Pete Scullion searches the land for fast riders with a story to tell. And then he goes riding with them and tries to keep up as they tell him their secrets.

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY PETE SCULLION

Some seriously unpredictable winter weather shifted the goalposts numerous times for my meeting with the fastest privateer who showed up to represent Great Britain at the 2020 UCI Downhill World Championships in Leogang in Austria. Following a trend started by Isla Short, Mikayla Parton made a name for herself by taming the beast and landing herself a fifth place, with a crash.

As the sun struggles to make its way over the UK’s tallest peak, I meet Mikayla at the North Face car park, the usual stomping ground for those who wish to sample Nevis Range’s more off-piste delights, complete with its fierce climb to some of the most fantastic views in Scotland. We’re lucky to have a clear sky as snow and ice had derailed the meeting on numerous occasions.

The air is still and frosty as we emerge reluctantly from our warm vehicles in Torlundy, with a view to just taking in some of the tamer offerings as Mikayla was still recovering from the concussion she suffered in Portugal. If you’ve been paying close attention to the World Cups then you’ll no doubt have seen a flash of red and a blonde ponytail flying down to a top ten finish. Fort William’s latest downhill export has certainly made the most of having a World Cup standard track on her doorstep, and some filthy ruts too.

Get up! 

Out of the car park, the aforementioned climb soon turns our attention away from the cold as chains strain their way to the bigger cogs. Mikayla leads the way in a fashion that won’t change much during the course of the ride, the air bites at our lungs as we gain height fast on the rebuilt Ben path. Despite having cracked her head on some Portuguese dirt, it certainly hasn’t affected her legs, and she goes quietly about making me sweat as we leave the tree line, with the North Face of the Ben in all its winter glory.