169 – Podium Highs with Australian XC MTB Champion Bec McConnell
Today’s Guest:
Australian XC MTB Champion, Primaflor Mondraker X-Sauce Elite Team rider placing 3rd in both the 2019 & 2020 World Championships – Bec (Rebecca) McConnell.
On episode #169 it is my great pleasure to welcome Bec McConnell on the show. Bec has already achieved a tonne in her young racing career, she won the Under 23 World Cup in 2013 and placed 3rd in both the 2019 & 2020 XC MTB World Championships, but after chatting with her I believe that this is only the beginning for Bec.
Bec has been racing bikes from an early age and has always been involved in her local scene and local clubs. Bec is from Canberra, Australia’s capital city and feels she was lucky to have grown up there as there is such great terrain and a high level of riding talent which pushed her to improve her fitness, skills and competitive drive.
Bec never really pushed to be a professional mountain biker, it just kind of happened as she progressed through the levels and age groups, but she can clearly remember the time when she turned pro including the feelings and emotions that came with it.
Tune in and find out more about how Bec got started on her MTB journey, the highs and the lows of being a professional racer and how she has fought her way to be at the top level over the last couple of years, plus much more.
Enjoy the show!
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Find Out:
- How Bec got started in the XC MTB scene
- When she started racing
- The talent of the race scene in her local area
- How her family support her and still encourage her to be the best
- The emotions she felt after winning the Under 23 World Cup in 2013
- How Bec felt after turning professional
- The motivation behind racing the 2017 season as a privateer
- How signing for the Primaflor Mondraker X-Sauce Team felt
- Why her 2018 season did not go to plan
- How Bec bounced back and had an amazing 2019 race season
- How she felt after proving she could compete at the top level
- Why she believes being in the correct mental space is so important
- What Bec’s thinks about her Mondraker bikes and why she loves them so much
- The support that the Mondraker Team gives her and how this helps
- Bec’s off season plans and goals for 2021
- How to connect with Bec and follow her on socials
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After signing with the Primaflor Mondraker X-Sauce Elite Team in 2018 Bec had to cut her season short, after a very demanding privateer 2017 season left her physically drained. This was a tough decision to make and one that totally went against the grain, especially after just signing with a top elite team, but Bec knew it was the right thing to do for both her physical and mental well being. And that decision was to pay off in the 2019 race season.
When Bec returned to the race circuit in 2019 she had no UCI points from the previous season so she was starting from the back of the pack, around position 40 and had to push past the other competitors to try and catch the front runners. You can imagine how difficult this would be, you are already starting quite a distance behind the fastest XC riders on the planet, so to catch them is almost an impossible feat.
However, this is exactly what Bec did. She finished the World Cup series in 5th spot, got a 3rd place Bronze medal at the World Championships, including 2 World Cup podiums and finished 4th in the overall World Rankings. One of her biggest highlights of the 2019 season came when she finished 2nd at the World Cup in Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic.
Even though the 2020 season has been a little different with the Covid pandemic, Bec still found the motivation and willpower to be standing on podiums and win a 3rd place Bronze at the World Championships in Leogan, Austria. And I am sure the 2021 season will be no different as Bec has a great deal of competitive spirit, drive, talent and work ethic, so keep an eye among the leading pack and you will surely find Bec at the front.
So join us as we chat about racing from an early age to tuning pro and racing for a living, plus much much more!
Thanks for tuning in and supporting the podcast.
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To Connect with Bec:
Instagram: becmcconnell
Facebook: bechendersonMTB
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Bec’s Sponsors:
www.primaflormondraker.com/primaflor-mondraker-xsauce
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Resources in this Episode:
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Thanks to Bec for coming on the show and sharing her amazing story and race career and I am sure this is only the beginning.
Thank you for tuning in and getting involved with the podcast!
Join me next week for another MTB TRIBE Podcast show.
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Did you enjoy this episode and want to hear more? Check out the episodes below:
