Declan von Dietze

Tell us about yourself:
I am a massive cycling addict in all forms of the sport, and race Marathon MTB as my main focus. I started cycling after a skiing injury put a permanent hold on my AFL ambitions in 2010. After graduating school in 2011 I turned to the MTB as a bit of fun on the side of road racing, and before I knew it I had left the road racing in the dust to chase some dirt. Since 2013 I have been travelling the country racing in a heap of events as well as working with bike shops. I have just started writing for Marathon MTB and Australian Mountain Bike Magazine as well as being the WA product representative for Sub4 Apparel in WA and my 4 day a week job at Bike Force Cannington, leading to a very busy life with my training for an endurance based sport!

What would your perfect day look like?
Waking up in the mountains to a great cup of coffee followed by a long day climbing mountain passes and exploring back country trails. After spending most of the day on the bike, I would come home to a cold beer and a nice movie with my amazing girlfriend (who would have also done some crazy long ride or run during the day).

What two wheeled sports are you involved in?
I am involved in most things cycling, I started racing triathlons as a young kid, but it went on the back foot when I started to play AFL.

How did you get involved in the sport?
After a terrible knee injury I took up road racing as a way to use my competitive spirit as well as track racing to keep the speed in the legs and for a bit of font training. After being convinced to go on a mountain bike ride, I started to take the sport a lot more seriously, completing more races every year, and eventually giving up road racing to find my niche in Marathon MTB racing.
I feel that the marathon discipline really shows who you are as a person, with so many hours on the bike you get to know who you are and what drives you to go harder and faster. Marathon racing also allows you to make mistakes, but still have a  great race.

How many bikes do you have?
More than I would like to admit... I think the count is currently at 8 fully built and ridable bikes, plus a stack of frames, wheels and group sets that could make a lot more bikes...

What is your favourite Pushie brand/component?
The Spank Oozy 29 Wheels are pretty rad, strong and look fresh in silver!

Got any top tips for aspiring young riders?
You should only race because you love racing and ride because you love riding. Find what you love to do and keep on with it!

What are your upcoming goals?
Top 20 at Australian MTB Marathon National Championships
Improving my results in European racing with another stint racing through Austria, Germany and hopefully France!