Stevie Smith, World Cup downhill star and one of the best loved figures in mountain biking, has passed away. He was just 26 years old.
He’ll be remembered as one of the most welcoming, warmest people to have ever graced the mountain bike World Cup circuit – grinning, chainsaw wielding, moustachioed and blisteringly fast.
We first met Stevie back in 2008 at the Mt Beauty Nationals, he was still a kid, but his talent was already immense and only a rampaging Sam Hill got down the mountain faster than the smiling young Canadian. He was set for big things, an he’d go onto live out his dream of being the world’s best, taking the overall win in the 2013 World Cup, inspiring a generation of Canadian up and comers.
It’s always tragic to lose someone in the prime of their life. There are no responses as to the unfairness of it. All you can do is live in their spirit, and do what they’d have wanted you to do. So we’re going to go for a ride, and appreciate every second of it, and we’d encourage you to do the same.
Rest in peace, Stevie.