Max Scharf is on top of the world.
Scharf just competed in the 2014 Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships in Hafjell, Norway as a member of the Canadian team.
“I loved it, it was super fun,” he said from Norway Monday after completing the downhill challenge Sunday. “It was challenging but really enjoyable. It’s kind of fun to scare yourself, it was just super challenging.”
Although he crashed during his race run, he was able to recover well, coming in 38th out of 65 competitors.
“It’s been cool, really cool seeing all the pros…, getting to meet a lot of people from the Canadian team,” he said enthusiastically.
He doesn’t have his mountain bike racing plans figured out for next year at this point, but he is hoping the year will hold more World Cup competitions.
Max’s dad Greg was among those watching the race from Canada, where he admits to having been pretty nervous.
He says the runs lasted about four to four-and-a-half minutes.
“That’s a pretty intense four or five minutes. We’re just concerned about the finish. The main thing is that he’s under his own power. He may be scratched and bruised, but that he’s under his own power.”
Greg says the Hafjell course is considered one of the toughest on the World Cup circuit.
“It’s pretty rocky, with some really, really fast sections and some large jumps.”
Max was clocked on one section at 75 kilometres an hour.
Greg is proud of the way Max has held his own with athletes who have undoubtedly had more formal coaching than he has.
He explains that Max and Patrick Ladyman, both from Salmon Arm, competed at the Canadian Downhill Mountain Biking Championships at Sun Peaks in July. Max was third and Ladyman, 10th.
Then they competed in the Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne in Quebec, where Max crashed so didn’t get a time, and Ladyman finished the run but didn’t qualify.
“The boys got a big huge learning experience. It was the first time ever at that level,” Greg said, explaining that both boys have consistently done well at the BC Cup level.
Based on Max’s Sun Peaks’ result, he qualified for the world championship.
“These guys are probably the least coached and experienced riders out there,” said Greg of the two Salmon Arm riders. “Neither has had a formal day of mountain bike coaching in their lives.”
Which makes the Norway performance even more amazing.
“I think at that level, there are a lot of intensely coached athletes,” says Greg.
“The fact that Max has been able to do what he’s done is pretty cool for both of them.”
