MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Fall 2018

FALL 2018 ML BLUE 61 If you’ve spent any time in the Ontario mountain bike scene then you know the Batty family; they’re iconic. And if you’ve attended any events, clinics, races or après events, there’s a good chance Charlotte Batty was there. She’s always there. The passionate rider is a qualified instructor and is passionate about getting people out on bikes and having fun on the trail. While her roots lie in cross country racing, her emphasis has switched from Lycra to baggies, competition to instruction and winning to fun. Mountain Life caught up with the 27-year-old Duncan-based local. Mountain Life: So your family is obsessed with bikes? Why? How did that start? Charlotte Batty: Surprisingly, it was not one of our parents that got us into mountain biking. We have our oldest brother Eric to thank for getting the whole family on bikes. Eric was obsessed with his tricycle from a young age and it just snowballed from there. Eric was in his early teens around the same time mountain biking landed in Ontario and he and a buddy decided to try an Ontario Cup race. I’m the youngest of four, and we all expressed our interest in mountain biking and racing when our turn came. You have to be ten to start racing in the Pee Wee category. Racing was an entire family affair and consumed pretty much every weekend in the summer. When I was turning ten I thought, “why not?”, seeing as I was already there and was sort of being raised in it. My parents sacrificed a lot and worked hard for us kids to have the opportunities that we did in the sport. It just became the thing that our family did, and in that, it kept us close. A typical family dinner conversation still revolves a lot around the topic of bikes. ML: You raced from how old until how old? What titles did you get over the years? CB: I started racing at 10 until I was 18. When I was 15 I began working with a professional coach. I made the decision to no longer compete prior to what would have been the step into the Elite category. So: eight years of cross country racing. I only just found the gravity side of the sport in more recent years, and my love for the enduro style of mountain biking. From a young age our entire family had much success in the sport. I myself claimed many provincial championship titles and a few national championship titles. Along with many Canada Cup and Provincial Cup wins. I even found myself racing one season in Switzerland in their local Swiss Cup race series. ML: Why did you quit racing? Will you go back to it? CB: I really enjoyed sharing my passion for racing with my siblings, but it always lingered in the back of my mind what my niche was on the bike. While I never really had direct competition with my siblings (we raced different age categories), I always had these predetermined bench-markers as to what my siblings had accomplished. My sister was very successful growing up and is now a two-time Olympian, and races professionally. My brothers both have their lists of wins and losses. In some areas, I would feel like I had worked hard and it paid off, and others, I felt like I was way behind in comparison. It was in my junior expert years (ages 17-18) when I was competing for a spot to represent Canada at the World Championships that I think I lost the passion for competing. I was so determined to snag a spot on that roster that I lost the fun along the way. Diet and training is no easy agenda, and I just didn’t want it bad enough anymore. As of right now, I have no desire to compete, really. I always participate in our local Tuesday Night DH Race Series here at Blue Mountain, and the Canadian National Enduro Series stop but those are more just for fun. I have a bit of interest in racing some enduro races, but it’s financially tough to pull off if you’re not racing full time. And then there is the fear of injury, which would take away from me being able to do my job as an instructor. ML: So you went from Lycra to baggies. How was the transition? CB: I remember seeing baggies for the first time and thinking, “what the heck is that person wearing?!” Fast-forward to now and you will never catch me not wearing baggies. Lycra isn’t exactly the most flattering thing to don on your legs—toned, lean or not. That said, the fit, function and style of baggies has changed tremendously for the better in recent years. To me, baggies just embody the spirit of what mountain biking is about: adventure, laid-back and not fussing over the little things. When I’m not instructing, I like to ride for the exercise and the meditative-like experience it gives me, or the social aspect that group mountain bike rides bring. Batty on top of Blue Mountain.