SPRING2017
MLBLUE
33
words :: Allison Kennedy Davies
For the last fewseasons, SkyeFollashasbeena familiar and fast
faceat theBlueMountainBikePark.Honingherdownhill skillson
theNiagaraEscarpment, Follaswason thebrinkof racingherfirst
WorldCupdownhill asa junior last yearwhenahand injurysidelined
her.Her familyhadbeenplanningamove toNewZealandandwith
thisunexpectedbreak inher raceschedule, they tradedcontinents
andshippedSkye’sbike toRotorua.Backon thebike, Skyehasbeen
learningall about racing inNewZealand, rubbingelbowswith the likes
ofWynMastersandclaiming theNewZealandDownhill JuniorWomen’s
overall title.Shemaybehalfwayacross theworld,butSkye isholdingher
“Give 'er theGoose”signhighwhilechasing thesame two-wheeleddreams.
WecaughtupwithSkye (inherschooluniform) foranearlymorningSkypecall.
MountainLife:
Goodmorning, Skye. Tell usabit about yourself andwhat
you’redoing thesedays.
Skye Follas:
I’m turning 18 in July and I’m from Elora, Ontario. Now I am living in
Rotorua, NZ. I’m inmy last year of high school and I'm just riding bikes, going to
school and being a teenage girl.
ML:
Howdidyouendup inNewZealand?
SF:
My dad is a Kiwi and when he marriedmy mom they moved to Canada because
she had a big family there. Now the family ties in Canada have gone down while in NZ
they’ve gone up. We have a growing family here and this is the lifestyle we wanted so it
just made sense. This is a permanent move for my family. For me, we’ll see. I also have
British citizenship but this will be our home base for now.
ML:
Before youmade themove, youwere turningheadson thedownhill scene inCanada.
Tell usabout that.
SF:
I was racing downhill at the Canada Cup level before I got hurt last summer. I was very
passionate about that and I was very motivated. I’ve only been downhilling since late 2014. I
decided I really liked it and I made a gym plan for the winter doing weights and sprints on the
spinbike. I built upmy core and arm strength and that really helped. In 2015, I did the weekly
series at Blue and two other races. It wasn’t much but it was enough to knowwhat I wanted.
ML:
Last summerwasgoing tobeyourbigyearhere, beforeyougothurt.
SF:
Last summer hit me really hard. It was definitely a turning point. In July, I was in Quebec doing the
Quebec Cup race withmy new team. I had an accident on course and fracturedmy hand. Everyone told
me it was a chip fracture at first and I thought it would heal up in four weeks. At three weeks and five
days a hand specialist said it’s an avulsion fracture. The ligament tore a piece off the bone so it would be
a lot more than just four weeks in a cast to get back. I’ve learned a lot from that.
