Amy Henchoz, MTB UK Athlete

If you watched our ‘Howgills Polaris video’ you’ll already have been introduced to Amy. The upcoming endurance racing legend who casually tapped out a 3.5 hour road ride through the Yorkshire Dales to Sedbergh, changed her bike and shoes and then left us in her wake up every huge hill on the ride. There’s more to Amy than just lungs and legs though so we picked her brains about what makes her tick on the bike and off.

There must be easier things you could be doing in the normal 9 to 5 world that would probably pay better. So why do you bother?

There're certainly easier things to do and they probably wouldn't give you nearly the emotional swings that bike racing does - I'll let you decide if that's a positive or a negative!

I work full time on top of training and racing so it's not easy and sometimes when races don't go well it seems like it's not worth it but then you do a ride that reminds you that it is, I love marathon racing because the training allows me to say yes to almost anything and do some mad days on the bike. In May we did a mega off the beaten track ride + hike-a-bike in Finale of 2400m and 57km and it was the best ride I think I've ever done. That is why I bother.

What are you proudest of in terms of your riding?

That's a very difficult question and the answer will probably change multiple times after I write this, but I think I'm proudest of how far I've come in the last few years. From getting severely dropped up every climb and every descent on Thursday nights to be now battling it out at the front of both. And while sometimes I can have mini meltdowns mid ride with my descending, I also know how to reset and move on from it so I don't ruin my whole ride for one moment or mistake.

What’s the success that surprised you most?

2022 was a bit of a mad one as it was my first proper season. I went from being moved from Sport to Elite and then having a bit of a meltdown at XCO National Champs because I wasn't used to riding wet clay soil, especially with no dropper. Then I won the UK XCM Champs by over ten minutes and was asked to represent the UK at the XCM World Championships.

A couple of months after that I came 5th at Extreme Sur Loue, a World Series Marathon event on an incredibly gnarly course with some fierce competition. I never thought I would be anywhere near that podium, let alone standing on it!

What’s the funniest screw up?

God, there are too many to list! But my first World Champs in Denmark I got a puncture on the second lap and after a gas canister failed to inflate it I decided to ride on the insert rather than try and put a tube in so I rode 16km to the pit zone on a flat. Only afterwards did I remember that I had plugs and I could have fixed it without a tube!

What do you find hardest?

Racing courses that aren't interesting. Trying to find a way to get myself to go hard when there is no cool riding I find almost impossible, and it generally shows in the results. Finding motivation in other ways on a course is a real skill and I have to work quite hard at it in certain races, but we can't enjoy every course and once you're in it you have to find the process goals instead.

What’s the bit you never get tired of?

Every ride is different. Even if it's trails you've ridden 100 times or intervals you are well and truly bored of. There's still something new every time you get on a bike. That cheeky line you've never seen before, a certain lighting that makes a little pop really obvious, a tailwind that means you get twice as far on that interval as normal or a headwind that means you really suffer but get it done anyway.

Uphill or downhill rider / sweater or jumper?

I'm definitely no jumper! But I definitely prefer the downhill, being fit enough to go fast up the hill just means you get to ride the downhill sooner and more of them!

Uphill or downhill mentality? (e.g. do you tend to make things harder than they have to be or take the easier option)

In a race I always try to make it easier, but even when recce-ing a course I like to make it harder. The satisfaction from successfully climbing the technical section or making a hard line look super smooth is amazing. Especially if a certain Mr Kesteven made it look like a dog’s dinner!

Favourite sort of ride?

Big day out doing loads of enduro style descents and pedalling in between it all. Preferably off-road climbs but the road is a necessary evil to get to the best trails sometimes.

Favourite riding destination?

I try not to go back to the same places too often, there's so much riding to be done why not try somewhere new, last year I would have said Finale but it's getting a bit overridden now. I'd love to go back to Moutiers and do some more big Alpine days with massive natural descents and practice the skills we don't have much of in the UK like switchbacks.

Favourite bit of clothing?

Spatz Armwarmers. Used almost all year round when you don't know if it's a long or short sleeved day or if you don't know what the ride pace will be. Too hot: roll them down, too cold: roll them up!

If Polaris could make you a piece of custom kit what would it be?

A light packable jacket that you could strap to the bike, windproof rather than waterproof. Normally a jacket is the bit of kit that forces me to carry a rucksack rather than stuff in my pockets or bumbag so something that you could throw on quickly if you stopped or the weather turned would be so helpful. I always prefer windproofs rather than waterproofs as they remain breathable and warm when wet but dry quickly so you stay at a good temperature whatever you're doing.

What’s your secret skill?

Racing vintage Volvos in rally challenges. I was the youngest to win the Classic Lands End to John O’ Groats end to end both as a navigator and then as a driver. I was first female to win in both seats too.

Mastermind specialist subject (non bike)?

The failures of pre 2010 Mercedes Sprinter vans and how to fix them. The problem with travelling in an old van is it will always do something unexpected, but to be fair they will, without fail, still get you where you need to go! Normally with a few extra tie wraps added or a fuse removed.

Are you looking forward to the next 12 months?

I'm excited to worry less about UCI MTB races and do a few of the classic events. I'd love to do Dirtlej Epic Enduro next year and maybe try and pop across the pond again to move from second to top step at Downieville Classic!

What would you change about your racing environment?

It would be nice to be at races within a more structured environment, have people to pre-ride the course and discuss it with. We do a bit of this when there's a few UK riders at the same events but that doesn't happen often and it can be pretty lonely at races sometimes.

What would you change about the world of bikes?

I might get some hate for this but….E-bikes are a great tool but can we stop selling them for children please!? Any kid on an E-bike will never ride an analogue, it will be too slow and the skills required to ride one well are very different. It's such a shame to see a child riding one that is perfectly capable of pedaling an analogue.

What gives you the most hope?

Whereas mountain bike racing is dying, gravel racing is thriving in this country, so clearly there are people that want to pedal hard and fast off road. Hopefully more big gnarly mtb events like Gravel Rift Iceland that gravel racers go to as well will create a slow drift across from gravel to mtb and racing in this country may improve. But let's not dumb down courses for the gravel riders please, that's what A/B lines are for!