Jack McCredie's relationship with riding began in 2020, when he discovered one of his father Ross' old bikes in the basement of their family home. They went for a spin, and his passion for mountain biking grew naturally from there.
Fast forward to this July and you'll find McCredie emerging victorious at the Canadian Downhill (DH) Mountain Bike Championships in Sun Peaks, B.C. He broke the beam in four minutes and 36.068 seconds, quicker than all other U19 boys including silver medallist Ryder Wilson (4:38.233) and Mateo Quist, who nabbed bronze (4:38.424).
"I honestly still can’t believe it!" McCredie said. "It’s an unreal feeling to see all the work I’ve put on and off the bike finally pay off. It’s definitely the biggest win of my career so far. I did everything based on a detailed plan I had outlined prior to the week. This gave me the assurance in the start gate that I had done everything I could, which helped turn off my brain [and allowed] me to get into a flow state.
"With such a physical track, I knew that if I didn’t give that run everything … then I would be mad about it for the next year so from start to finish, I gave the run everything I had in me."
McCredie favours downhill above other events because it offers a combination of high velocities, lofty jumps and technical riding that pushes his limits each time out. He feels that Whistler boasts one of Earth's best bike parks and has also cut his teeth on a plethora of quality trails from Pemberton to the North Shore. Along the way, he's met talented athletes from around the world and befriended many of them.
Now a member of Future Frameworks, McCredie is excited for what comes next.
"It was an amazing opportunity to race World Cups and to be associated with Neko Mulally and his team," he explained. "They have an amazing culture, and all the riders and support staff are super fun to ride and hang out with."
Up and down
This year is McCredie's first brush with the UCI World Cup, and naturally the season has delivered ups and downs.
The Whistlerite notched some respectable results in North Carolina and Tennessee, but admittedly lost his mojo in Europe. Struggling with the format and lifestyle of overseas racing, he proved unable to make the final in each of his first five World Cups. Yet McCredie would slowly rebuild his confidence, learning to ride outside his comfort zone whilst adapting to different tracks and variable conditions.
On July 12, he qualified for his maiden World Cup final in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, finishing in 30th place.
McCredie had been aiming for the RockShox Canadian Open DH at Crankworx Whistler again this summer, where his best performance to date was second as a U17 two years ago. 1199 ranks among his favourite tracks and even now, with half a dozen World Cups under his belt to date, he feels that it's one of the most challenging courses anywhere.
Unfortunately the latest Canadian Open DH was axed due to inclement weather, but McCredie did participate in the Whip-Off won by Alessio Tonoli and Janelle Soukup.
At 16 years old, McCredie has plenty of time to sharpen his skills further. He credits several people for investing in him: like Mullaly, Instinct Development coach Ash Jones, Travis Bothner from Ride NF and of course his parents Ross and Kristi. Now the UCI World Championships are fast approaching, with downhill qualifying scheduled to begin Sept. 4, and McCredie hopes to make both Canada and Whistler proud.
"My goal for the rest of the season is to carry the momentum from Nationals into the next block of World Cup racing," he said.
