Andy Schultz » Andy Schultz on Professional Mountain Bike Racing

We used to have an appropriate category called "semi-pro", which I fell into. I am a reasonably fast rider and competitive at that level, but not in the "pros". Taking a step back down to Cat 1 (Expert) seemed like a strange way to go about things, after winning semi-pro races. So for me, I moved up into the Pro field when the USAC categories changed. Do I feel like I deserve to be there? Not really, but I don't feel that I belong in the Experts either where someone like myself would be considered a sandbagger (just like those who are killing the front of the Cat 1 fields should be considered).

I think there are a lot of folks in the Pro/Cat 1 field who are essentially living in poverty and/or have the benefit of financial resources gained elsewhere (family/spouse?). Some are able to compete at a very high level while working full time, but the majority either have to scrape by on nothing, or work and train/compete at a compromised level relative to their true potential.

I think that if you're not a genetic freak of nature who rises to the top with little effort, you really have to go through a period of suffering in the fast group while not expecting a salary. (If you're in it for the money, it is a lot easier to just get a real job and race slightly slower for fun.) This class of racer, the "just-below-top" riders, contains quite a deep field. Any of these riders could step up to a higher level with the luxury of having a salary, ability to pay a coach, and plenty of rest time. The problem lies in that some of these guys have resources gained elsewhere, which allows them to become a "sponsored rider" for essentially nothing. These riders (finishing outside the top 3-5) are providing the same media exposure benefits to sponsors as a rider who is paid a salary (and the industry uses this to their advantage). It's not in the interests of those riders who are getting paid while placing in the 5th-15th place to discuss their salary (if there is one) because many of those pack fodder racers would gladly do the same thing for a percentage less. For this reason, nobody getting paid will talk. Another reason not to talk is the embarrassment of revealing that you are actually "pretending" to be a decently paid "pro" athlete and this reveals that you really are getting by because of your sugar momma/daddy or trust fund.

The salary silence that exists contributes to this illusion that "professional" means "I do this for a living" when in all actuality, we're all really just scraping by at the domestic level. The top riders who are outside that "Top 5" zone visually appear to be in the same financial boat as the leaders because, after all, they are also riding the same top end equipment and sporting the newest clothing/accessories. This aesthetic is something that many want to emulate - to look PRO. The fact is that is much of that "stuff is sometimes provided to them for free, but more often at a discounted price. Having a saturation of riders on the "high end" product, gaining exposure and visibility of expensive goods helps the manufacturers sell more of that "high end" product to the masses, but one has to wonder how much of the product of this level that is out there was actually purchased at retail price? Are the manufacturers making more profits from those "full price" customers, or from the semi-pro/expert racers who are paying a discounted price? Bike prices are continually rising, and the guys who are willing to pay full retail will always do so, regardless of price. I suspect that the "discounted deal" price offered to top level amateurs is where the profits are coming in for the manufacturers. They are making money off of those who are essentially pretending to be pro.

Ultimately, this is a "pay to play" sport. If you're not genetically on the same page as Adam Craig, Lance, etc, you're either going to have to suffer in the trenches for nothing, or have some family money. The only reason any pro rider would be compensated with a comfortable sum of money is if that particular rider brings some sort of positive media exposure, either from repeated podium finishes or some other unique characteristic like good looks, charm, or personality, clinics, community involvement, grassroots team building, junior development, etc. Beyond that, until the sport is gaining exposure at a level which allows partnering sponsors (outside the industry) to justify the investment and get a lucrative "return" on that investment, the money will continue to go elsewhere.

My opinion is that the salary silence exists because of the embarrassment of admitting how much effort we put out on the bike for nothing, and that many of us maintain an image that money exists where it doesn't. What I love more than anything about this sport is when I see guys competing near the top 10-15 while riding on dirty, old, worn-out equipment that is about to fall apart at any moment, all while holding down a full time job. Those are the riders who are truly riding out of passion. Everyone else is just holding up a facade and paying to play. Those are the guys that I respect the most because they remind us of what is fundamental truth - it's not the bike that wins the race, it's the motor.

In response to "pure" and "full potential", only those who are paid to race will ever be able to race at full potential, because it frees them up to be a professional racer in its purest form, as their 9-5 job. If a person has to have a 9-5 job and also competes, they will not have their full potential realized due to focus and energy placed elsewhere. So really for it to be "pure" at the professional level we need Pros on a level playing field when it comes to freedom to train and focus on their Professional career and not have to put energies elsewhere. Ability is a huge part of why the 5-10 riders who make a living doing this are in that position, but the freedom allowed to them to only race and train probably helps keep the competition who cannot do this out.
I really hope things would start moving in the direction this interview discussed to allow for the professional field to grow along with the awareness of this sport in the general media due to increased sponsorship involvement.