The NZ downhill chick paradox: You can pretty much fit all of New Zealand’s female downhill racers in a mini. But then you’d have two of the fastest women on the planet arguing over who was going to drive. Vanessa Quin (aka VOQ) and Scarlet Hagen, both former world champs, both blindingly fast, and both emerging from a scene where often at national downhill races there are only two or three women racing… and a month out from the world champs rolling into New Zealand, both still recovering from injury. I got a chance to catch up with Vanessa to find out how she got so fast, how the injury was healing, and the state of girls downhill in New Zealand.

The plan was to go out to Maraetai to the AKDH winter race where Vanessa was “testing out her wrist” to ask her a few questions on the uplift. Unfortunately I didn’t make it because I am slacker than a Mountaincycle Shockwave running Risse Champs, but Vanessa is not only fast, she is the consummate professional as well, so I emailed her the questions, she emailed back… she practically wrote the article herself.
 [+] SEE THE MARAETAI RACE REVIEW FOR MORE ON THE EVENT

"I'd take a bad day on my bike for the best day off it because it is still something I enjoy and love to do"

A bit of background information for those of you that don’t know the detail of VOQ’s season: In the first world cup race of the year at El Vigo (Spain), Vanessa snapped her wrist bad and had to have it screwed back together by a hot shot surgeon in Belgium, and subsequently most of her preparations for this years world champs have been off the big rig. For those of you that don’t know who Vanessa Quin is, well you’ve probably stumbled onto the wrong website after misspelling poodle fancier in Google. Vanessa Quin is the poster girl of Downhill in NZ.
 

NZR. You must feel like Wayne Rooney before the world cup, with everyone wanting to hear about how your injury is healing, and how its going to effect your chances for another world champs podium! How’s the arm, and how do you rate your chances?
 VOQ. I'm still a long way off from being up to speed again. My arm is healing but there is still a lot of new bone that needs to grow around the pieces of my radius that shattered. I have a plate and 9 screws in there, so that’s all that’s really holding it together right now.
 
My expectations for the worlds is like any first race back after an injury. I just want a result and a chance to compete so my outlook on the race is pretty different right now than if I had another world cup season under my belt. But in saying that I'm still really looking forward to the event and will give it everything I have on the day so be sure to cheer for me!
 
This year the worlds is wide open with AC Chausson retired and I know there a some major players after the stripes. After getting injured I have had to rethink my position I guess and now I'm just after a good solid race back. If this happens I'll be happy regardless of the result

NZR. Not wanting to dwell on “El Vigo Snapo!” as I think you named it yourself, but reading your website you seemed to be all philosophical post the accident. Is that really how you felt – were you putting on a brave face, or are you really one of those thrive in the face of adversity freaks?! 
VOQ: I think I've been making the best of a bad situation. Its not fun to get hurt or miss races but that is in fact part of the game so like it or not I can either cry into my pillow or get on with it. I've been injured before so this is nothing new. I guess the timing is never good but everybody has been so cool and I'm just stoked that I've made the most of my time off, even if it wasn't planned.
 
 

NZR: So how have you been getting yourself ready for this world champs?
 VOQ: Well to start off with I went on holiday, forgot about racing and got to see some really awesome stuff while in Europe, like a Formula 1 race in Monaco and a motocross GP. Then once things settled down I started training again. Now I'm back in NZ and my cast is off I'm back to riding and training as per normal, except for the downhill part. I did do a race on the weekend in Auckland [ED: Auckland is a downhill Mecca] just to test out my wrist downhilling and it was at about 50% of normal I guess, so as I said I'm still a long way off. Obviously a lot of this rehab has been stepped up in order to be ready by worlds but we are also looking past this to next season and trying to make sure my wrist heals properly so I can get back to racing full time. 

 
NZR. Last world champs you raced wearing the rainbow jersey, did that add extra pressure? 
VOQ:. I think the world champs jersey does carry a lot of weight to it, but I'm glad I got to experience that. I think the only pressure you really feel however is what you put on yourself. I knew Chausson was going to retire and she wanted her jersey back and I knew she would fight for it. That actually took the pressure off me to just get in there and battle it out.
 

 
 
NZR: You race most summers in NZ, often against very little competition in your class – do you try and benchmark yourself against other classes?
 VOQ:. You do compare your times to the men’s classes if only to rub it in if you beat any of your mates!

 
NZR: So lets talk about the state of NZ racing… Seems that the worlds coming here has meant that everyone has stepped it up. Do you think there are any real contenders from NZ? 
VOQ:. I think the junior mens class is the fastest we have ever had and I think you will see kiwis on the podium in Rotorua if they have a good run. Also the elite mens class has stepped up but they were always fast.

 
NZR: Why don’t more women race DH in NZ? Or is it like that the world over? How do we get more chicks into it, in NZ?
VOQ:. Women ride downhill all over the world but a lot of them don’t race. It is pretty scary to start off with and I think this is what stops a lot of women for going any further, its a bit the same in motocross. I don’t know what the answer is except to try to get girls into it at a younger age and make downhilling more accessible. We don’t have many tracks you can just go ride everyday without the hassle of permits or needing to find transport. If we did have a few bike parks then a lot more people both guys and girls would start to race.
 

NZR: You’ve been racing downhill for 10 years. Getting bored yet? All that traveling around to races, getting wet and cold, scrapes and bruises (and broken bones) up on the hill… do you sometimes think that you rather be in town shopping for shoes and handbags like most other 30 year olds (ok I know your not thirty yet!)?
VOQ:. Ah, yes some days I really do feel like I want to just stay in one place for a while and do a bit of shopping, but then when you get time off (like breaking your arm) you realize you want all the travel, the bruises and the wet and cold. I'd take a bad day on my bike for the best day off it because it is still something I enjoy and love to do.

NZR: We all know that the worlds track is super-fun… on a hot summers day in March. What’s it going to be like in the cold, and possible wet, of one of the coldest NZ winters on record? 
VOQ: The worlds track will be a test in the wet for everyone. If a track is really muddy there is more luck involved when it comes down to racing. If its just cold I think the racers will be fine- its the spectators waiting for hours in the trees that will need warming up! 
 

VOQ is New Zealand’s most successful ever downhill racer.
VOK is a colourful range of liquours used for making cocktails at luaus.

So there you have it. If you stacked all of the mountain bikers in New Zealand in a pile, sitting right on the top would be Vanessa Quin. Given the hand dealt to her this season, it seems a bit much to expect to see her in the rainbow jersey again this year, but with VOQ you do really get the impression that anything is possible. Get up the hill and shout her name!

NZRIDE REPORTER: MIKE CARDEN