We’ve been saying for years that Jack Carthy, the Clean Machine, was going to cause a stir the minute he got onto the international circuit, and we were right! In his first year in international competition, he has finished on the podium in four out of the five of the 2012 UCI 26” World Cup rounds, beating everyone except multiple World Champions Kenny Belaey and Gilles Coustellier and making it into the top ten after just three rounds. He finished in second place in the 2012 Junior World Championship in Austria, missing out on first place by just one point, and he finished in third place overall in the UCI classification for 2012. In addition to that, he won every round of the British Trials Cup to be crowned 2012 British Trials Champion. An impressive and unprecedented performance from a super-talented and dedicated young athlete, supported by Jitsie, Koxx, Enter-Bike &... Tribal Zine ! We caught up with Jack the Ripper after this bloody season and talked about his results, his thoughts on the season, his plans for the coming year and trials in general. He has still one thing in mind : to beat Gilles Coustellier ! Photos by Marco Patrizi, Mathias Lambrecht (cover), Ben Swales.

Tribal Interview

Hi Jack. Congratulations on your result in Saalfelden - second place in the World Championship! Were you pleased with your result?

Hi. I was really pleased with my result, yeah. Second in the world is a pretty good achievement. I went there to win though, so I was really disappointed at the same time. I feel like I lost the trial on the rollers in the Motorex section, which I fived both times and then missed out on the top spot by just one point. I didn’t like that obstacle at all – it was a bit too circus-y, a crowd pleaser, and I don’t think that it should have been in the trial. As soon as I saw them when I walked the sections earlier in the week I had a bad feeling about them, not just because I struggled to ride them, but because I thought they made our sport look gimmicky and not a serious sport.

Only one point away from first place, that’s got to be frustrating! What did you think of David Bonzon’s riding and his victory?

Yes it was, but that’s trials I guess. I was disappointed to be beaten by David. I thought he rode well, but didn’t take any risks – making sure of a lot of the more difficult moves with a strategic dab. That’s not my style at all, I think you should have to go for the move or be penalised. Dabs should be mistakes, not a deliberate move to get through a section. But what can you do?

A lot of people were saying that they expected you to win - did you feel any pressure as a result?

Yes and no. I felt like I had a lot to live up to, something to lose. I try not to let it get to me though and I’m usually quite good at just focusing on the trial, riding the same game and just doing my best. Unfortunately it didn’t pay off this time.

How do you feel about the World Champion being decided in just one competition?

I don’t really like it – anyone could have a good or bad day and win or lose the title as a result. I think important title, like that of World Champion, should be contested over more than one event. Everyone knows that the winner of the World Cup is the best in the world, and yet the World Championship seems to be the more prestigious title. That seems backwards to me. I also think that two laps of six sections isn’t much. It means that a competition can be won or lost on just one or two mistakes. That means that you have to be really on your game and not make any mistakes, but also favours riders who are tactical and use strategic dabs. I think, especially in a one round event like the Worlds, that it should be three laps of six. That would give a more clear winner.

What were your impressions of the event overall? We know you didn’t like the Motorex section with the moving rollers, but what about the rest of the sections, the organisation, the atmosphere?

The trial was really good over all. The final sections were pretty fair and, apart from that bloody Motorex section, were really good. I know a lot of effort went into putting them together as well. As for the organisation, for the most part it was good, but I did have a couple of complaints – the warm up area was OK in the daylight, if a little limited, but with the final at night, when it was dark, it was impossible to ride properly on the warm up section. Some floodlights would have been a good idea, but it was like they’d not considered that it would be dark. The crowds made it very difficult to get from section to section and as a result they had to extend the time for all of the finals. It’s great that there were so many spectators, but a bit of forethought would have been good. The sections were in quite narrow streets and squares, big crowds filled them up so it was difficult to move about. A walkway for riders would have been relatively easy to put in and would have made things a lot easier. They’re minor complaints though, and apart from that I think it all went really well! Having the final at night and having such big crowds did give the event a brilliant atmosphere as well – it was like a party round some of the sections!

You recently said that you want to beat Gilles while he’s still at his best. With his recent convincing victory in Austria, he showed that he’s very much still at his best, so you’ve got plenty of time to do that! Did you manage to watch him and the other riders in the Elite 26" final? What did you think?

I missed the first lap of the Elite 26” because I was in Anti-Doping for so long (I got a bit of stage fright and couldn’t go for ages!), but yes, I watched Gilles in a lot of the sections. He was amazing; watching him really made the trial for me. He’s at such a high level, so much better than everyone else, and yet every time I see him he gets better! I still want to beat him though ;))

What did you do after the final, when you got home? Did you celebrate at all?

We drove straight to Memmingen airport after the presentation and flew back to the UK in the morning. Sleeping at the airport was no fun, although we did meet some crazy, drunken Germans who had come straight from the bar to try and catch a flight to somewhere sunny on the spur of the moment. They ended up being driven home by their mate, who was a policeman on duty at the airport. So funny! When I got home I went to bed for a bit, built my bikes back up and then went and saw Fern. The next day I went out on my bike all day – I’ve already started training for next year!

You have another two years in Junior at the World Championships - how will you approach the next couple of years?

Yeah, I’ve still got plenty of time to win it. It would have been amazing to win my first one, but that’s life. I’m going to focus my training on the World Cups and British rounds next year, training and competing in those should prepare me for the World Championships.

Let’s move away from the Worlds now - you weren’t at the Pro Series competition in Martigues, why was that?

Unfortunately it clashed with the sixth round of the British Trials Cup, which was being held at one of my favourite venues in the UK, Hook Woods, so I wanted to go to that. It was a really good trial, with a great mix of big moves and technical bits, so I’m really glad I did. It looks like I missed a good trial in France though. Oh well.

Let’s talk about the Geneva World Cup ! How did the Final and Super Final go for you?

Really well! I qualified for the Final fairly easily and finished third in the Super Final again. I really enjoyed it. Much more my style of event! I loved the trial really liked it lot more power stuff its wad loads better that the championship I couldn’t fault the sections 

What did you think of the organisation of the Geneva World Cup? What about the section.

I thought the trial was really well organised. I loved the sections as well; there were a lot more power moves and big stuff, just my kind of section! I couldn’t fault the organisation or the sections. I enjoyed it much more than the World Championships.

Did you watch much of the Olympics? The BMX, the track cycling? A lot of people have been saying that trials should be in the Olympics as it requires athletic ability, precision, power, mental ability, etc., like many of the other sports. What do you think? Would you like to see trials in the Olympics? Would you like to be able to compete?

Yeah, I watched some of the track cycling. I was out on my bike most of the time though, so I didn’t watch much of anything else. I think it would be great if trials was included in the Games. Cycling seems to have had a real boost in popularity, particularly in the UK, after Team GB’s performance and it would be amazing if trials could do that in four years’ or eight years’ time. And, of course, I’d love to be able to compete in the Olympics!

You must be really proud of yourself, coming third in your first World Cup at 16 is incredible! Are you happy? Or would you swap it for a win in the World Championship?

Yes, I’m really pleased with how my season turned out. I’ve had some great results. Third overall in the World Cup and in the UCI classification, that’s pretty amazing. I think I could even have finished second in the classification if I’d ridden the European round! I’m happy with how things turned out – I wouldn’t swap the results I have. Like I say, I prefer the World Cups, so to have done better in those, against the top elite riders, is the best outcome for me.

You’re riding for Jitsie now - how did that come about?

They approached me and asked if I wanted to ride for them this year. I liked the look of the stuff they were making and was aware of them through their motorbike stuff, so I was happy to sign with them. They have some cool projects coming up, they don’t mess about! They work really hard to make the best stuff they can and I really enjoy working with them.

What are plans for after the International season and over the winter?

I’ll be training hard over the winter – eyes on the prize!

What sort of things will you focus on in your training and preparation?

I practice a bit of everything, making sure I get to my best before each trial, and work on my fitness to make sure I don’t get too fatigued during a competition.

What are your goals for next season?

Just to keep riding at my best, to do as well as I can. If I do that then I’m happy.

Do you think it’s possible that you’ll beat Gilles in 2013, or is there still a long way to go?

Yeah I am back training hard already! I don’t want to speculate about whether I can beat Gilles or not. I’m going to keep that to myself. That’s always the goal though! There’s always a long way to go though, loads to work on! As a lot of people know, you can never be 100% happy with your riding. You can always improve and that’s all I am interested in – getting better and performing better!

Any plans to ride 20" next year?

No, I’m going to focus on 26” and doing the best that I can in that. I really don’t like 20” anymore.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank, say hi to or mention?

I’d like to thank my Mum and Dad for all their help and support, and Fern for her support and for being an ace girlfriend. I’d also like to thank Barbara and Brian Wright and everyone at the Biketrial Federation and Tyke Trial club for their support over the years and for putting on such great events in the UK, and Ben Swales for all the help and for driving me and my dad round at the world championships (watch out for those curbs mate! Haha). And you guys at Tribal Zine too. Me and my dad and even Fern go on the site every day – it’s the best trials site around! Keep up the good work!