{"id":20983,"date":"2023-02-03T13:25:06","date_gmt":"2023-02-03T12:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mbuk.com\/?p=10686"},"modified":"2023-02-03T13:36:23","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T12:36:23","slug":"meet-icelands-top-mountain-biker-ingvar-omarsson","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/mbuk\/rss_feed\/meet-icelands-top-mountain-biker-ingvar-omarsson\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Iceland\u2019s top mountain biker, Ingvar \u00d3marsson"},"content":{"rendered":"

A peek into the busy life of the country’s only pro <\/p>

By Chris Barnard\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 03 February 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Hailing from the Icelandic capital Reykjav\u00edk, Ingvar \u00d3marsson<\/a> has to be one of the hardest-working riders in the cycling scene. The 33-year-old is a multiple-time cross-country, XC-marathon, road and cyclocross national champion, and the country\u2019s only full-time professional mountain biker. As a privateer racer without the support of a full factory team, he pushes himself as hard as he can both on and off the bike to keep his sponsors happy and reach podiums around the world.<\/p>\n

What are you up to at the moment?<\/h4>\n

Balancing life between being a dad and a pro rider, and trying to get some sleep!<\/p>\n

What do you think you\u2019re best known for?<\/h4>\n

Cross-country racing, both locally and internationally.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a typical day like for you?<\/h4>\n

Taking care of my family and riding my bike is what 99 per cent of my days consist of!<\/p>\n

Describe your ideal day\u2026<\/h4>\n

Winning a huge race in the morning and spending the rest of the day celebrating with my family and friends.<\/p>\n

Where do you call home and what\u2019s the riding like?<\/h4>\n

Reykjav\u00edk, Iceland, and the riding is cold!<\/p>\n

Last time you were stoked?<\/h4>\n

Recently! I was the first person to finish a major championship race in the Elite category for Iceland at the European Champs.<\/p>\n

First riding memory?<\/h4>\n

Crashing hard on a home-built BMX ramp \u2013 blood everywhere!<\/p>\n

First bike?<\/h4>\n

One of Trek\u2019s<\/a> cheaper BMXs. It was the perfect starting point.<\/p>\n

Who are your heroes?<\/h4>\n

Greg Minnaar<\/a> and Sam Hill<\/a>, because I was riding DH when I started.<\/p>\n

What gets you excited to ride?<\/h4>\n

Good weather!<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s your favourite person to go riding with?<\/h4>\n

My mate H\u00f6r\u00f0ur.<\/p>\n

Favourite bike component?<\/h4>\n

The original SRAM XX1 rear derailleur. While outdated now, it was mind-blowing at the time [because it introduced wide-range 1x shifting].<\/p>\n

What are are your hobbies outside of MTB?<\/h4>\n

Photography is my main interest.<\/p>\n

If you could only ever ride one location it would be\u2026<\/h4>\n

Tenerife.<\/p>\n

Biggest ride this year?<\/h4>\n

Stage 3 of the Belgian Mountainbike Challenge (BeMC). I loved the short climbs and fast downhills.<\/p>

Worst crash?<\/h4>\n

I was hit by a motorcycle in 2015 and almost died from head trauma and internal bleeding.<\/p>\n

Scariest thing you\u2019ve done on a bike?<\/h4>\n

When I reached over 100kmh going down a hill in Tenerife and had to either steer into traffic or ride straight off a cliff.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s one thing no one knows about you?<\/h4>\n

I once wanted to become an architect.<\/p>\n

What simple things make you happy?<\/h4>\n

Pizza, a warm shower and the cold side of the pillow.<\/p>\n

Biggest ride of your life?<\/h4>\n

That\u2019s a tough one, but I\u2019ll go for the Unbound Gravel<\/a> [aka Dirty Kanza] 200-mile race in 2019. The temperature reached over 40\u00b0C and I was closer to dropping from severe dehydration and sheer exhaustion than I\u2019ve ever been before.<\/p>\n

Biggest weakness?<\/h4>\n

Sugar.<\/p>\n

Treasured possession?<\/h4>\n

My camera. It\u2019s a very niche one and still in mint condition!<\/p>\n

What music are you currently listening to?<\/h4>\n

Shadows<\/em> by Cannons<\/em> has been on repeat for a while now.<\/p>\n