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The Wright recipe: Chasing Rainbows

27 Aug 2021 | 09:09 PMBy: Josh Davies

On a sunny Thursday afternoon in September of 2017, Cameron Wright was deep in the Cairns rainforest achieving the unthinkable.

Wright, a first-year junior rider at the time, emphatically soloed to a rainbow jersey at the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Far North Queensland, with victory in the Junior Men's Cross-Country (XCO).

The South African-born naturalised Australian had always dreamt of winning a world championship since stepping onto the bike as a child, but even he was shocked to achieve the feat at the first time of trying.

“I feel like most athletes can say that you always dream of being a world champion no matter what sport,” Wright said from Austria ahead of the 2021 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy.

“For me to get that as a first-year junior rider was out of this world – I still think it’s crazy.

Cam Wright

“Add doing it in front of a home crowd on a home track, again, that was just insane.”

Wright’s journey to the top step of a UCI Mountain Bike World Championships podium had been in motion for a little over a year before stamping his mark on Smithfield Mountain Bike Park.

Together with his father Craig and then coach Donna Dall, Wright had chased precious UCI points back in the familiar territory of South Africa at UCI Junior World Series races to improve his starting position for the 2017 Worlds.

Wright’s homecoming was a fruitful one, and with vital points in the bag, the Brisbane boy was in prime position for a first row start in Cairns courtesy of his UCI world ranking.

The current Giant Factory Off-Road Team member also elected to not travel to Europe in 2017 to gain experience against his European rivals.

Instead, the Wrights elected to focus solely on Cairns.

“That year we sort of changed the idea of us heading over to Europe as an Australian junior team once we were selected to go and race beforehand,” Wright said.

“Dad and I made the decision not to do that trip, one reason was financial but the other was going over to Europe was in a way not needed considering it was a home World Championships and we didn’t need to get used to racing in European conditions.

“I wouldn’t say we called it pointless because I would’ve gained a lot of experience, but we decided to spend that money on two trips to Cairns to dial in the course.

“On those trips with a few teammates on the first and then on the second with the whole junior Australian team with Evan (James), we learned the course and did some race simulations to get an idea of what it would feel like full tilt.

Cam Wright

“Then it was basically knuckling down and getting the preparation set ready for game time.”

The relay entrée

A day before the Junior Men’s XCO, Wright took part in the Australian relay team alongside Dan and Bec McConnell, Holly Harris, and Tasman Nankervis.

The 17-year-old was the first cab off the rank for the green and gold in what proved to be an eye-opening experience mixing with some of the world’s best.

“I came back from lap one with my lungs full of dust – I think I just squeezed through in the top-10 after that lap, but yeah, going against most of the big hitters like Sam Gaze was definitely a hard one,” Wright said.

“That was a leg opener before the junior race because I normally do a proper race-pace lap the day before racing, so there is nothing better than doing an actual proper fast lap in a race.

“I felt pretty confident after it and was happy with my lap considering where I started and who else was on the start line, as well as the fact I couldn’t really see anything on the descent because it was that dusty.”

Unbeknownst to Wright, his lap time wasn’t one which forebode the pandemonium which was to come the next day.

“I personally felt good, but I was told a few days later by Dad that he and Donna had looked at my lap times compared with other junior men, and I was around the top-20 for the one lap,” Wright said.

“They weren’t disappointed obviously, but they didn’t mention that to me because they figured I might get a little psyched out, so they kept it quiet.

“Taking all the factors into consideration, a lot of the other junior guys had a clear lap, so it was slightly different lap scenarios in the relay.

“Then the next day came and it was go-time.”

Composed Cam

Less than three hours before powering into the Cairns rainforest at the front of the junior men’s pack, Wright was doing one thing – sleeping.

Cam Wright

“This is all going to sound a bit crazy, and it’s still crazy for me, it gives me goosebumps thinking about it, and I tell people that ask about it and they say it doesn’t make sense at all, being my first World Championships and big race,” Wright said.

“Just after lunch I fell asleep playing pool on my phone and Dad came into my room two and a half hours before my race and woke me up to ask me what I was doing.

“He said I shouldn’t be sleeping and be getting everything sorted and I was just like it’s all chill, I’ve got heaps of time.

“I also didn’t tell my coach this until after my race, but I actually shaved my legs that morning and when you shave your legs, blood actually comes to the outside of your leg and technically it’s not ideal the day of a race.

“My coach said I was crazy, but I felt like that was what I needed to do.”

Free of nerves, Wright was as composed as he had ever felt while warming up in the afternoon Far North Queensland sun.

The Queenslander also chose to warm up in the quietness of the start boxes wherein the next issue went past Wright without fazing him.

“Normally I would pop the canister on my CO2 head, so if I needed it I could use it straight away, but the CO2 head was a bit old and basically gave up and pissed all the air out,” he said.

“Now my coach had seen this, and she was freaking out, adamant that I needed a CO2 and I was more like oh don’t worry about it, I’m not going to need it. Just tell the guys in the feed zone to hand me one after lap one.

“Eventually I got one and thought oh cool, I didn’t really need it but thanks anyway.

“I was just the most relaxed I’ve ever been, my heart rate was still low, I didn’t have any nerves … I was just that relaxed to the point where I thought maybe I should take my heart rate strap off because I’ll be able to breathe a little better without it.

“Donna said that made her feel a little bit better, knowing that I was thinking of the little things but I was more so just wanting to do something because I was kind of bored warming up (laughs).”

With the start line now buzzing with 71 of the world’s best junior XCO riders, there was still a sense of heightened composure in Wright.

“Everyone was moving around, talking, all pumped up you know and I’m just that guy leaning on my handlebars yawning – it was the most relaxed I’ve ever been,” he said.

“Dad and Donna after the race asked me if I was that tired that I was yawning and I told them just how relaxed I was and not stressed at all.”

Rumble in the Cairns jungle

When the start lights turned green, Wright was at the head of the pack as planned sat within the first five wheels.

Once the pack was out of sight of the roaring crowd the pace dropped, but Wright wasn’t having any of that.

Cam Wright

“Everyone eased up in this open section before ducking left into the single trail for the start loop,” he said.

“I was kind of like what’s going on here, this is World Champs, you don’t just chill, you’ve got to go hard, right?

“So, I went for it and attacked straight away, got on the front and just rode my own pace through the single track.”

With the start loop coming to an end, it was Wright who led the pack, and by a solid margin - Smithfield was about to erupt.

“Apparently, there was a crash in one of the corners which could’ve been why I had such a big gap at the end of the start loop, but I’m not 100 per cent sure because the front pack was the same,” Wright said.

“I had about 50 metres on the guys – I actually have a picture framed in my room from a Canadian photographer who took a photo where you could see the main pack in the background. I thought that was the most awesome photo (laughs).

“The crowd was just nuts coming through the start-finish – it was insane, absolutely ear piercing.

“All I was thinking at that moment was wow, this is sweet, like this is rad and carried on up the hill.

“Most people think I just led from start to finish but I was actually overtaken on the first lap by the eventual silver medallist, Joel Roth from Switzerland.

“He came past me, and I looked over to him blankly and thought cool, there is actually someone with me now.

“I was still super relaxed, and he went for it and got two bike lengths on me before the final switchbacks on the climb.

“I remember those switchbacks had a normal outside line and then a tight inside line and because I had practised the course so much, I had the inside lines nailed, which were a fraction quicker. On the third switchback, I got in front of Roth again before the top and smashed that descent.

“I knew it so well that I was almost telling myself just don’t brake and you’ll be flying.

“I managed to create a gap of more than 30 seconds just on that one descent alone, which I still find very crazy.

“I still didn’t get too ahead of myself after that despite knowing I was winning the race.”

As laps began to tick by, Wright and his support team started to pick up on how the race was unfolding out on course behind him.

Everything was going to plan, and Wright was edging closer and closer to the rainbow stripes.

“Every lap I was losing half my advantage on the climb, but doubling the gap on the descent, which was my race plan,” Wright said.

“I was teasing them a little bit I guess, by letting them see me on the climbs and maybe pushing them into the red to close the gap while I was consolidating a little bit before smashing the descent, which I knew was my strength.

“I think the biggest gap I had was just over a minute and the last lap was all about getting over the hill with whatever you’ve got left and playing it safe down the descent.

Cam Wright

“When I came around onto that finish straight, I didn’t really believe what was going on.

“Crossing the line, I was thinking did I really just do this? It was definitely a crazy feeling which took probably about two weeks before it settled in, knowing that I am a world champion now – it's not just a dream.

“It was a phenomenal feeling doing it with the home crowd there as well as my family and friends who all came up to watch me.

“It was a crazy time; I still can’t believe it sometimes actually. That was pretty much the set-up for my career from there.”

The rainbow effect

Wright’s 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Junior XCO Men win proved to be the catalyst for the years that would follow.

By 2019, Wright had courted the interest of the Giant Factory Off-Road Team for his first year as an Under-23 rider in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup paddock.

Cam Wright

However, the confidence the rainbow jersey brought was the true game-changer.

“Racing with the rainbow jersey, especially around Australia, brought a lot of confidence to myself, knowing that I’ve raced a perfect race and knowing how I felt,” Wright said.

“I’ve tried to get that feeling at every other race I do, and I think that year I did the clean sweep of races in Australia and New Zealand – I was just so boosted with energy and confidence.

“It was a dream come true.”