Getting to Know Rae Morrison - NZ's EWS Contender

Feb 11, 2017
by Rachelle Frazer Boobar  
Getting to Know Rae Morrison

Rae Morrison



Rae Morrison has had her share of personal setbacks but the mellow Kiwi lass has a lot of fight in her. After a huge crash that saw her break her hip and pelvis in 2013, Rae threw everything into recovery and living the life she'd always wanted: Traveling the world and riding bikes. In 2015 she raced as a privateer, then, in 2016 she was picked up by Lapierre Gravity Republic where she scored a host of top ten results until another injury put her on the sidelines for the last two races of the year. Rae is fully recovered now and will be rolling out to the 2017 EWS with a new sponsor—Liv Cycling. We get to know Rae a little better and find out what she's all about.




Who is Rae Morrison?
A mountain bike chick from New Zealand traveling and racing bikes around the world.

Where are you from and where do you live now?
I am from New Zealand. I'm currently living in Wellington but I chase the summer across Europe and America, so I spend 6 months in New Zealand and 6 months traveling abroad.

Who do you ride for?
I ride for Liv Cycling onboard the Giant Factory Off-Road team.

What’s been your favourite race/contest venue?
I really enjoyed racing Ainsa for the Spain EWS in 2015. The whole weekend was very memorable. Starting with an urban prologue in the town and through a pub in dress up, a 1km long sausage cooked using a crane, enthusiastic spectators lining the track in the middle of nowhere, and then the trails themselves were so unique and fun—it felt like you were riding on the moon. I would love to go back there.

Rae Morrison

What are your favourite trails?
I love technical trails, Whistler, Canada and Nelson, New Zealand are my favourite places I have ridden.

What are your strengths?
I feel I am a good all-round rider. My fitness is good and I love the steep slow techy stuff.

What are your weaknesses?
Riding in the wet. I follow the summer so I can get a bit delicate in the rain and freezing cold haha.

Where are you happiest?
Lost in the forest, exploring new tracks and places.


What’s been your worst crash over the years?
I’ve had two. 2013 I dislocated by hip and fractured my pelvis crashing on a jump, then last year I shattered my heel after my pedal broke landing a jump.


What’s been your luckiest escape?
I think where I broke my heel I got off very lucky. It was from a high speed and from a height, landing onto rocky, solid ground. I landed with my foot fully flexed which put all the impact with my heel rather than my ankle. If that impact went through my ankle my recovery would have been a lot longer.

Which bike from over the years, conjures up the best memories?
My Kona Bear. It was my first mountain bike and a heavy roust thing that would do anything. All that 4 inches of travel made it over a decent road gap and some pretty gnarly downhill tracks. By memory, I cracked the frame three times but it wasn’t a worry, a friend just welded it back together and I was away again. I have many fond memories on that bike from when I was first starting out.

What bikes are you riding right now?
My Enduro race bike: Liv Hail Advanced 0
XC bike: Liv Pique Advanced 0
Road bike: Liv Envie Advanced Pro 0

Who’s your favourite rider?
I was a big fan of Sam Hill as he was dominating the sport when I first got into mountain biking. I love his style on a bike and the different lines he takes from the rest of the field

A photo posted by Rae Morrison (@rae_morrison) on


Who or what inspires you?
I just find people inspiring, any story where someone perseveres against the odds.

What do you enjoy doing away from bikes?
I spend time in the gym, swimming, eating, hanging out at bike shops and I love chilling out watching movies and t.v episodes.

What are you listening to right now?
I have quite a wide range and tastes depending on my mood. My go to is usually soft rock/acoustic music.

What’s your favourite bike movie?
Roam. It was first mtb movie I ever bought.


What's your favorite non-bike movie/tv show?
I have recently started watching Prison Break and am really enjoying it. I am a big fan of t.v. series, and movies so I generally like most shows.

What’s your favourite non-bike website?
I don’t surf the net much. When I do it is usually to look up the weather or race results.

What’s your favourite motto or saying?
One of my favourite quotes is from Winnie the Pooh "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you ever know. " Everyone needs a little confidence boost and encouragement sometimes!

What grinds your gears?
People who blame others and the world for their problems.

Rae Morrison

bigquotesYou are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you ever know. - Winnie the Pooh

What makes you happy?
Bikes, friends, and coffee.

If you weren’t a pro mountain biker, what would you be doing?
I was a physiotherapist beforehand so I would go back to that.

If you were in charge of the sport, what changes would you make?

It would be great to have live coverage or ‘on the go’ highlights (of the EWS rounds) so people could watch as the race unfolds, something like RedBull TV Live, although the remoteness of the tracks and the race distance would be extremely hard logistically.

Rae Morrison

When you hang up your racing/riding shoes, how do you want to be remembered?
Being a fast, smooth rider but also a ‘down to earth’ nice person.

What does the future hold for Rae Morrison?
Plenty more traveling, riding and racing with some laughs along the way.


Images provided by www.leehowell.com. Facebook | Instagram.


MENTIONS: @LivCycling


Author Info:
rachellefrazer avatar

Member since Jul 20, 2010
143 articles

52 Comments
  • 48 2
 What a tough person with all those injuries ....have a great 2017 season!!
  • 2 1
 All those injuries then ride without knee pads..
  • 41 3
 I can relate, once I bit my tongue chewing gum. Recovery was a nightmare, I don't even remember the ambulance ride or hospital stay
  • 25 3
 I get you, I stood on a plug once. A proper 3 pronged UK plug, none of your 2 pronged pansy plugs from the rest of the world.
  • 49 2
 @km79: that's nothing, I jumped barefoot onto a Lego brick
  • 10 3
 @randybadger: Thats nothing I stubbed my toe on the bathroom door.
  • 12 0
 You three are my heros. Ive done the hatrick and feel you have empowered me to come out and just be myself. Who cares what people think.
  • 17 1
 You British can mouth off about your injuries if you like, but here in the US I had to foot the medical bills myself.
  • 5 4
 @blackthorne: well done that clearly makes you a hero. You do realise we are joking right?
  • 3 0
 @hpiguy: ouch, i felt every brick Frown
  • 6 0
 @blackthorne: that level of sarcasm is one truly felt by those in the US.
  • 3 0
 @blackthorne: We do pay..... by being taxed.
  • 1 0
 @randybadger: for once the brits don't get the sarcasm... my attempt at puns must've fallen flat. Mouth off/biting tongue; stepping on your legos/footing bills etc.
  • 1 0
 @lincoln3: "indentured servant"
  • 23 1
 Holy SHIT she is tough as nails! Those injuries could be potentially career ending and still she kept going. Had never heard of her before but definitely gonna keep an eye out for her this year on the EWS.
  • 15 1
 It must be great being a physiotherapist who rides. At least that way you haven't got to faff around with setting appointments during recovery!
  • 3 0
 Truth.
  • 13 2
 Love Rae.. til she came to my local trails and stole loads of my QOMs!!!! ????????Ah well.. summat to aim for I spose!!!
  • 9 2
 Time to see all the bodyguards come out like they do for Abi....
  • 6 2
 Hahaha. White knights are suiting up for a good joust.
  • 6 0
 You can't just throw out "a 1km sausage cooked with a crane" with no explanation!
  • 3 0
 Well done for your strength and tenacity. I've broken a frew wings in my time, so I can only imagine how a broken pelvis might feel like. Yeesh! Back on the bike and racing, you must be happy.
  • 23 0
 a bird can type?
  • 9 0
 @rrolly: Sure, haven't you heard of the 'hunt and peck' method? Slow but effective.
  • 2 0
 @bhd13: Yes, it's widely known some are hunters and others are . . .
  • 7 2
 Livin the Dream girl! Pedal til you can't.
  • 6 3
 Is it just me or are there like a million Enduro racers? It's getting confusing to keep up with.
  • 8 2
 Its just you fella.
  • 10 9
 there aren't many worth remembering tbh Go ahead PB, nuke me into the ground
  • 2 0
 Fractured pelvis and smashing parts off your bike...I may need to start watching this EWS thing. Ms. Morrison has some hockey-level tenacity.
  • 1 0
 Definitely sending that Winnie the Pooh quote to my Mom, Sister, and Girl friend tomorrow for valentines' day! Good luck on your 2017 EWS season Morrison!
  • 3 2
 Glad to know I'm not the only one who sucks in the rain. Seriously, riding on wet rock is my single biggest weakness as a mountain biker.
  • 1 0
 No it's wet grape vine roots. We have this invasive grape vine species here in the north east. They get massive. Their roots when wet are like trying to ride on a surface that's been polished and then greased.
  • 4 1
 Very badass indeed..this Rae Morrison.
  • 2 0
 A Crank Bros pedal no doubt! Looking forward to seeing what Rae can do this season!
  • 1 0
 I was curious to know what brand pedal it was.
  • 3 0
 This foot injury x ray looks gnarly, all the best for her!
  • 1 0
 It's great to see any athlete sustain and overcome severe injuries and stay committed to the sport! Giant has hope this year Smile )
  • 1 0
 Oh neat, we should compare x rays. I have one that looks like that- medial and lateral malleoli, talus, and navicular. That was a long hard recovery.
  • 1 0
 Look forward to watching her results going forward. Very good looking rider to top it all off.
  • 2 0
 Nothing but respect girl!
  • 1 0
 Bought mine when it first hit the market months ago. Love it
  • 1 0
 Damn! She's got more balls than I do!!
  • 1 0
 go Rae, best of luck with EWS.
  • 1 0
 I had a Kona Bear too!....its a rare one!
  • 1 0
 Yeeeeyaaaa Rae you are AWESOME!! that's all that needs to be said Smile
  • 1 0
 Legend
  • 2 2
 R-O-W-R. Still, strange to see her in purple.
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