World Cup winner Luke Meier-Smith back home in Comboyne after ‘career best season’

WORLD Cup winning mountain biker Luke Meier-Smith is back home in Comboyne after his “career best season to date”.

Luke achieved his maiden victory in the men’s elite UCI Downhill World Cup series on October 4, at New York’s Lake Placid.

After being the first to make it down the new Whiteface Mountain course, he said “words couldn’t describe the moment”.

Now taking a break with his family, Luke has reflected on his career milestone for News Of The Area.

Q1: After the excitement of Lake Placid, how did you wrap up the season?

There wasn’t much time to celebrate after the win. The following weekend was the final round in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, where I finished the season in 8th place and Top 10 overall in the DH World Cup series – which I was super stoked about! Career Best season to date.

Q2: What does a World Cup win mean for you personally and professionally?

It means a lot to me personally. I’ve worked very hard for many years to achieve a World Cup win and sacrificed a lot to get to this point in my career; many years of ups and downs, that’s for sure. Professionally it’s a big door opener to my sponsors to show that I can do it, as well as new sponsors in and out of the industry.

Q3: What’s next for you?

Currently, I’m taking some chill time to reset after the season, before preparations start for the 2026 DH World Cup season.

Q4: How long are you signed with Giant, and what was their reaction to the win?

I am contracted with the Giant Factory Off-road Team through till next year (which will be my 4th year with the team). The win means a lot to them as a company, after around a 28-year hiatus. I couldn’t be happier to get them back on the map with this win.

Q5: Did your brother (fellow rider, Remy) still have to pay the fine for rushing in to congratulate you?

Haha! He decided not to pay it. And they haven’t followed him up, so hopefully they have realised the stupidity of the fine.

Q6: Do you think Australia will ever host a MTB World Series Round?

I hope so! We definitely have some spots that could do it, I think it’s just a matter of time.

Q7: Port Macquarie-Hastings Council was very excited about your win. As a former Wayne Richards Scholarship recipient, how important is that sort of support when you’re starting out?

100%. I was super grateful to receive the Wayne Richards scholarship to help support me to get to where I am today. [A] shout out to my parents as well for all their efforts to get me over to Europe when I was a junior. It paid off!

Q8: Based on what you’ve seen in your travels, do you think there could be more investment in mountain bike parks and rider development on the Mid North Coast?

Yeah, I think so. The MTB industry is growing rapidly around Australia with many parks and riding locations being developed, so hopefully more to come in the Mid North Coast area too.

By Sue STEPHENSON