Ryan (Somerton) Hawson – MTB

1. What are your sporting aspirations?
To compete at my best, all year round.

2. Who is your sporting hero?
Jens Voigt. Nothing else needs to be said.

3. What is your favourite race? Why?
Nemesis Marathon that is run in Victoria. I have raced here twice, and each time have been beaten into submission by the course. Next year, I will be ready. My eyes are
firmly on racing the Tour Divide, and I have also seriously looked into the BC Bike Race with my best mate, and team mate, Ben Randall.

4. What is your greatest sporting achievement?
Racing the Crocodile Trophy with a broken thumb that I did a week before race start. I had to take my bike into the hospital to get the hand cast around holding onto my handlebars, and it healed nicely into that position.

The pain of holding onto the handlebars over 100km of corrugated roads is a memory that will haunt me forever. Every front gear shift was done with the palm of my hand.

When I crossed the line 10 days later, I couldn’t even hold a beer in that hand, and it took 4 months before I could change gears with my thumb. I would mention my ride at the Marathon world champs, but that memory is still too close to my heart.

5. What Hammer Nutrition products do you use?
All of them, but my favourite is the recoverite. I can train hard, and then back it up the next day.

6. Why do you Hammer Nutrition?
Hammer Nutrition offers a full sweep of products from base training all the way to post-racing recovery. It sits well in my body, and I know that I have a solid nutrition foundation to train and race on.

7. Favourite Quote:
“NEVER STOP EXPLORING.”