Rider Profile: Cory Wallace

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CORY WALLACE

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Despite dislocating his shoulder during the 24 Hour Worlds in Australia, Cory still logged 79 racing days in over 10 countries last year. He has a reputation for undertaking epic adventures with only a backpack and his bike and, despite a long list of wins, meeting people along his travels is still his main highlight. Focused on living stress-free and saving his competitiveness for the races, Cory is genuine, ambitious, and a favorite to live through vicariously.

Marathon and stage races are adventures that take you to some pretty rad places around the world, and racing them is much cooler then getting dizzy doing XC laps!

Growing up in Jasper it was natural that Cory discovered mountain biking on the outstanding trail network that surrounds the city. Starting at a young age, he hit up the closer trails on his way to school before graduating to the trails further in the mountains while looking for ‘good fishing holes’.


In the early 2000’s, cross-country was the only option around for racing, and Cory dove in. As he noticed his propensity to pick off riders in the later stages of the races, marathon and stage events became a natural and clear path as they began popping up and gaining in popularity. Six years ago Richard Cox, the Kona sales rep for Freewheel Cycle, and the shop worked together to get Cory on the race team. “Richard kind of took me under his wing and helped things progress with Kona.” Cory also credits, Dave MacDowell, originally at Freewheel and now at Wild Mountain, with supporting his racing from day one.

Kona is a unique west coast based company, they are very laid back and easy to work with. I enjoy the relaxed relationship I have with them and the freedom that goes with it to track down the coolest races around the globe.

Last year Cory won the Canadian Marathon title, defended his title at the Mongolia Bike Challenge and took 2nd place at both the TransRockies and the Crocodile Trophy. Having the opportunity to represent Canada in the national marathon champion jersey and winning the Australian Marathon series while wearing the Maple Leaf this past spring were personal standouts amongst his impressive season.

Sharing good times with fellow racers from different cultures around the world is the best thing about the whole experience.

Along with a race season packed with wins, Cory says that sharing good times with fellow racers from different cultures around the world is the best thing about racing. His list of travel highlights include seeing the Mongolian plateau, Australian outback, Japanese jungles and the mighty Himalayans. Spending time in Nepal, Cory met local Nepalese riders, “They are full of heart and some of the most down to earth guys you will ever meet.” He adds, “They are doing what they can with very little resources to follow their cycling aspirations, and always with a smile on their faces.”

I have had some great adventures overseas, sometimes they turn into gong shows, but other times they lead to big wins. Either way they put a smile on my face!

Cory has a reputation for ‘crazy’ adventures. Once, after a race in Malaysia, he headed to Sumatra with only his bike and a backpack. “Sumatra is known as the wild west of Indonesia and is full of chaos 24/7.” He was treated like a Hollywood star the whole time he was there and managed to dodge two marriage proposals. He has also spent three consecutive winters riding through Central America; he claims that it is great early season training to log his base miles. Along the way he rode through seven different countries and reminisces about the beaches, jungles, volcanoes and fellow travellers he met along the way. It is the hundreds, if not thousands, of people he has met around the globe that Cory will never forget. “No matter where I've gone in this world I have met amazing people who are what make these experiences worth travelling for.”


Cory is passionate about nutrition - something his mom introduced him to when he was young. After 5 years of balancing school, travel, work, and racing, he wrapped up his courses to officially become a Nutritional Consultant. He believes that “food is the fuel for life and can do amazing things for you if you handle it right.” Cory’s long-term objective is to work as Sports Nutritional Consultant to help others reach their own athletic and life goals.

I try to stay pretty relaxed and not get too worked up as it adds unnecessary stress to a lifestyle which already puts a lot of stress on your body. As far as I've figured out, we each only have so many matches to burn every year and it's important to save those for when it counts!

For Cory the offseason is ‘work season’. Each winter he heads to Northern Alberta where he spends November to January working as a Tree Faller/Slasher in the oil fields. The mental break from the bikes allows him to return to racing with a fresh perspective and a renewed excitement to compete. The time in the oil fields also gives him a chance to feed his ‘inner redneck’; ripping around on quads and working with chainsaws.


Along with his off-season work and support from his sponsors, Cory will be taking to travelling the world race circuit again this year. He will be defending his titles at the Canadian Marathon Champs and the Mongolia Bike Challenge. He also has his sights set on cracking the top ten at Marathon Worlds in South Africa and making the podium at the Leadville 100. His economical approach to travelling is to book big trips and try to hit as many races as he can on one plane ticket. You can follow Cory and his epic adventures here.

If I had to pick one racer who influenced me the most it would be Roddi Lega who ripped up the Alberta and National racing scene with baggy shorts and hairy legs when I was staring out. I liked his style, he did his own thing and stood out like a black sheep at the races, all this while kicking butt!

Images provided by Cory, from all of his crazy adventures.

www.konaworld.com

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Interviews Cory Wallace