, Bernard, Maylink and Coal Share, flooded. So Chaz: Really? At Pete's Place? Ed: at Pete's place. So Pete messaged me and was like, Hey, the garage has just flooded 'cause obviously the civil engineer who designed the place decided to drain the culvert with a McDonalds straw. Chaz: No. Ed: So that blocked up and then it all went in the garage and then I didn't know what we had, so I was like, I'll just come around and check it out. to make sure nothing was getting wet. Which it was Chaz: Mm. Ed: all good. And then the section that we're building on has a bit of groundwater issues as well. So I went around there and had Chaz: Ugh. Ed: to do a bit of digging and just make 'cause we've got a float pump going at the moment. so it's all go. Water management. Chaz: To c to clear out the slab. Basically. Is it? Ed: Wow, yeah, we just yeah, got definitely got a f bit too bit too bit more water than you would like. But Chaz: Yeah. Ed: yeah. It's just all in there. This is all part of the Mac: Drainage. Ed: course. Chaz: God Mac: How big's a slab you're pouring? Chaz: Groundworth is Ed: the slab's ninety two squares, I think. Mac: Yeah. Ed: so it's pretty small. And then we've got these massive footings. Chris Arlington has over engineered the place, ready for the the big one when the alpine fault goes. I'm gonna be sitting in my house. It'll start if it's just if the alpine fault goes, I'm gonna be sitting there and I'll be like, Cara, you don't even need to get up. This house isn't going anywhere. We've got Mac: You don't need to worry about it. Ed: yeah, we've got Chaz: Krista's on it. Ed: Yeah, we've got twelve hundred by six hundred footings. These puppies are and I title the Rio bar. So Mac: Dude did you guys Did you guys see that that landslide in Tibet was it? Chaz: in the pool. Yeah. Mac: Holy Ed: Yeah, I need to Kara was actually talking about that. I need to check it out. Mac: Just get on Instagram, Get on get dome scrolling on your reels. Chaz: Yeah, it's a bit of a worry, Hmm. Ed: Mm. Yeah. Chaz: well we be this podcast is all about you, Hammy, so we'll stop talking about Eddie's swimming pool that he's building. Ed: And swim up spa. It's like an infinity pool, it fills itself up and then overflows. Yeah, it's actually quite nice. Chaz: Yeah, it's perfect, Mac: You need some jets in there. Chaz: You need to get a siphon actually. Ed: I wanna put a sliding window. Chaz: You know a siphon? You know how to set up one of those? You suck through the pipe and then you put it downhill. It just drains itself. Ed: No, we've got it. Yeah, but we've got a we've got a float pump. So it just every half an hour it goes off. Chaz: It just floats on top. Ed: Nah, it just goes off and then let drains the drains the sump Mac: Trying to okay. Ed: that we've dug. Yeah. Yeah, we've got it Chaz: Yeah. that's good. Yeah. Ed: quite an operation, but it's a temporary fix. Chaz: What's the dodgiest siphon you've had to had to pull off, Emmy? I bet there's been a couple, Mac: Dude, I remember my first time doing I think it might have been granddad's lawnmower or something, just a bit of garden Chaz: Yeah. Mac: hose. And dad was like, Yeah, just suck on it and you'll feel it coming up. Mate. I I swallowed like fucking half a litre of fuel I reckon. Chaz: Yeah. Mac: It came up way too fast. That was my first that was my first siphon and I've been pretty scared to do it ever since. But you can get you can get Ed: Did you did you get Mac: a real you can get a siphon hose with a ball bearing in the top, so it's like a one-way Chaz: Yeah. Mac: valve, and you shake it, and it just draws it up until it overflows. Chaz: that's all the people are using to to steal gas out of my car. Ed: I've got a good story here about drinking fuel. did you get Chaz: Maybe this is why we're all losing our hair. Ed: Yeah, did you get sick when you drank all the fuel? Mac: Nah, I d I I tried to spew it up, but like it hit the back of my throat and I had to swallow it, you know? Ed: Mm. Mac: and I tried Chaz: Mm. Mac: throwing it up, but dude, I just had these burps. Like fucking 98 Ed: Yeah. Mac: oct octane burps, bro. Chaz: Yeah. Ed: It was so that's exactly what happened to me and it was so gnarly. But so Mac: Yeah. Yeah. And it just it just tastes of fuel as well. Like your burps. You can't get rid of it. Ed: it was it really, it really did me in proper way. We were, we were at the zoo and we were filling up beer bottles with fuel and then sh had a fire going behind them and we were shooting them with the slug gun so when you'd hit one it'd explode. Chaz: Yeah. Ed: And we were having a few roadsiders as well. and I went out to refill all the beer bottles and We were drinking them they were the same bottles as what we were drinking. So I was filling up all these bottles and I had my one beer there and I got it mixed up and then I took a big swig of what I thought was my beer, but it was one of the beer bottles I'd filled up with petrol and Chaz: Yeah. Ed: and I just I just swallowed it all and then I was like it like was fully in my stomach. like a mouthful of gas. And then I tried to like spew it up and I got like a little bit out. And then didn't really think like washed my mouth out with water and stuff. And then carried on as you would. And then w once I got home maybe like an hour and a half later, I just my stomach started churning. And then I was like Mac: Mm-hmm. Ed: in the fetal position on the bathroom floor like re dry reaching and then we r so we rang the we checked the like poisoning hotline and and I d those burps bro were just so gnarly. Like and Chaz: my god. Mac: Ha ha. Ed: our room stunk and then that night I was like sleeping there and you're doing like these like petrol farts like Mac: Yeah. Ed: and I was like man I was on the verge of going to hospital, I was in such a bad way, but Chaz: it'll be burning. It'll be burning when you're trying to involve. It'll be burning when you're burping. It'll just be horrible. Ed: And just the just the the fumes that you're burping out was so hectic. Chaz: Yeah. Mac: Yeah. Yeah. It Ed: So yeah. Mac: just all it must just bubble up inside, Like I don't know Ed: Mm. Mac: how much I drank, but it was it was a good mouthful. mate. Yeah. Chaz: When it warms up when it warms up it turns to gas more easily too. You know when like on a hot day you open the gas canister and just so many fumes are coming off. Mac: Yeah, and it'd go pfft yeah. Chaz: So w once it gets in your stomach it's at thirty-seven degrees, right? So it's just gonna be warm it's gonna be evaporating into gas. Mac: That's fizzing up, yeah. Ed: it's no good. Don't drink petrol. Chaz: well I w I wasn't planning on it, but thanks. Mac: It didn't I mean it it like did you feel any effect after it though? Ed: what Chaz: Were you faster at riding or anything? Ed: I think it was just ninety ones. It was just ninety ones, so Mac: I dunno. I was I was probably like twelve Chaz: I should just Mac: years old, Ed: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Chaz: Yeah. No wonder you became a motocross rider, Hammy. It's in your blood, literally. Mac: Far out. Yeah. And Ed: Yeah. Mac: my stomach. Chaz: Yeah. Where Ed: Yeah. Mac: Yeah. Chaz: were we up to last week? I've been brainstorming a few questions because Cara, massive shout out, Cara Lee. It is lovely, partner in crime, the other half of the swimming pool. She was bailing me up in the weekend after a bit of liquid courage, she not fuel courage, not ninety one courage, but other liquid courage. She would she came over and she's like, Look, Chaz, the podcast is great, but you need to ask your guests about themselves instead of talking Ed: Yeah. Chaz: about yourself. Mac: Ha ha ha. Chaz: So, Hammy, I've been brainstorming throughout the afternoon, once I knew you were gonna join us. but do we wanna finish off the this the race week or do we wanna kick into some random questions? Mac: Where were we? We're about Friday, weren't we? Ed: Nah, let's kick in let's kick into something new. Mac: Yeah, nah. Bugger it. Racing bro, racing's a lot Nobody's Chaz: Well, I I just wanna know Ed: Nah, 'cause we got to the we got to the race. Mac: here for the nobody's here to listen to about the racing, are they? They all know what a race is. You go round Chaz: True. All right. Mac: in circles and try and win. Ed: yeah, 'cause that's why I was teenaged to do a part two, because I I don't really know the story of getting up to the point where you're actually rela racing professionally. so like we can wind it wind Chaz: Yeah. Ed: it way back. Mac: We'll go way back, Ed: Yeah, so you'd you mentioned before your dad and his brother got you into motorbikes. At like what age? What what rig are we talking? Mac: Yeah. Ed: XR hundred, eighty, seventy? Mac: No, it was a PW eighty. Chaz: Yeah. Ed: Ooh, two smoker. Mac: Pee Wee eighty. Yeah, we started on the PW eighties. we had one between three of us, three brothers. Ed: That would have been interesting. Mac: Yeah, that was good. We we had a few fights over that I remember we had to push it round to start off with. Like we didn't know it went, so we had to push it round to start off with. yeah, we were just pushing it down this bank and we'd all have turns pushing it round. It actually started with one of them Suzuki 50cc quads, L T fifty maybe? Ed: Yeah, yeah. Mac: And we were pushing that thing around and scrapping over it whose turn it was and and then we got I think it was a two thousand and five or d no, it was an old school one. It was white and pink. The first one we got from s we got it second hand, I think, from like Dwayne's Bikes and Skis or something. And that was actually that actually ended up being Ed: Yeah shout out to Wine. Mac: Angus's bike and then me and Mitchell got the freshies. Two thousand and five. P wee eighties from Trevor Pierce Yamaha. Shout out Trevor Pierce. Chaz: so you had three in the end. Mac: Yeah, we had three and Angus drew the short scroll. Short straw. Coffin the Coffin the old one. Ed: But isn't aren't Mitchell and Angus aren't Mitchell and Angus twins? Mac: Yeah, I don't know I don't really know how that worked out. I should have ended up with the hand me down. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: You're obviously the golden child though, Who's the favourite brother out of you three? Mac: yeah, I think maybe. Maybe. I dunno. I dunno. We're all equal. Chaz: You're all pretty different as well. Like very similar, but Mac: We all do different things, Chaz: but yeah, also different interests. Probably safe. Mac: I feel like Angus is the like Angus is the most skilled though, for sure. Angus can do everything. Chaz: I I was thinking that the other day. I was like, he's the jack of all trades. Like he can pick up a new sport by tomorrow. Mac: Yeah. Yeah. He can't do everything Ed: Mm. Mac: real good, but he can do everything like quite quite well. Ed: Yeah. He is Chaz: Yeah. But someone was telling me that he jumped on a motorbike with you guys, maybe it was with Bernard and stuff, like a year ago or two years ago in Europe, and he was just ripping. Is that Ed: Yeah, I think he humbled bare Mac: Dude, he came past it a few years ago we went up Cluzoni and Bergamo and we just hit this massive hill climb. Dude, Angus passed me, my teammate and another guy and met us at the top. And he actually he actually got roasted by one stone and chipped one of his teeth tooth teeth. Yeah, that day. Chaz: my god. Mac: nah, Angus can do it all and he can do it all real good. Mitchell Mitchell was really handy on a bike as well. but then he Chaz: Is I Mac: had his obviously his knee injuries and he kind of found alcohol and he liked driving his digger Ed: Yeah. Mac: too much, so he ate a few too many meat pies and It kind of all just fell apart for him. Ed: Drink too much petrol. Chaz: He's moved up he's moved up in the world from Mac: Yeah. Chaz: small machines to big machines, Isn't twenty ton diggers oo Mac: Yeah, yeah. He's doing good He's doing good though. He's cutting trees down, loving it. I think he really enjoys doing that, so no, we've all got real different ways of life. Angus is Ang Angus has the life though, Angus is whenever you see Angus Chaz: There was actually Mac: he's doing s he's doing something cool, he's he's not worried about anything, like he's just been sat inside all day today, editing videos and Doing his bit. Chaz: Yeah. He Ed: Angus has got a few balls in the air, Mac: He juggles them all round quite well though. Ed: Yeah, yeah. Chaz: I reckon he does. He's a good juggler. Mac: Yeah. Yeah. Chaz: because he always seems to be able to go and do what he wants when it's good, you know? Like if the Mac: Yeah. Chaz: wind's good, he's always out foiling, or if the skiing's good, he's always out skiing. He's just like not Mac: Yeah. Yeah. Chaz: so busy that he's missing out on shit. But he's busy Mac: Yeah. Chaz: enough that he's sort of not bored. That's that's the dream, that's what we're Ed: Hmm. It's a good way to be. Mac: Yeah. Yeah, he loves it. Chaz: all searching for. So anyway, so the PB eighties having. Mac: He's cracked her. Chaz: We'll get to the Mac: Dude, the P V eighties, man, I'll tell you a story. So we we're all Ed: Yeah. Mac: we're all wrapping round w so we grew up Chaz: Come a little bit closer to the microphone as well. Yeah. Mac: No, the mic's in here. Chaz: is it? No, you're all good. You're just a bit quiet sometimes. Mac: Yeah, it should be through my it's probably this rubbing up. Chaz: No, you're good, you're good. You got a good swag, Ed: You look good, bro. Mac: Thanks, thanks. Chaz: G Mac: So we're all ripping round. We grew up on twenty acres. and we've got this big so so the house is down one end and then we've got this big paddock. And dad's business was building trailers. So we all always had trailers in the in the paddock and we kind of made this track around these these trailers. And we're all drag racing each other one afternoon, one evening, ripping down, ripping down the paddock, turning round, coming back. having this drag race and I didn't want to beat the boys, so I like I didn't I Chaz: Well, 'cause they beat you up if you beat them or something. Mac: yeah, nah, just like rivalry, you know, brotherly rivalry. And I just didn't want to slow down. So I keep the gas on, heading towards this deer fence that we've got at the back of the property. Like on my PB eighty. I was probably doing like thirty K an hour or something. And just didn't shut off and I just remember sliding into this fence, at the bottom of the paddock. Anyway Young ass, get straight back up, like have a laugh about it. And then we're riding round till dark. And we got this big Chaz: Yeah. Mac: oval. And I remember the sun was coming down, the sun sets over here, and we're riffing round clock yeah, clockwise. I just remember following Mitchell and we're kinda going wider and wider, like getting more speed, and we get the sun's coming down. And it was getting a bit sun striky and bro, Mitchell went whipped way too wide round this corner and just hits this drawbar of the trailer, the front of the trailer, bro, Chaz: my god. Mac: and has this massive crash straight up. And just gets back up. And you know when you're young, like you can take a hit pretty good, Chaz: Shit she can I miss that. I still try and take the hits, but it's not Mac: Yeah, yeah. Nah, I dude Chaz: the same, Mac: how how about now, like you think about doing stuff before you do it? Like skiing the other day. I haven't skied in ten years and I would have just jumped off like some of those cliffs up there, but now I'm like, nah. I ain't doing that. Chaz: Yeah. I think you just realise Ed: Yeah, it kinda sucks, Chaz: mm. Mac: It's it's a real shame. Ed: Yeah, but it doesn't need to be like that. It doesn't have to be like that, yeah. Chaz: It's H Hammer, y your frontal lobe has just developed. Mac: Mm. Some people, yeah. Chaz: When did yours develop, Eddie? Recently? In the last couple of years I reckon, When I met you Ed: Yeah, but all Yeah, but I also reckon I'm I'm I'm real into the occasional scare yourself 'cause I reckon it's real good. It's real healthy. Mac: I think you've got you've got to sometimes, Ed: Yeah, yeah. You know like when you're Chaz: It's where you grow the most. Ed: Yeah, when you're scared of something, it doesn't matter what it is and then you just if you think you can do it, you should just go for it. Because Mac: I'm a real throw yourself in the deep end. Like talking about skiing, I went up with Mike Skinner. and we skied I hadn't skied in years and I'm on these rental skis and medium made Ed: Made your mic. Medium Mike in his mustache. Mac: medium mic TV. And Ed: Yeah. Mac: he's like, yeah, we're gonna hit like Mount Mount Grange, I think it's called. Up in Mo around Moore Zen Ivoria area. He's like, yeah, we'll just hike up. He's like, have you got crampons? I'm like, what are crampons? He's like, they're the things that clip on clip on your boots or your skis or whatever. So we're trekking up and I just see Mount Grange bro and I'm like, are we skiing down this? I haven't skied in ten years. Are we skiing down this? yeah, we'll just go we'll hike up the side. The snow is meant to be like all goods. And so we just hit this fucking this cool water, bro. And Skinner drops in, blows a ski off, like first turn. Like we're we're going down it. We actually filmed a vlog on it. And Skinner blows a ski off and it Chaz: we need we need to get the link for that. Mac: just Bro, it just goes down, the ski's gone. And so he takes his skis off. Then Angus drops in. Angus does his first turn, blows his ski off, and I'm sat there at the top, like, my god, like what what am I gonna do? So I just start coming Ed: Yeah. Mac: down, like being real cautious. But my legs were shaking at the top and I hadn't even dropped in. And I like anyway it was just Chaz: Hmm. Mac: It was one of those things like you just gotta jump straight in the deep end and then you've done it and you like there's no working up to it, you're straight in straight in the deep end straight away. Chaz: I reckon most of the times you jump in the deep end, you don't actually hurt yourself. It's when you're just being blase and casual and not thinking. That's when you hurt yourself, I reckon. Ed: Yeah. You're pretty tuned Mac: Mm, a hundred percent. Ed: you're pretty tuned in when you're scared. Chaz: Yeah. Mac: Dude, like like that first time I went mountain biking with you, Iddy, to a dinar and Yeah. I was like, Whoa Ed: we did the tour no yeah yeah yeah. Mac: what am I doing here, boys? Ed: Yeah, Wynn's like, Take him on a bag ride, take him some some gnarly shit. But I was I didn't realize I like, Yeah, sweet ass. All good. And we just we didn't go Mac: Yeah. Ed: we didn't yeah, we just went and wrote all the good tracks. With Joshy and stuff. Hmm. Mac: Yeah. Yeah. But that was like that was pretty full on. Ed: Yeah. Mac: What's that track down like Lookers right Ed: From Mac: of the gondola? Ed: yeah, on Jedi. Yeah. It's st yeah, yeah, yeah, and the rocks the Mac: Yeah, my god. And the wit I think it was as well. Yeah, yeah. Ed: rocks the rocks on the lower section are like death. Yeah. It's a good track. Mac: Yeah. Chaz: And doesn't get any easier. I don't reckon as you get better th those sort of tracks get easier, really. Cause Ed: Nah. Chaz: you still like there's such a s it's Mac: Now but like Chaz: almost just like luck sometimes anyway. Ed: Mm. Mac: But when you're in the deep end, like you you think about things a lot more and you're like, Okay, I I have to put pressure on myself not to fuck this up because Chaz: Yeah. Ed: Mm. Mac: if I fuck it up then I'm fucking it up majorly, you know? So if you're like like Yeah, exactly. Ed: Yeah, or you're in a no you're in a no fuck up zone. And you're just like that's not Chaz: Hm. Ed: it's not really an option. Mac: No other options. No full zone. Ed: Yeah, 'cause man Chaz: Yeah. Ed: yeah, you're just like, well that's what I always say, just don't crash. Chaz: That's an Ed: Like you know, don't yeah, yeah, just you j it's not really an option. Mac: Yeah. Easy. I reckon I reckon what do you reckon? Do you reckon a UCI downhills on one day? For Hammy Mac? Ed: Yeah. It'd be easy to like Mac: Should we should we shall we link this up some someday? Shall we do it? Ca Ed: Yeah, because Mac: 'cause Ken Roxon talked about it, Ed: Well New Zealand rarely fills their three jersey spots, I've noticed. 'Cause I I was I was touring with maybe doing one of the last two this year and then Mac: Mm. Ed: I was like I won't do it I won't throw my name in the hat because I don't want to take a spot off someone who's keen as to do it and then I and then the email chain came out and they only filled like two spots for Whistler and one spot for Lake Placid. So like Yeah, but it just mean it just meant I Chaz: That's a shame. I thought there would have been heaps of juniors though. Well like not juniors, but the young like young guys. Ed: Well, first year elite. Mac: But what does that mean? Do they only let do they only let a certain amount of people from New Zealand do it? Ed: So it means you can No, it means you can race a World Cup without any points. You get entered under your national federation, but there's only three spots available. And Mac: Okay. Okay. Ed: most of the time in Europe they're like pretty sought after. So like three people will get it one week and then another three people will get it the next week, but it won't be the same three people from the week before because there's a bit of a there might be six people who are wanting three spots, so they share it around. Mac: Yeah. Ed: And that's why I was Mac: Yeah. Ed: like, I'll just leave it 'cause like I I thought a World Cup like Whistler or something would be really popular. but Chaz: Mm. Mac: Mm. Ed: obviously the obviously the people who are privateering will go to Europe and they'll go and do heaps of different races. So Mac: Yeah, true. Ed: you could it would be you you'd just all you'd need to do is a licence and then keep keep applying for a spot. And it and then you'll just you'd probably just get one 'cause like if this was the case like now, you would get a spot for the last two World Cups. Cause they didn't fill them. Mac: Dude, that'd be crazy. Chaz: I reckon you should do it, Hammy. I reckon if you did a year, g if you get a downhill bike, get it set up month, and then just do a year of riding as much as you can. N obviously not every day, but like, you know, in the summer try and go out four or five Mac: Yeah, just getting used to it. Chaz: times a week Ed: Hm. Chaz: and just do some laps, you would be able to race and probably like be decent. I think what I reckon with downhill is to be like competitive. is really, really hard these days. Ed: Mm. Chaz: But to be within like sort of ten percent of the top guys, or at least ten percent of like the top ten, top twenty, isn't that hard. Ed: Yeah. Mac: Yeah, just be sick to like say that you've done it or whatever, you know. Like it I I w I wouldn't have any Ed: Hm. Yeah, it's like a bucketless thing to tick off. Mac: yeah, I wouldn't have any expectation to qualify or nothing. Just Ed: Yeah. Chaz: Yeah. Mac: go out there and just try and just ride down the track. Like and just be a part Ed: And it's a main process. Mac: of it. Ed: It's a mean process 'cause like in no other race apart from at a World Cup do tracks develop like they do at a World Cup and like lines are changing Chaz: Yeah, sure. Mac: Mm. Ed: and you've got that many that amount of concentrated fast riders riding down one track, which you don't you don't get it like a national Mac: Yeah. I feel like that's quite I feel like that's quite similar to what we have going on because the track, like I spoke about in the last episode, the track changes so dramatically from lap to lap. So like a line could come out that Chaz: Yeah, 'cause when when you first walk it, it's just virgin, Mac: yeah, it's most of the time it's virgin. Or it'll be on an existing track, but obviously then there's lines around that existing track that come out Chaz: Yeah. Ed: Yeah. Mac: that are aren't necessarily the fastest line from the previous year. so I think that aspect of it is pretty that's pretty cool in our sport and also in your sport, that it's forever changing and lap after lap it's it's evolving. Chaz: I think that would be so hectic for the motor because yeah, the downhill like it ruts out, but it's kind of consistently over the weekend it just gets more and more rutted and gnarly and it's pretty gnarly Mac: Mm. Chaz: by the end. Like I've been scared in any downhill races I've done by how much it blows out. But in moto you'd go round if it's a soft area, like a sort of swamp or something, or a bog, Mac: Mm. Chaz: you'd go around the first lap and it might be like pretty much perfect. And then you go in the second lap and it could be like ruts that are deeper than your foot pegs. Mac: But a a bog is quite like a bog is quite typically easy to read 'cause you you know it's gonna change from walking, but there's places that you ride over in the in the first lap and it feels quite firm and you're like, Chaz: Mm-hmm. Mac: yeah, that was like decent. There was nothing to kind of 'cause we have line spotters as well. They're like you quite often come out of a test and go, can you go and check that spot for the next lap? And there's some places that you don't even like it doesn't even cross your mind. It doesn't feel weird or anything riding over it. And you'll come round the next lap and it will just be like a a bomb has gone off. And you're like, holy shit and then you've just gotta make your like Make your decision as you're there. Ed: Yeah, just play it live. Chaz: That's a really good Mac: Yeah. Chaz: skill that you learn from your sport and I guess from our sports too is like that decision making on the fly and then Mac: Yeah. Chaz: just that commitment to follow through on that decision. Like it's you don't even think about it, But you just But sometimes you ha like Eddie said, you just have to make it work. You just have to make a decision and stick with Ed: Hm. Mac: Yeah. A and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't know. But so like it's speed is your friend. Chaz: it. Yeah. Mac: Speed is your friend, And confidence. Like Ed: Spade is always your friend. Mac: you can hit the gnarliest line, but if you've got confidence and you're looking past that line, mate, sometimes you can just you can get over it. And we like we have really We have it really good because when people break, they obviously drag like it probably happens a downhill as well. It drags a bump up, but quite often Chaz: Mm. Yeah. Mac: when they break and release and throttle, it creates like a a break a big breaking bump before something Chaz: Yeah. Mac: that they've given the gas. So you can quite often play around and play with that bump that the slower riders have created. So if there's like a big log Chaz: you can air off it. Mac: or s yeah, so if like there's a big log like say half a metre off the ground and everybody's been s slowly dragging dirt up and r into the log, you can often jump before the log. Off the off the bump. Yeah. Chaz: Pre jump it. No shit. Mac: Yeah. So that's like a Ed: Yes, 'cause you get like a single over the log. Mac: Yeah, exactly. So that's like Chaz: That sucks. Ed: Yeah. Mac: a real if you're coming up to something and you're going way too fast, sometimes you've just got to huck off this small bump and just clip the Chaz: Mm. Mac: log with the back wheel. It's that's like a Ed: Yeah. Mac: that's kind of like a new generation of of our sport that's happened quite dramatically in the last probably well, three or four years I'd say. Ed: You even see Jet Lawrence doing it in motocross. Like Mac: Mm. Ed: jumping using the braking bumps coming into a rut like he'll like get super like creative with using the like bumps that forming in front of a rut. Yeah. Mac: Yeah. boys, I'm on two percent. Chaz: That's crazy. Ed: Ha ha ha. Mac: sh I'm gonna have to I'm gonna have to go to the charger. Ed: I had a real situation, yeah, situation just before. So I was rushing to get home, ran upstairs, checked my laptop, I was like, fuck, I hadn't charged it. Go to plug it in, plug it in, knock it off, lands on the charging port and bends the char bends the charger inside inside Mac: Ha ha ha. Ed: my laptop. It's bent right Chaz: Mm-hmm. Ed: now, but I was able to like bent it's bent at a ninety. And I was able to bend it down and it's still charging now, but it's it's probably a fire hazard. Mac: What do you rather the Chaz: that Mac: USB C or the the magnetic one? Ed: No, just the use if I had the magnetic it'd be sweet 'cause it just would've popped out. But I was running the USB C and it's Mac: Yeah, true. Ed: it bent like full ninety. Mac: Yeah, go get your GoPro charger. Chaz: Maybe that's why that's why it's called the mag safe, Because it's I've d I dropped mine onto the charger. Ed: What look at look at that. Chaz: But it's magnetic. Yeah, that's that's a well is that's probably like Ed: That's that's when Chaz: thirty degrees. Ed: Yeah, but it was at ninety. Chaz: After the repair. Ed: Yeah, so that's the repair. Plug it in and see yeah, I should p turn Chaz: Hammy, Ed: back on. Mac: There you go. Chaz: if you if you think about it now, is this the career you'd wanna do? Are you stoked with where you're at? Or do you think I mean the grass is always greener, right? But Mac: Yeah. Nah, a hundred per cent. Nah. I like Chaz: Apart from Angus's job is pretty sick. Mac: it's like I grew up wanting this and now that I'm here, like I I take it for granted sometimes. Like when it's going shit, you're like, this sucks, like what Chaz: Yeah. Mac: like you're look you're like looking for things to be negative about but you just need to step Chaz: Yeah. Mac: back and say like, Man, the thirteen year old me ripping round out there on my P We A D would kill for this. Like Dude, I one of my first Shirkos, I got a screenshot of the factory team and made like a a replica bike. Like I got the I got the exhaust or I got the they it even had white grips, so I put white grips on my bike. I got a discard, I got the handguards that they were using, I got like I wanted to get like this replica graphic kit made, and now I'm on that team. I've been on that team for eight years. Chaz: You premeditated it. Ed: Yeah, so you built yourself a factory bike before you're a factory rider, and now you've got a factory Mac: Yeah. Manifested it. Yeah, yeah. Ed: bike and you're a factory rider. That sucks. Mac: Yeah, so it's like you you take it for granted and nah, w I I mean I feel like I've always wanted to be a pro writer and whatever and now I'm here like it's it's happened I feel like it's happened quite easily like everything's just fallen into place and I've ended up here so I feel like it was meant to be. Ed: Yeah, so let's pause there. Wind back fast forward a little bit from the PW eighty, but like what was the path to going like what was your route to becoming a factory rider? Especially from New Zealand, 'cause Chaz: Yeah, how many years did it take as well? Ed: well like and like it Mac: So twenty Ed: can't be easy being a Kiwi to go and be a pro and duro motocross rider, probably I would say even harder than being a mountain bike rider 'cause you can't ship a like we can travel with our bikes. Yeah, so like the barriers to entry Chaz: You can fly with our bikes, yeah. And you're from little Mac: Yeah. So Ed: are lower. Chaz: Yeah, how does yeah, how does a kid from West Melton become a pro rider for a a team in, you know, Italy, a World Cup race team? Mac: So I they they aired it on TV, basically like the thirty minute recap was on Sky Sports of the World Championship. And twenty sixteen I think it was, and I sat there, I I had it recorded every episode. and I just seen this kid, Jack Edmondson, riding over these logs in the youth class, which was the the first class that I actually ended up winning. and I was he he just crashed on these rocks and I was like, this guy like this guy kinda sucks. Like I reckon I could beat this guy. Ed: Okay. Mac: And like so I I reckon it was that afternoon or that evening I I got on my computer and sent a bunch of emails. Nobody replied. and then yeah I I've struck gold with a guy, Fabrizio Azaline, who is the team I ride for now. And basically what it was is you you just had to buy your ride. so I think we paid like twelve hundred euros per race, which is quite reasonable because pfft by the time you have to buy your bike, buy your tires, pay for your fuel, pay for a mechanic, it's gonna be way more than that anyway. Ed: Mm. Mac: so I was like, yeah. I seen this Jack Edmondson guy and that was two thousand sixteen. I got a I bought a YZ one two five. Chaz: How old were you in twenty sixteen, Amy? Mac: I was sixteen. Sixteen or seventeen. And we're at Sherko Chaz: You're right. You born in one or ninety nine? Mac: ninety nine. Yeah. So Sherco didn't have Chaz: yeah. Sorry. Mac: a one two five at the time. So I bought a YZ one two five from Greymouth, eighteen hundred bucks, two thousand eight Y Z one two five. 'Cherco weren't making them at the time and the youth classes capped to one two five CC. Chaz: Yeah. Mac: So I buy this bike and just start ripping it. Ripping round like, yeah, like just kind of feeling it out, because I'd never ridden a one two five before. normally I was riding three hundred two stroke. So jumping onto a little one two five was a bit of a shock. And just trained up on that for a year and really enjoyed riding it and then The previous year, two thousand and seventeen, Shirko released a one two I think it was seventeen, yeah. Released a Sherko one two five. So I got that. did probably six or seven months on that and my YZ. And then yeah, keep speaking with Fabrizio and we decided to do the first two races in two thousand and eighteen, which was Spain and Portugal. So we did that, we obviously paid the money and just went over there and did that. Chaz: How'd you save up? Were you working at home or whatever? Mac: So mum and dad just gave me twenty thousand as a loan. It was twenty thousand that I had to pay back. I was working as a landscaper from I think two thousand and sixteen. I didn't I just left school. Maybe like two thousand Yeah, two thousand fourteen I was working for dad, just kind of just bumming around, you know, fifteen years old, not really doing much. riding my bike and then Yeah, got the job landscaping. I did that for two years. Chaz: Who's that worth? Mac: in Yardscape. So Chaz: yeah. Mac: they they were a yeah, landscape fairly small landscape operation out of I think they're in Belfast, yeah. so I I Chaz: Every good Kiwi athlete has a landscaping a landscaping heritage at some point. Mac: Yeah, so I was getting up at four a.m., going to the gym in the morning, then driving out there for work at seven thirty, doing a whole day's landscape work, like good hard yakka, kiwi graft day, planting trees and building decks and all kinds of stuff. And I actually really enjoyed that. and then riding after work, basically. And then I was like to my boss, I was like, I'm g Chaz: That's a hectic schedule, That that's why you're so strong, It's just physical work from six AM till seven PM. And then mum just puts that on the Mac: Yeah, but I think y Yeah. Chaz: table, you eat and just collapse on the floor, go to bed. Mac: Yeah, just cark it. Eat, sleep, work, ride, repeat. And then yeah, it kinda just fell into place there. I went twenty eighteen. I'd had a bit of experience with Mike Skinner again in Romaniacs. Ed: Well, so how were those how how were those two races that you went over and did? Chaz: Twenty eighteen. Mac: Yeah, good. I twenty eighteen. The first one was decent. I finished second in the super test, so that was the Friday night blast around. Finished second in that. and I think that kind of opened a few eyes, 'cause who was this guy from New Zealand? I I remember all I was in all black Alpine Stars gear. I had hair back then, so I was I think I was running like a scruffy ass mullet or something. Just Ed: Yeah. Chaz: West Melton special. Mac: Just not really speaking to not not really speaking to anybody, just quite quiet and w when I went out on my bike I was just enjoying it and then finished fourth both days. But the race wasn't that great. Like I felt like it was a shock. Like what they were showing on TV was obviously the highlights of the race, not the everything else that was going on, like the the kind of the shit. tests or whatever they would only show the good parts of the test. So we went to Portugal and I got I got a banner wrapped up in my wheel and and yeah I lost time there and and then the next race so to 2018 I was working for Romaniacs as well, Red Bull Romaniacs. So then I would go off and work in Romania with Skinner. And I wasn't really training, we were just having a good time, striding around in the Romanian mountainside and and then I was like to mum and dad, I'm still over here, let's do another one. I I don't remember what this I don't rem rem what the third race was. it was in a it was Chaz: So what is it? twelve hundred euro per race, is it? Mac: Yeah, yeah. So we did the third race was Estonia, I think. So I go up to Estonia and then I finished second and I was like, sweet, like this was a heaps better heaps better race for me. and funny Chaz: Will you stick into Jack Edmondston? Mac: nah. So Jack was in the junior class, but he was riding for the team I was riding for. Chaz: Yeah. Mac: And by the time by the time Estonia finished, That was kind of the end of the trip also in Romaniacs, also with my job in Romania. So I was kind of just like, what like what is there to do? go home or whatever and then Jack's dad, Paul, was like, why don't you come and live with us in England and do the rest of the chairmanship? And I was like to mum and dad, I like, I can't turn down this opportunity. Like I've I've I've I feel like I've got more to give. Ed: And you're there. Mac: and Jack was this guy. Jack was actually the guy that I'd seen fall off the bikes in the rocks on the TV. Yeah, yeah, Chaz: On the logs. On the rocks, yeah, yeah. Mac: yeah. Yeah. The guy was slagging off. So he actually asked me to Chaz: Yeah, and now he's giving you a lifeline, Mac: Yeah, exactly. He gave me the lifeline and I went and spent some time in England. he supplied a bike for me, Paul supplied a bike and I did the next race in Italy and went one one. And I was like and then the team were like, yeah, we want you to do the rest of the races. and then the rest of them went well and I finished second in the championship that year on a stock standard bike. Chaz: Was it Mac: And Chaz: what class was that, Amy? Mac: That was in the one two five class, the youth class. Chaz: The youth class. So Jack wasn't in that well, he was. Mac: Yeah. Jack was in the junior class by this stage. Yeah. Chaz: Is it older? Right. Mac: So the the youth is one two five C C up to twenty one years old or twenty years old I think it was that year. And then they moved Chaz: Mm-hmm. Mac: it to twenty-one years old, the following year. So I was able to do another year in the youth class. and Sherco actually gave me a contract to ride on it was like a semi semi professional deal, like I wasn't earning money but I could make bonus. Chaz: So the first year, when you when Jack Edmondson's dad, Paul, gave you a a chance to go and keep keep doing the races, and then you went one one that next week or the next race, and then did Sherko then say, you can just come and race for free or did you still have to pay for the rest of that year? Mac: No, still had to pay for the following races that season. Chaz: But they invited you back to do the r rest of them, but you still had to pay, sort of thing. Right. And then the following year Mac: Yeah, yeah. And then I was like I was like Yeah, so yeah, the rest of that s season, two thousand eighteen, my first season, I just it was kind of just like youth class is not a professional like they're just you're Chaz: Mm. Mac: just kids at that stage. so I went one one and I actually finished I think it was third in the E one class. So I I opened some eyes that weekend and had some good good times and yeah. Finished second that season and then they asked me to come back the following year. They gave me a contract to have a a decent bike. Chaz: So right. Mac: It was a factory bike. and yeah, bonus only, no salary. So that was that was where it all started. Chaz: And that was twenty nineteen. Ed: Wha you don't have to answer, but what kind Mac: twenty nineteen. Ed: of what kind of if you're on bonus only, how much would like let's say you what would a podium bonus or a win bonus be? Mac: So win b I think it was win only in the youth class. It was eight hundred Euros. But you could make Ed: Yeah. So it's like if you win you've Mac: Yeah, so you could make Chaz: You can go out for dinner, basically. Mac: six you could make six yeah, you could make sixteen hundred Euros in a weekend if you went one one. Chaz: Yeah. Which as a as a Mac: Yeah, but they I mean Chaz: as a eighteen year old kid, that's like what? That's three grand Kiwi. It's Mac: Yeah. Chaz: not much money, but if you got no expenses in your in Europe you'd be like, yeah, sweet. Ed: Yeah, it goes for a while. Mac: Yeah, it's a dream, isn't it? Ed: Yeah. Chaz: Yeah. Mac: I had to win. And yeah, I wa I I yeah, I won a bit that way that Chaz: Yeah, then you so you try extra hard, Never backing off a throttle. Mac: that I won a bit that year and then the following year I had a a a professional contract. and like I was quite lucky I got money in the youth class because nobody gets money there, so just to Chaz: Mm. Mac: make some bonus was w was lucky. Ed: Yeah. Mac: Yeah. Chaz: had a cushion that just popped up before. how long how many how many Ed: When when you got your f you go chess. Mac: Money. Chaz: how many years did it take to pay back the pe your parents' loan? And were they ever worried Mac: The following year. Chaz: were they ever worried if you were ever gonna pay it back? Mac: Nah, nah. I paid it back. I paid it back that following year, I think, when I was in the in the in the junior class, so we got it sorted. Yeah. Yeah. Nah, Chaz: Is that when you're getting a salary? Or is that when you're just on bonies? Salary? Mac: I got salary the following year, so and the lucky like lucky I got a boat like that was kind of my that was my make it or break it year was two thousand nineteen because I I kinda said to myself, I'm not gonna be One of those guys that hang around here and try Chaz: Yeah. Mac: and make something work and if it doesn't work I'm just gonna go back landscaping or whatever, Ed: Mm. Mac: you know. Chaz: Here we are. Ed: when you when you got your first pro contract, were you talking to any other teams? Mac: Nah, so I had a manager, and like I got offered I got offered good money for a y for a junior for a junior rider, so that was decent and I I kind of didn't feel the need to change change, you know. They were look Ed: Yeah, yeah, you're happy straight away. Mac: at yeah, they they were looking after me. I had good vibes around the team, everybody was helping me out and Kind of like helping me evolve, helping me grow and really have my back with everything. So that was a massive a massive I think just to be comfortable on a team as well is such a Chaz: Mm. Mac: such an important thing. Ed: Well, you can't really put a dollar value on it 'cause if you're not comfortable then it it's gonna your results are gonna run out real quick. Mac: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So I think being comfortable. Ed: Yeah. And I think so many p so many people stitch themselves up by changing y well, we see it in like mountain biking heaps where someone will have a breakout season and then obviously, you know, you're hot property and everyone comes knocking on your door. But sometimes the best thing to do is just to sit tight for one more year 'cause you've had that breakout season on a bike and in an environment that you're comfortable with and then if Chaz: Yeah. Ed: you go and change that and go onto a new bike with new people and a new mechanic and everything And if it goes bad, it's so far so hard to find yourself, find your way back to like the recipe that Chaz: Yeah. Ed: and 'cause you don't have the experience of what made that season successful yet. Chaz: Well, you're still figuring it out. You're just starting Mac: Yeah. You don't you don't Chaz: to figure it out. And then you change every variable. Ed: Yeah. Mac: You don't know what to look for. Yeah. Ed: Yeah, so like you've you've chased the dollars but then when it all starts going it doesn't it's not going as well as you were used to, then it's like sure, that's a hard thing to like have on your conscience. Mac: Replace. Ed: Yeah, 'cause you like you you don't actually know why what what the certain things that made made the first year successful and then sometimes it can Chaz: Mm. Mac: Mm. Ed: take ages and sometimes people never get back to it. Chaz: Yeah. Mac: Mm. Ed: They just have a flash in the pan season and then kind of just fade away. Which is so unfortunate when all of the if they if only they had a little bit of patience, you know, it could Mac: Mm. Chaz: It Ed: be way different. Chaz: I mean everyone always says it it's like it's not about the money. But you don't realise it until you realise it. And it's probably taken me, Ed: Mm. Chaz: you know, until my late twenties to r well, I'm older than that now, but that's when I figured out, like, actually, the money doesn't matter at all. As long as you have enough money Mac: Yeah. Chaz: to do what you're doing and to, you know, make some savings or whatever, Mac: Yeah. Chaz: you just actually just wanna have the good stuff. And it's the same in life, not even in racing. in life as well, like if you have a job, Mac: Yeah, if you're Chaz: you wanna have enough free time to be able to enjoy your weekends and enjoy your activities and your things. If it's such a stressful Mac: Yeah. Chaz: job that you can't do that, what's the point? Even if you're making heaps of money. Ed: I'm sure if you went landscaping Mac: Yeah. Ed: in Dubai you'd probably make hell cash, even landscaping. But but you're living in Dubai. Yeah. And you can't well maybe you could go Mac: Yeah, I might do that. Yeah, yeah. I I need to try it. Chaz: Yeah. That could be your your career up your next Mac: Try it, try it. Chaz: career. Ed: Yeah. Mac: Drive round not work in my in Dubai. I'd hate it, bro. I hate that place. Chaz: This leads us to my next question, Hammy. Is has there been a point in the last sort of five years? Well, p you've been you've been pretty much pro for si almost seven years now, where you would we want to quit or you or has there been a real low point? Mac: I think you know you already know the answer to this one. Chaz: Yeah. Mac: Yeah, it was Chaz: Mm. Mac: last year after I won. because you know, you you work so hard for something and then you've got it and you're like, what do I do now? Ed: Mm. Chaz: Mm. Mac: and it's it's actually a thing, also with Olympians, like they've got their kind of four years three, four years of of working so hard for something and then that moment happens and then they're like, you get lost a little bit, I would call it. And I would say that happened after I won. Chaz: Mm. Mac: I I kind of didn't know like I didn't know the feeling that I got after winning would be so kind of low, I guess. Like I Chaz: Average. Ed: Yeah. Mac: Yeah, like I thought Chaz: Yeah. Mac: I would feel way happier and like just be on top of the world. No, it doesn't it Chaz: It doesn't make anything better, I mean I've never won a overall an overall season like you have, but even winning races and stuff, it doesn't make you any happier at all. Mac: But it d and it doesn't actually change anything. If anything, it made it like it made it worse to be honest, because I didn't have that that thing to chase anymore, you know? Yeah. You've there's only down Chaz: Yeah. You I'd say it's like your it's your north star, yeah, the top top of the hill, or like your direction. Ed: Yeah, you reached the top of the hill. Mac: when you're at the top there's only downhill from there, isn't there? Somebody said that Ed: Yeah. Mac: to me. Somebody goes, you've won now, it's only downhill from here. And I was like, Yeah, like i i it's actual true. Yeah. Chaz: True. The way I the way I look at it. Ed: Yeah, you're like wait a rate on my parade, but now looking back on it you are so true. Yeah. Mac: Yeah. And I think that was the the biggest thing is because I'd been working so hard for so many years, to tr to tick that thing off. And I mean, everybody has their different kind of goals with their racing and this and and mine was just to win a world championship in the elite class. after winning the ju after winning the youth class and the junior class, I wanted that that elite class win and I won that and then it was like, sh like what what now? Chaz: Now Mac: Yeah. So I kinda spun out. Chaz: I guess it's like Ed: So Mac: Kinda spun out a little bit. Not I mean not really many people know about that, but I kinda spun out a little bit, didn't really know what to do, didn't really know what what my racing was gonna do and I think you scratch that goal off and you've just got to find another new goal. Chaz: Mm. Ed: Yeah, so what Mac: Mm. Ed: what would that with a bit more p Chaz: Thanks for sharing, Henry. Ed: yeah, with a bit more perspective now, how how did you fill the void and like what's the goal moving forward? Mac: I don't know, I think like racing's racing's cool, but there's more to life than just racing. and obviously that's I'm sure you guys have all felt this way as well. There's that point in your career where life like I wanna be successful in other things away from racing. and I'm sure being an athlete being s sort of so driven and so kind of like determined and hard working and having these hurdles and injuries and sort of highs and lows you learn a lot. So I think just kind of like I don't I don't really know. it's hard for me to say 'cause I'm still racing. and this Ed: Yeah, yeah. Mac: year's been like this year's been one of those seasons where the f the start of the season was super, super difficult and then I won a race and I was like, yeah, like I'm loving it again. And I I kind of just set my instead of looking at the championship as a whole, I just set it as like one race at a time. Go out and try and win that one race. not really worry about the championship as such because I wasn't in a championship position this year. So Obviously when you're in the championship position it all changes because you've got to play it smart and you can settle for a a third or a fourth or whatever, but this year was like, No, I'm going out and if I've got the chance to win it, I'm gonna try and win it. Chaz: Which is quite good 'cause I reckon it's stressful Ed: It's funny as well. Chaz: it's more stressful when you have to try and play it smart. You got more to Mac: yeah. Chaz: lose, you know. Mac: Yeah. And it's constantly in the back of your mind Ed: Yeah, it well it's shit 'cause you're like Yeah. Chaz: And then you ride like shit. Mac: even when you're out training it's like, just don't like if you don't need to go and do something, don't go and do it. Chaz: Don't hike off that rock Ed: Yeah. Chaz: at Olympus after the Quintuple head scull. Yeah. Sorry, Eddie, what Mac: Yeah. Dude, we're in an hour Ed: With the with the with Mac: already. Ed: Yeah, yeah, we are. Chaz: We might s we're supposed to think in one more question, I gotta go, but you guys can go all night. Well then that we kinda break our rule. One more Ed: No, we're gonna re we'd go one more, we've gotta wrap it up soon. Chaz: last question. I've got one. You go w one, I'll go one eighty. Quick one. Ed: no, I was just gonna say with what you were saying before, it's funny like when you're so goal driven and you're driving towards this one thing and then when you get there everything you gave up to get there that then that's actually what you want moving forward, you know? So like Chaz: Yeah, true. Ed: life your Mac: Yeah. Ed: your whole life goes on the back burner in pursuit of this one thing, which is like That's the be all and end all, and then when you achieve it, and that might be results or whatever it is, then everything you gave up or put on the back burner getting there is actually like what you're after next. Chaz: That's all you want. Ed: 'Cause you didn't have it. Mac: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Chaz: That's such a good point. Ed: And you haven't had it for so long? And that might be like reconnecting Mac: Exactly. And that's like Ed: with old friends and stuff and like 'cause being an athlete can be super selfish. And I but Yeah, yeah. Mac: It is selfish. It's the most dude, Chaz: And lonely. Mac: it's the most selfish thing there is because you want that one thing and that's to win and you'll do anything to do that. Like get there. Whether it be Ed: But then it's funny it's funny that once you get it, everything you gave up to get there is actually what you want next. Mac: One hundred percent. that's one Chaz: So you basically get to Mac: hundred percent true. Chaz: the end of the road and then you turn around and start going back down the road picking up the things picking up the things that you've dropped off on the way. Everything that fell off the trailer. You gotta pick it Yeah, that's all broken. Ed: And do a U turn. And it's fully picking it's f Yeah, you're picking up Mac: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Picking up all the broken pieces, Yeah. Ed: yeah, and it's like it's just been a sh a yard sale to get there and then you turn around and there's shit everywhere Chaz: 'Cause you try to get this so fast, you're throwing Mac: Yeah. Yeah. Chaz: stuff off the wagon to make it lighter. So you're throwing Ed: Yeah. Chaz: off friends Mac: Yeah. Chaz: and relationships and sports and everything that's falling off the wagon and then you get to the end Mac: Yeah. Chaz: and you've got to go refill your wagon Ed: Turn around. Chaz: and repair all the stuff that you've broken by throwing it off. Mac: Yeah, yeah. And the Ed: Yeah. Mac: wagon's got three wheels at this stage and it's like, fuck. Yeah. Ed: Yeah. Chaz: That's your yeah, that's your blown knee. Blah blah. Ed: Mm. Mac: Yeah. Chaz: we better wrap it up, but just leave us with one little bit of advice, Hammy. We'll put I think we have to do a third episode probably next week. Ed: Yeah. Mac: Ha ha ha. Chaz: I feel like we haven't scratched the surface, Ed: Yeah, they all been quick. Chaz: Yeah, it's pretty c it's good. Well no, I wish I could keep going, but it can't. But Hammy, if there's one thing Is there one thing you do each day or like regularly as part of your schedule or whatever? Could be anything that you reckon makes your performance better or, you know, to the top level? Like one thing you prioritise or Mac: I think just It's it's not one thing, it's your whole sort of mentality on life. just going out there and I always look at it as if you're enjoying it, you're riding fast. So if you're happy, if your team's good, if your friends around you are good, if your girlfriend's good, if everything's sort of pushing you to be that it's the whole package, you know, it's not just me, it's everybody Chaz: Mm. Mac: around me that lifts me up and pushes me to that position. but I think just going out and enjoying it is the main thing. Going out and enjoying the dude, I really love like going out there and and pushing myself, like getting in the hurt locker and just Chaz: Yeah. Mac: enjoying the pain and whether it be ped pedaling up Vic Park or getting on my road bike or just in the gym, just going out and getting in that zone where like everything hurts and you're like, yeah, this is this is the good stuff. This is gonna make me a better person. This is gonna make me a better athlete. This is gonna improve my riding. So I think I think just going hard Chaz: Yeah. So that's probably your secret weapon then, Ed: Mm. Chaz: isn't it? Yeah. Is just pushing harder than other people are prepared to push, probably. Mac: Yeah. that yeah. Ed: I think it's Chaz: And over Ed: like like you were saying, it's a mentality. Chaz: time it compounds. Ed: It's I 'cause you hear people talk about it all the time and it's like find comfort in the uncomfortable Chaz: Yeah. Mac: Yeah. Ed: and that's like so true 'cause you can just trick yourself into just if you just go and do it but then r repetition, it's like going to the gym, it sucks, but then You f slip into like a routine and then all of a sudden you're just like pumping it out and then it becomes normal and then it's like you're comfortable in that unc and it can be anything. It's like if someone hates public Mac: Mm. Ed: speaking, the best way to get over that is by doing public speaking. Yeah. Yeah. Mac: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, if Chaz: Yeah. And then you realise Mac: anybody hates podcasts, just two of the do two of them. Yeah. Yeah I'll be on gypsy tails Chaz: how fun it is. Don't worry, Hammy, you're not done with two. You're you're a lifelong subscribe a lifelong guest now. Ed: Yeah. All right. Mac: soon, Chaz: Yeah. Ed: yeah. Mac: No, I will be after all this podcast Ed: yeah. Mac: experience. Chaz: Gypsy Towers is gonna be big in to come on here soon, I reckon. Yeah. Ed: Yeah, I reckon. Then Mac: Yeah, I reckon Ed: we can do then we can do ja we can jujitsu jace. Chaz: How many Mac: Yeah. Chaz: I would not go on the r on the mats with that guy. How many Ed: I wouldn't go in the mats with any Jiu Jetu guy, Chaz: W who would you prefer to go on the mats with out of us three? Ed: Oof I reckon you'd both be shit as to go on the mats with. Mac: Boxing, sparring. Ed: I reckon if it was jujitsu, I would probably go against you, Chez, because I reckon Hemi would be more like wiry. Yeah, I reckon Hemi could Hemi Hemi could get him con Chaz: Yeah. Yep. He'd be slippery, Mac: Yeah. Ed: yeah, he could con contort his body Mac: Select Ray, yeah. Ed: a bit more than you could. Chaz: I think God I would I'd have to flip it I'd have to flip a coin, I reckon I'd probably go for Ed: Ha ha ha. Mac: I dunno yeah, I dunno about you two. Ed: You have to be real slippery though, like I don't I don't really know much about I don't really know Chaz: I reckon I'd go against Hemi, 'cause he's lighter. Ed: much about jujitsu, yeah. Anyway, let's wrap let's wrap it up 'cause Chaz: I think weight's a key thing. Mac: I reckon I could take Eddie down. Ed: we'll s we'll save Chaz: Yeah. Ed: some more f we'll save save some more for episode three. Peace. Chaz: All right, sweet. See ya. Thanks, Henry. Mac: Right. Peace out. Chaz: Thanks for opening up. Mac: Ladies.