Sam Hill (mountain biker)
Encyclopedia
Sam Hill in Viveash, WA, is an Australia
n professional downhill
mountain biker. He was two time consecutive UCI World Downhill Champion during years 2006-2007 for Iron Horse racing team. . He won the 2010 world championships in Mont Saint Anne, riding for the Monster Energy Specialized team on a Specialized Demo 8 II. He also won the 2007 and 2009 UCI Elite Mens Downhill World Cup (Overall). He is currently riding for Team Monster Energy Specialized.
and the USA. He came third at the Vail World Championships in the Under 19(Junior) Downhill event.
In 2002 he won the Under 19 Australian Championships. The same year he was crowned Junior Downhill World Champion, coming first at the World Championships in Kaprun, Austria.
In 2003, at just 18, Sam hill in the Elite category won both the Australian and Oceania Downhill Championships. He then went on to successfully defend his Junior World Champion title in Lugano, Switzerland.
He starred in the 2010 mountain bike movie Follow Me.
, Switzerland
At the time Sam was only 18 years of age and still in the junior class (Under 19). He went into this race as the favourite to win the junior title. The track was also perfect for Sam's style, steep and technical. Eric Carter, the mtb legend saw Sam riding for the first time at this race and said of him, "He went through a section so fast, and it was so rocky and muddy and loose, that I couldn't understand... how he made his bike do what it did". During his race run he had a crash but still managed to walk away with the junior title, but somewhat surprisingly he came third out of all the times on the day. If he had stayed on he would have surely beaten Greg Minaar for the fastest time and the Senior Mens World Title at the age of 18.
2007 World Cup round 2, Champéry
, Switzerland
After placing fifth at round one in Vigo
, Spain
, all eyes were glued on Sam Hill in round two. The extremely steep and technical track seemed almost tailor made for the young Australian. All seemed to be going well for Hill when he qualified in first place early on race day, besting the second place qualifier by over 14 seconds! Hill was looking confident for Finals. However, with approximately 30 riders left to set off, on arguably the most dangerous course the world cup series has seen in many years, the skies opened up. It had rained every day at this time the whole weekend, but not this hard. Riders who qualified in the top ten, were seen finishing in the late forties, early fifties. When last man to down the track, Hill, set off, no one could believe their eyes. The World Champion at the time was ripping down the track faster than top riders were riding it in the bone dry, perfect conditions. Hill's split time was faster than second place (Steve Peat
, who raced in the dry), but a fall later in his run meant the Aussie ended up in a very respectable third position, just 1.63sec off first place rider Matti Lehikoinen
, who also completed his final run in the dry. Hill's run will go down in history as one of the greatest runs in the wet, if not one of the greatest ever. Dan Atherton
later quoted "He showed us all that it ain't over, 'till its truly over". Further, eventual winner Matti Lehikoinen
stated after the race "I played the tactics (referring to a 20 second pause in his practice run, ensuring a lower qualifying position to avoid any unfavourable weather changes), but Sam is the winner of the day. No questions". Steve Peat said "Sam is the King - give him the crown." Despite his remarkable and certainly unmatched talent for riding in unfavorable conditions, Sam admits that he rarely rides in the rain. In an interview with Steve Jones of Dirt Magazine featured in the film 'Earthed 5: The Law of Fives', when asked if he ever rides in the rain Sam replied "I don't even see raindrops in Australia" and "No, my bike gets muddy".
2008 Downhill World Championships, Val di Sole
, Italy
Sam Hill came into this race the reigning world champion. With four riders left on the hill Sam Hill started his final run. At the split he was five seconds up and no one could believe how fast he was going, even the commentator, Rob Warner
, a former world level racer. Rob Warner yelled "Look how fast he's going!", "It looks like the film has been speeded up!". Sam was estimated 10 seconds up when he hit the final left hand turn at the bottom of the track. He pulled one of his classic drift turns around the corner but as he straightened up on exit his bike suddenly washed out from under him. He got straight back on his bike but it had cost him his lead and he finished 0.5 of a second behind eventual second place Steve Peat
.
2010 Downhill World Championships, Mont Sainte-Anne, Canada
2002
Junior World Champion Downhill - Kaprun, Austria Age 17
2003
Junior World Champion Downhill - Lugano Switzerland Age 19
2004
2005
2006
1st place, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2006, Downhill - Rotorua, New Zealand
2007
1st place, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2007, Downhill - Fort William, Scotland
2008
2009 - Specialized/Monster Energy Team
2010 - Specialized/Monster Energy Team
1st Place: UCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2010, Downhill - Mont Sainte Anne, Canada
2011 - Specialized/Monster Energy Team
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n professional downhill
Downhill cycling
Downhill biking is a gravity-assisted time trial mountain biking event. Riders race against the clock, usually starting at intervals of 30 seconds , on courses which typically take two to five minutes to complete. Riders come from all around the world. Riders are timed with equipment similar to...
mountain biker. He was two time consecutive UCI World Downhill Champion during years 2006-2007 for Iron Horse racing team. . He won the 2010 world championships in Mont Saint Anne, riding for the Monster Energy Specialized team on a Specialized Demo 8 II. He also won the 2007 and 2009 UCI Elite Mens Downhill World Cup (Overall). He is currently riding for Team Monster Energy Specialized.
Early Riding Career
In 2001, aged 16 years old, Sam Hill first came into the international mountain bike racing scene, attending his first overseas race traveling CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the USA. He came third at the Vail World Championships in the Under 19(Junior) Downhill event.
In 2002 he won the Under 19 Australian Championships. The same year he was crowned Junior Downhill World Champion, coming first at the World Championships in Kaprun, Austria.
In 2003, at just 18, Sam hill in the Elite category won both the Australian and Oceania Downhill Championships. He then went on to successfully defend his Junior World Champion title in Lugano, Switzerland.
He starred in the 2010 mountain bike movie Follow Me.
Riding Style
Sam Hill is known for his skill in riding steep, technical courses as opposed to flatter courses that require pedaling. He has regularly won on the steepest, most technical track on the World Cup Circuit, Schladming. His famous run in Champery is also testament to his remarkably high skill level on technical courses.Notable Races
2003 Downhill World Championships, LuganoLugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
At the time Sam was only 18 years of age and still in the junior class (Under 19). He went into this race as the favourite to win the junior title. The track was also perfect for Sam's style, steep and technical. Eric Carter, the mtb legend saw Sam riding for the first time at this race and said of him, "He went through a section so fast, and it was so rocky and muddy and loose, that I couldn't understand... how he made his bike do what it did". During his race run he had a crash but still managed to walk away with the junior title, but somewhat surprisingly he came third out of all the times on the day. If he had stayed on he would have surely beaten Greg Minaar for the fastest time and the Senior Mens World Title at the age of 18.
2007 World Cup round 2, Champéry
Champéry
Champéry is a municipality in the district of Monthey in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Champéry is first mentioned in 1286 as Champery...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
After placing fifth at round one in Vigo
Vigo
Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, all eyes were glued on Sam Hill in round two. The extremely steep and technical track seemed almost tailor made for the young Australian. All seemed to be going well for Hill when he qualified in first place early on race day, besting the second place qualifier by over 14 seconds! Hill was looking confident for Finals. However, with approximately 30 riders left to set off, on arguably the most dangerous course the world cup series has seen in many years, the skies opened up. It had rained every day at this time the whole weekend, but not this hard. Riders who qualified in the top ten, were seen finishing in the late forties, early fifties. When last man to down the track, Hill, set off, no one could believe their eyes. The World Champion at the time was ripping down the track faster than top riders were riding it in the bone dry, perfect conditions. Hill's split time was faster than second place (Steve Peat
Steve Peat
Steve Peat , nicknamed "Sheffield Steel" or more commonly just plain "Peaty", is a professional downhill mountain biker who was born and lives in Chapeltown, Sheffield, England. Prior to his career as a professional downhill cyclist Peat was employed as a plumber by James Lamb...
, who raced in the dry), but a fall later in his run meant the Aussie ended up in a very respectable third position, just 1.63sec off first place rider Matti Lehikoinen
Matti Lehikoinen
Matti Lehikoinen is Finland's leading downhill cyclist. His previous achievements include 2001 junior European championship from Italy's Livigno and top-ten placings in the downhill World Cup during 2002-2004...
, who also completed his final run in the dry. Hill's run will go down in history as one of the greatest runs in the wet, if not one of the greatest ever. Dan Atherton
Dan Atherton
Daniel Simon Atherton, known as Dan Atherton is a professional racing cyclist specialising in downhill and four cross mountain bike racing, and is a former national champion of Great Britain...
later quoted "He showed us all that it ain't over, 'till its truly over". Further, eventual winner Matti Lehikoinen
Matti Lehikoinen
Matti Lehikoinen is Finland's leading downhill cyclist. His previous achievements include 2001 junior European championship from Italy's Livigno and top-ten placings in the downhill World Cup during 2002-2004...
stated after the race "I played the tactics (referring to a 20 second pause in his practice run, ensuring a lower qualifying position to avoid any unfavourable weather changes), but Sam is the winner of the day. No questions". Steve Peat said "Sam is the King - give him the crown." Despite his remarkable and certainly unmatched talent for riding in unfavorable conditions, Sam admits that he rarely rides in the rain. In an interview with Steve Jones of Dirt Magazine featured in the film 'Earthed 5: The Law of Fives', when asked if he ever rides in the rain Sam replied "I don't even see raindrops in Australia" and "No, my bike gets muddy".
2008 Downhill World Championships, Val di Sole
Val di Sole
The Sole Valley is a valley in Trentino, northern Italy.Sole Valley applies to the Vermiglio Valley, the east-west aligned valley of the river Noce and its sidevalleys, among which the Peio Valley that heads to the Ortler...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Sam Hill came into this race the reigning world champion. With four riders left on the hill Sam Hill started his final run. At the split he was five seconds up and no one could believe how fast he was going, even the commentator, Rob Warner
Rob Warner (mountain biker)
Rob Warner is a retired professional downhill mountain biker born in Reading, England.Before turning professional in 1993 Warner worked for 6 months at the Rover plant in Oxford on a production line building the Rover 800 series car...
, a former world level racer. Rob Warner yelled "Look how fast he's going!", "It looks like the film has been speeded up!". Sam was estimated 10 seconds up when he hit the final left hand turn at the bottom of the track. He pulled one of his classic drift turns around the corner but as he straightened up on exit his bike suddenly washed out from under him. He got straight back on his bike but it had cost him his lead and he finished 0.5 of a second behind eventual second place Steve Peat
Steve Peat
Steve Peat , nicknamed "Sheffield Steel" or more commonly just plain "Peaty", is a professional downhill mountain biker who was born and lives in Chapeltown, Sheffield, England. Prior to his career as a professional downhill cyclist Peat was employed as a plumber by James Lamb...
.
2010 Downhill World Championships, Mont Sainte-Anne, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Results
2001- 3rd Place Junior Downhill - Vail, Co, USA Age 16
2002
Junior World Champion Downhill - Kaprun, Austria Age 172003
Junior World Champion Downhill - Lugano Switzerland Age 192004
- 3rd Place, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2004, Downhill - Les Gets, France
- 2nd Place, Overall UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 2004, Downhill
- 3rd Place: Fort William UCI World Cup DH
- 4th Place: Les 2 Alpes, France UCI World Cup DH
- 3rd Place: Schladming UCI World Cup DH
- 2nd Place: Mont Saint Anne UCI World Cup DH
- 3rd Place: Livigno, Italy UCI World Cup DH
2005
- 2nd Place, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2005, Downhill - Livigno, Italy
- 2nd Place, Overall UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 2005, Downhill
- 1st Place: Schladming, Austria UCI World Cup DH
- 1st Place: Pila, Italy UCI World Cup DH
2006
1st place, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2006, Downhill - Rotorua, New Zealand
- 2nd Place, Overall UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 2006, Downhill
- 1st Place: Fort William, Scotland UCI World Cup DH
- 1st Place: Schladming, Austria UCI World Cup DH
2007
1st place, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2007, Downhill - Fort William, Scotland
- 1st Place Overall UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Downhill
- 5th Place: Vigo, Spain UCI World Cup DH
- 3rd Place: Champery, Switzerland UCI World Cup DH
- 1st Place: Mont Sainte-Anne, Canada UCI World Cup DH
- 1st Place: Schladming, Austria UCI World Cup DH
- 1st Place: Maribor, Slovenia UCI World Cup DH
2008
- 3rd Place, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2008, Downhill - Val di Sole, Italy
- 2nd Place, Overall UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 2008, Downhill
- 1st Place: Maribor, Slovenia UCI World Cup DH
- 2nd Place: Mont Sainte-Anne, Canada UCI World Cup DH
- 1st Place: Bromont, Canada UCI World Cup DH
- 2nd Place: Schladming, Austria UCI World Cup DH
2009 - Specialized/Monster Energy Team
- 5th Place, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2009, Downhill - Canberra, Australia
- 1st Place Overall, Overall UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 2009, Downhill
- 4th Place: Pietermaritzburg, South Africa UCI World Cup DH
- 2nd Place: La Bresse, France UCI World Cup DH
- 31st Place: Vallnord, Andorra UCI World Cup DH
- 2nd Place: Fort William, Great Britain UCI World Cup DH
- 2nd Place: Maribor, Slovenia UCI World Cup DH
- 1st Place: Mt Sainte Anne, Canada UCI World Cup DH
- 3rd Place: Bromont, Canada UCI World Cup DH
- 1st Place: Schladming, Austria UCI World Cup DH
2010 - Specialized/Monster Energy Team
1st Place: UCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2010, Downhill - Mont Sainte Anne, Canada
-
- 5th Place: Maribor, Slovenia UCI World Cup DH
- 13th Place: Windham, USA UCI World Cup DH
2011 - Specialized/Monster Energy Team
-
- 8th Place: Pietermaritzburg, South Africa UCI World Cup DH
- 9th Place: Fort William, Scotland UCI World Cup DH
- 5th Place: Leogang, Austria UCI World Cup DH