GRIT, GRIND AND GLORY: LUKE MEIER-SMITH
No other DH racer in the world trains harder than Meier-Smith. The Australian Giant Factory Off-Road Team rider reaped the rewards at his first big objective for the 2025 season.
Glory Advanced
Downhill races only last a handful of minutes, but months of work go into the preparation needed to compete at the highest level.
In a cycling discipline where the margin of victory is often fractions of a second, laying the groundwork during the off-season carries equal importance to race day. Just as every touch of the brake matters, every structured workout matters. Every practice run matters. It all matters.
The intensity of that preparation, Luke Meier-Smith says, depends on how badly you want it. And anyone that knows the Giant Factory Off-Road Team rider knows that he wants it very badly.
Australian women’s downhill champion Sian A’hern calls Meier-Smith the “most fierce competitor” she’s observed. Perennial rival Troy Brosnan calls him “a different animal,” adding, “He trains harder than anyone on the World Cup circuit.”
Friend and fellow pro downhiller Ryan Gilchrist calls him “unstoppable,” adding, “With every fiber of his being, he wants to win and will do everything it takes to win. When you train like that, like your life depends on it, winning is kind of inevitable.”
Prior to the traveling circus that is the UCI Downhill World Cup, the first objective was the Australian national downhill championship, where Meier-Smith, 22, would attempt to take the title for a third consecutive year.
Over the winter—Australian summer—Meier-Smith and Gilchrist retreated to Tasmania, to prepare for the upcoming season at Maydena Bike Park, the largest network of gravity terrain in Australia. Their rented house had a home gym and access to a nearby river for cold plunges. When not on his Glory Advanced downhill rig, Meier-Smith logged miles on his Propel Advanced SL road bike for both short, intense intervals and longer, foundational fitness.
The time spent in Tasmania wasn’t just an endeavor in exercise—it was also an opportunity to reflect on the 2024 season and mentally prepare for upcoming goals. It was a time to reset, physically and psychologically.
“I’ve definitely had my fair share of injuries over the past few years, which obviously is part of the sport,” he said. “But it can definitely beat you down and make it harder. I feel like, mostly for me, I know what I want to achieve. I’m just really hungry for it. That’s why I beat myself up over some things, like everyone does, but there’s a level of doing it too much, and it becomes a downfall.”
Luke and his mechanic Bradley Blackwell celebrate a third consecutive Australian national title.
On March 15, race day arrived on a dusty course at Mount Buller, Victoria. Fastest during the seeding runs, Meier-Smith was the last rider out of the start house during finals. Though Brosnan set the fastest split on the sandy, wooded section atop the 1.8km course, Meier-Smith took time back on the lower half of the trail to successfully defend his title, holding off Brosnan by just 0.586 of a second.
For a third consecutive season, Meier-Smith would proudly sport the Australian national colors on his race jersey.
“I made it pretty tough for myself last night, pretty sleepless, so I didn’t get much rest and I was feeling it on that run,” he said after an emphatic release of nerves turned to elation. “But I held on. I had some loose moments, but I’m really happy to make it three in a row. It means so much. I worked my ass off for this. I’m feeling really good on my bike this year and I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”
With his win at Mount Buller, Luke retained the national champion's jersey for another year.