When Michael Ronning was in his heyday in the ’90s — when this writer was still learning how to read — he was mixing it up with the likes of Shaun Palmer, Brian Lopes, Tomas Misser, and Steve Peat — and beating most of them, too!
One of Australia’s early pro-Downhillers, his career at the top level of the sport spanned nearly a decade, and with the Masters World Champs coming to Cairns this year, he’s donning a number plate in search of a rainbow jumper.
“I have wanted to do it for so long, but it was always in South America or Andorra, and that wasn’t really achievable with a family, and I have two shops — it just wasn’t going to work,” he says. “When I found out it was coming to Cairns, I was like man, it’s in my hometown, at an iconic racetrack where I’d raced all those years ago. It’s just like I can’t not do it.”
Ahead of the Masters World Champs heading to Smithfield — which just so happens to be the week before Crankworx — we caught up with Ronning to see how he’s feeling coming into the race and to take a closer look at his race bike.
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Racing nostalgia with Ronning
The last time Ronning raced the Worlds Downhill at Smithfield was on a Gary Fisher prototype DH bike with a first-generation Rockshox Boxxer, boasting a plush 125mm of travel.
“Most people back then had an 80mm (RockShox) Judy. A couple of guys like Team GT had a weird DHO, which is still a single crown but might have been closer to 100mm,” he says.
“I think I had V-Brakes on the front and a Formula rear disc brake, and you really only had one groupset — Shimano M950 XTR, which was a cross-country groupset,” Ronning continues.
Ronning notes that during this period, everything was handmade or prototype. Above his shop, Giant Nerang, Ronning has a bit of a memorabilia museum that’s not just limited to his own racing career. In the back corner, there is a green-striped Pirelli Intermediate tyre plucked from the paddock at the Albert Park F1 in Melbourne. There’s also one of Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull Racing overalls and jerseys from some of the biggest motocross supersupers stars like Chad Reed and Jeremy McGrath.
There are also quite a few nuggets from his own racing career, from full-face lids like the original Troy Lee Designs Daytona and Giro Mad Max to magazine covers and race plates from his biggest starts.
Hiding in the corner is a Gary Fisher DH from Trek’s custom shop that he rode in the late ’90s. Some years ago, he let the bike go and has only recently tracked it down again. It’s not in great shape but says he will restore it back to its original glory one of these days.
Same track, different eras
A few days before we caught up with Ronning, they had some old footage from the ’96 Worlds playing in his shop, and one of the young kids who works in there was dumbfounded by the speed at which everyone was descending — on 26in wheels, V-Brakes and less suspension than a modern XC bike.
“The track is pretty similar. The top switchbacks out of the start used to be these big wooden berms, which got burned out in a fire. When that happened, they sort of realigned that, but most of it was the same. I’m excited to ride it on a modern bike,” he says.
Quite a number of years after stepping away from racing, Ronning says that getting back on the DH bike and training feels like he is back in his 20s again.
“It still feels the same, but just not as fast,” he laughs.
Having ridden and raced the Worlds Track quite a few times — and also, this being a Masters Event, not a World Cup — Ronning says there isn’t anything that he’s overly worried about. The first third of the run is where you hit the Alien Tree and the main rock garden, which usually trips people up, and once that’s cleared, it’s pretty smooth sailing — in DH terms — to the finish.
We did ask him how deep he plans to take Ronning Ramp, and chuckling, he says to the bottom.
That said, the wet week in the lead-up to the ’96 race is still fresh in his memory, and he’s hoping for dry weather in the lead-up.
It still feels the same, but just not as fast
“I wouldn’t say that I was ever an amazing mud rider anyway. But I remember in ’96, it rained earlier in the week, and the shuttle vehicles couldn’t get up the road, and it can just turn things upside down,” he says.
Racing the 45-49 age group, with his pedigree, Ronning hopes to still be at the pointy end of the field. While that killer instinct is still there, he says ultimately, he’s going to go there, ride his best, and have fun — if he happens to beat everyone, great news!
Ronning’s 2024 Giant Glory Masters Worlds Bike
Given that Ronning owns a Giant store, it should not be a surprise to anyone that he’ll be fronting up to Masters Worlds on a 2024 Giant Glory.
An end-to-end carbon joint, the new Glory comes stock with Fox Factory suspension, and Ronning hasn’t seen much need to change it.
Running 105psi in the Fox 40 on the front, he’s paired that to a 475lb spring on the DHX2 shock to support his 95kg rider weight. Still in the process of playing around with the clickers prior to this, Ronning says it’s been quite a few years since he’s actually had a DH bike.
“The first time I rode it, we went out to Boomerang Farm to do some shuttles. On the way, I was like, ‘Man, this is going to be months of trying to ride and get my head around this bike,’” he says. And about halfway into the first run, it just worked. It’s such a neutral feeling. Everything is so dialled now, it almost feels like the Reign.”
The bike comes with Shimano Saint brakes, and he’s traded the stock SRAM GX DH groupset for the matching gold accented Saint parts.
At the front he’s chosen a Tag Metals T1 Carbon handlebar with a 40mm rise.
“I like the carbon because there is a little bit more forgiveness. At the moment, they’re the full 800, but I’ll probably trim them down because there are some narrow spots on that Cairns track,” he says.
The Glory has all manner of geometry adjustments, including reach adjust cups in the headset. Ronning has the bike set up in the Mid (0mm) setting at the front and the flip-chip in the stock high piston to accommodate the 27.5in rear wheel. In that same vein, the chainstay and brake mount chips are in the forward position to take full advantage of the smaller rear wheel.
Speaking of wheels Ronning has opted for a set of the seemingly invincible DT Swiss FR 1500 Classic hoops. With a Maxxis Assegai on the front and a DHR II with a CushCore insert on the rear, even with the insert he tells us that he’s pushing 30psi in that back tyre and 26psi in the front.
“I’ll probably come down a little bit, but where there are square edge hits and stuff, I still like a bit of support,” he says.
Ronning also tells us he’ll have a wheelset set up with Shorties waiting in the wings — just in case.
Masters World Champs rolls into Smithfield May 16-19. Entries are open now, head over to the event website to get your spot.
