Trajectory: Sascha Kim
For Giant ambassador Sascha Kim, mountain biking has always been more than just a sport. It’s a creative endeavor, a way to express his own individuality and style.
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Sascha grew up in a small coastal town in Tasmania, with no bike parks, few trails, and barely any elevation. So his journey to becoming a professional enduro racer began by making the most of what he had. That includes building his own trails and sculpting jumps to hone his skills. This year Sascha takes on a new role, transitioning from full-time racer to Giant ambassador. We caught up with him to talk about this journey he’s been on, and where he might be heading next!
Q: You note that your hometown of Eggs and Bacon Bay, Tasmania, is not necessarily known for its mountain biking scene. How did you first get into riding?
A: It wasn’t until late in primary school that a school friend took me on a mountain bike ride after our weekly soccer match. I still remember just how much fun that ride was and I was completely hooked once I had found out what mountain biking was. Living in a pretty isolated spot also meant that I could spend lots of time riding my bike as I was surrounded by bush with not much else to do.
Q: What were the biggest challenges in pursuing mountain biking in a place with limited terrain? How did you address those challenges?
A: Not having much elevation was the biggest challenge, but it did make me work more creatively with my surrounding terrain. Having only 15 seconds’ worth of downhill just forced me to figure out how I can make those 15 seconds as good as possible. Whether that was digging holes so deep that it forced my spring suspension to move or building sketchy jumps. It was these sorts of features that were most beneficial for my skill development. It meant that when I did get the opportunity to ride proper trails everything just felt so much easier and natural despite the features being bigger.
Q: You describe mountain biking as giving you an unparalleled sense of freedom. What is it about the sport that makes you feel that way?
A: It’s like everything else becomes a blur and you are just locked in this other dimension of freedom. The feeling in that very moment is just so exhilarating and addictive that the moment you stop you just want to relive it. It’s not just the adrenaline rush but the freedom of how you want to express yourself. This could be building a certain feature on the trail or learning how to ride a certain way. After all, there is no one correct way to ride. Everyone has their own style, which is so cool.
Q: You mention that you’re always pushing yourself to learn something new. What fuels that mindset? Does that show up in other elements of your life outside of riding?
A: It’s the excitement of wanting to learn something new and then the satisfaction of pulling it off which is most rewarding. The process from start to finish is different to any other hard yet rewarding tasks. Even if the end goal is hard and/or painful at first, it all somehow just fuels the motivation and desire to try again. The want and will to learn is still as evident in my life outside of mountain biking. I mean who doesn’t want to improve at everything in life? But it is true that the driving motivator is wanting to perfect the art of riding, and without a strong desire it is difficult to keep pushing yourself.
Q: Can you share a moment where you had to dig deep to progress in your riding?
A: Apart from having to dig many deep holes for my jumps at home, the most recent moment I had was last year during the EDR mid-season break. I had been coming off a bad sickness which really limited my ability to train and come healthy into the season. It was really refreshing being able to train hard again and my memory of the roads in Andorra will remain cemented with a trail of sweat.
Q: Was there a particular skill that was challenging to master?
A: Learning to ride clips was quite a difficult skill for me to master. I had always grown up on flat pedals and I even raced a national XC race in flats too. Riding clips in downhill was easy, but it was quite challenging in enduro for me. I remember I had even switched from clips to flats just for a specific muddy stage in Loudenvielle last year.
Mountain biker jumping through a glowing cloud of smoke.
Mountain biker in the forest.
Q: Having first joined Giant as an enduro racer with the Giant Factory Off-Road Team, what has been your experience following the UCI World Cup reform, and the shift in focus away from enduro?
A: While it’s sad to see the current condition the Enduro World Cup scene is in, I'm very fortunate that Giant has had my back and given me a new opportunity to ride for them as an ambassador. I do hope the sport of enduro resurfaces back to where it used to be as it’s a discipline that I’ll always enjoy whether that's racing in it for fun or competitively. The shift from racer to ambassador is exciting and I’m really keen to see where this takes us and what the future holds.
Q: As you transition from a full-time racer to an ambassador role with Giant, what are your ambitions for this new chapter?
A: To learn something new! I think becoming an ambassador with Giant will allow me to grow in new, undiscovered aspects. I see that this opportunity is so great because there is no clear end goal. I have no idea where this will take me, which is most exciting honestly.
Q: In Trajectory, we see glimpses of videos you were already creating as a young rider. Has the creative process always factored into your riding experience?
A: I’ve always loved the creative process, whether that was trail building, learning a new skill, or making a riding video. Filming yourself riding is always so fun and getting to relive those split-second moments is something I’ll always enjoy. It’s just as rewarding too, from start to finish the whole process is very satisfying.
Q: What’s next for you on the horizon? Any specific races, projects, or big rides that you’re especially excited about?
A: I’d like to have something big and exciting to share, but honestly I don’t right now. I’ve been pretty spoiled with all the amazing riding and racing that I’ve gotten to do over the past few years. I was so lucky looking back on it all now! I’ve actually just moved somewhere that doesn’t have the best mountain biking, which sounds anticlimactic. But if I look at this positively, it’s similar to when I first started riding at home and had to make do with not a heap of facilities and trails. If anything, this is going to make me work more creatively, so I’m excited to see what I can do. Already starting the year off with Trajectory is amazing and I’m excited for more creative riding and filming down the track!