Video: DH Racing Can Still Be Fun, with Asa Vermette

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by Hannah Dobson April 19, 2025 1

It might be easy to feel a little bit jaded about elite level downhill racing. It might be tempting to just forget about all that stuff with timers and rules and tight trousers and white shoes and just go for a ride in the woods. Say ‘it’s not like it was back when it was all Freecaster’ and go grab your slippers. If you’re feeling a bit tired and jaded, this video should have your stoke rekindled.

This half hour video tracks the arrival of Asa Vermette onto the world stage. I’m not going to include spoilers here, but there’s a veritable bingo card of movie plot level stuff going on. Ups, downs. Triumph over adversity. Small town boy done good. Comedy. Underdogs. It’s all there, in heart-warming stoke-firing form, and with a decent soundtrack to boot. I don’t recall any panpipes or violins. And heck, the kid can ride.

Props to Neko Mulally too, who appears to be a kind-hearted team leader. In some kind of ironic twist, the next video in the series is trailered with images of blokes fighting back tears and a voiceover that says something like ‘This team is for winners, we’re here to win, if you’re not winning it sucks’. This ‘Downhill Prodigy’ video shows there are other ways to win, and it’s good for the soul. Enjoy.

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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